Notes from the photographer, Maddie of Adventure Instead: 

Marlayna & Austin’s elopement was everything you dream of when you think of the words “winter wonderland elopement.” It was chilly and snowy and unpredictable, just as you’d expect for a Colorado winter day—but beautiful in every way. When I met with Marlayna and Austin on their elopement day, they were getting ready separately. Austin was finishing his hand-written vows and Marlayna was slipping into her gorgeous champagne-colored wedding dress. Because they both wanted to have a first look, I found the perfect spot—a little runway strip covered in snow and surrounded by mountains just outside of where they were staying. Though the location we ended up having their ceremony wasn’t their initial pick (Colorado winter weather can be totally unpredictable, and their first location had been hit with heavier snow than anticipated), we found a gorgeous plan B spot high up on a hill. There, in the quiet of a Colorado winter, overlooking mountains and a gorgeous lake, Marlayna and Austin said their vows in private and pledged their lives to each other.