Kaylea & Conor’s Picture Perfect Elopement at Sprague Lake in Colorado

Kaylea & Conor kept meeting at other people’s birthday parties! Finally, they began their own forever story. After a wonderful proposal, they began to search for the perfect elopement spot for them. It had to have water as the backdrop and snowy mountain tops. Of course, they hit on Sprague Lake in Colorado, which has the sweetest rustic dock built just for weddings. Kaylea & Conor, along with family and friends, hiked the short trail together to their ceremony. The wedding gods attended with perfectly blue skies and a serene vista. Afterward, everyone celebrated at a wildly fun reception that even had an elk drop by as a plus one! Keep on reading to find out how Simply Eloped made this couple feel like all they had to do was turn up at their Rocky Mountain elopement – the ultimate in no-stress wedding planning.

How did you meet? What was your first impression of one another? 

Kaylea: We met at a mutual friends 21st birthday outing, but our first impressions aren’t special like you’d think. I thought he was very handsome and his eyes were gorgeous. He, on the other hand, just looked the other way lol. He was invested in another girl at the time. It was the next time we met at another friends 21st outing where we hit it off. That’s when our story began. 

How did you propose or accept the proposal?

Kaylea: We got to Cali a day before we were leaving for our family cruise. My mom asked like a month before if I was interested in doing a gondola ride, because they were going to go on one. I said, absolutely; I’ve always wanted to do one! It was a mess getting there, but that makes our story even better. It was March 8, 2019 and oddly a very cold summer night, so we froze the entire time out in the water. At the end, he finally decided to pull out the blanket from his backpack. At that point, I told him to suck it up because we’re almost back now lol. He really insisted on getting that blanket. But, then he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring instead, and said, “I wanna be your forever, so baby will you be my wife?”. These are lyrics from The Greatest Love Story by LANCO. I said, “are you being serious??” I guess the initial shock hit me lol. He was like, “well do you see this ring, yeah I’m serious.” As we all know, I said yes and couldn’t be more happy about that! 

Where did you choose to elope and why did you choose that destination?

Kaylea: We originally chose to elope at Sapphire Point Overlook in Dillon, CO, but COVID got in the way of that happening. After that, I knew choosing where we were gonna elope had to have some type of water in the background and absolutely had to have the snowy mountain tops. And that is how we ended up in the Rocky Mountain National Park at Sprague Lake. It was picture perfect and we couldn’t have asked for better weather or a more perfect day.

What attracted you to the venue you chose for your elopement? What were your favorite parts about eloping there? 

Kaylea: The obvious thing; the beauty of the nature. It was spring, so the flowers were blooming, the mountains still had snow on them, the weather was high 70’s, the wind wasn’t overwhelmingly strong. It was everything we were looking for in a Rocky Mountain elopement! 

How would you describe your elopement venue to someone who has never been there? 

Kaylea: Like something out of a magazine or movie! As stated before, just absolutely picture perfect. It’s so serene and beautiful.

What did you do before the wedding? How did you get ready? How did you feel in the moments leading up to your elopement? 

Kaylea: The night before me, my MOH’s, and my best friend went out for the night in Estes Park. It didn’t last long though. We all had one beer, got some pizza, and called it a night lol. We got ready at the cabin we were staying in. We turned on our music, had some beverages, and honestly just relaxed until it was time to go. Leading up to the ceremony, I was surprisingly very calm. It felt like any other day, until Brandon and Victor got there. Then I felt my anxiousness kicking in. I started walking and felt cool, calm, and collected once again… Then I got close and that’s when I started tearing up and my legs started to shake (and continued to shake the entire ceremony. I don’t know how they didn’t give out lol). All those good feelings rushed through my body and I knew it was go time; that our forever was starting. 

How was your experience with Simply Eloped? 

Kaylea: My experience with Simply Eloped was amazing. I felt like I had zero planning to do and I just had to show up for our wedding. And quite frankly, that’s really a true statement. They made sure it was a no-stress, easy, painless experience. And I’m super thankful for that!! 

How did you choose to celebrate your elopement?

Kaylea: We held a reception afterward at Coffee On The Rocks in Estes Park. They had a bar, we hired a DJ, and we catered Mexican food. We celebrated our marriage with our closest family members all night, and it was such a sweet thing to experience and a wildly fun night! We even had a surprise guest join us; an elk! That made for great talk and pictures. The following morning Conor and I headed to the airport to start our adventure of honeymoonin’ in Hawaii for a week. 

What words of encouragement do you have for those considering eloping?

Kaylea:  If you’re considering eloping, JUST DO IT. It’s your special day. Why not make it just about you two as a couple? Rather than stressing over your guest list, feeding many, many people, finding a venue to fit everyone, etc. You always hear people say they don’t even remember their wedding day because of everything that was going on and making sure everything was on track. That’s no fun! I’m so thankful I can say I remember every single thing from our wedding day. Just elope. You will not regret it!

Officiation by: Brandon Baker
Photography by: Victor Fossen
Hair & Makeup by: Stephanie Rae & Emily Van Scoy
Flowers by: Boulder Blooms
Planning by: Simply Eloped
Venue: Rocky Mountain National Park, Sprague Lake, Colorado

Written by Janessa White

Janessa White is the co-founder of Simply Eloped and has helped thousands of couples plan elopements. As an expert in the field, she has been featured on Brides.com, Vox, and HuffPost. Janessa thinks elopements are the ultimate way to tie the knot.