A Rocky Mountain Elopement: Katie and Matthew’s Adventure

Well before Katie and Matthew’s stunning Rocky Mountain elopement, the two met how a lot of couples these days meet; online. Katie declared her date with Matthew would be the last first date but not because she was expecting to fall head over heels with him, she was planning on retiring from online dating. After Matthew had to reschedule their first date, another date almost didn’t happen. She decided to give him another chance.  After the first date Matthew recalls thinking,”Wow, this girl is beautiful, smart, funny and we’re talking about Lean Six Sigma Methodologies.” Don’t worry, we needed to Google that one as well.

Katie says of their initial attraction, “We enjoy the same things. We laugh at the same cheesy puns, we have the same business certifications and enjoy the outdoors. We even ordered ordered the exact same food our first three dates. I was given advice once by an individual who said, “Everyone says relationships are hard, but it shouldn’t be. It should be easy”. I understood what he meant when I met Matt, everything was easy. It’s easy to have fun, easy to have hard conversations and easy to live life side-by- side.”

They both knew quickly that their love was special and meant for forever. On their ten-month dating anniversary (I hope you men out there are taking notes), Matthew took Katie to a secret garden outside of Notre Dame in Paris and under an archway of roses he popped the big question. Matthew says it was the happiest moment of his life. To make it even more special, Katie’s mom had flown into Paris to catch the moment on camera for the pair. When Katie got home, her friends were waiting to see the photos. After the proposal, Matthew surprised Katie with tickets to the ballet at the Paris Opera House. Talk about a romantic proposal!

When it was time to begin planning the big day, the couple said they toyed around with the idea of having a large wedding at home. They toured a couple of venues and nothing felt right.  Katie says, “The wedding planning became more about the event and less about us, that was when I asked myself, “what would really be us?” I researched Colorado elopements and when I found Simply Eloped and spoke with Janessa, I was immediately given new hope for our wedding. We invited 13 people who are a part of our everyday lives to witness our vows and they all agreed: “that was so you!”

The couple’s life is full of adventure and it made sense that their wedding day would have elements of the great outdoors. “We love going on adventures, whether it be hiking, camping, kayaking. We both work full-time jobs so we pack our weekends full of outdoor activities.”

On May 26, 2018, in Colorado’s gorgeous Rocky Mountain National Park, Katie and Matthew exchanged vows and proclaimed their dedication to their love. “The location was perfect. I loved the little trail that wrapped around the rocks so that my groom couldn’t see me until I turned the corner. The views were glorious and calming.”

Both Matthew and Katie said that the best part of their Rocky Mountain Elopement was being able to see each other for the first time. “My favorite part was finally being able to see Katie. Multiple people were asking me that day if I was nervous, but I wasn’t at all, I just wanted to see my Bride. She was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I will always remember that feeling of watching her walking down the aisle, (well more like a trail). I loved being with our families in the mountains while the violinist was playing.”

The next day the two spent the day hiking 14 miles around the area and they were soon off to their honeymoon in Norway.

When asked how their experience with the Simply Eloped team was Katie said, “I loved the Simply Eloped team and had immediate confidence with them after the first email. They answered my many questions with great timing and grace. The photos turned out better than we could have imagined. As a bride, I can say I never felt so beautiful.”

Matthew is Katie’s rock and Katie is Matthew’s best friend. There’s no denying how honest and sweet their love for each other is. We at Simply Eloped feel so grateful to be in the business of love. It keeps us all afloat. Thank you for letting us be a part of your love story! We wish you the very best!

All images (minus last one) credited to Austin Drawhorn of Simply Eloped.