Mountain elopement on Loveland Pass

Brittney and Mel had their elopement wedding ceremony on top of Loveland Pass in Dillon, Colorado. They are Colorado lovers at heart, so it only made sense to travel from New England and elope on top of a mountain in Colorado. The adventure reflects who they are as a couple. Brittney and Mel were surrounded by the immense beauty of Colorado and by a small group of three close friends.

Mel proposed in February 2017 and Brittney proposed back in August of the same year. They always knew they both wanted to propose, and being the planner Mel had to propose first. They eloped in September 2018 and had a small celebration with our large family and a few friends back in New England in October.

What challenges did you face as an LGBTQ+ couple planning your wedding?

We’ve had difficulty making sure we are in gay-friendly towns or staying at AirBnbs that are accommodating. With our elopement that was especially important to us. We had quite a few comments when we flew with our wedding dresses on the plane (they had their own seat); people had a hard time understanding that we were both getting married to each other. Brittney’s dress also came in a bag that said, “He asked-she said yes.” We considered amending the wording.

What advice would you give to engaged LGBTQ+ couples?

We chose to elope before our reception so we could be in an environment of complete support. Our families have come a long way, but we knew that we wanted to celebrate our love our way first. And that meant just a friend or two each in a place that felt accepting of our love story, and with a photographer who got all that.

Did you have a bach (bachelor or bachelorette) party?

We chose a low key elopement and were just thrilled to hike, and have a beer in the hot springs the next day.

Did you encounter any pleasant surprises as an LGBTQ+ couple planning your wedding?

Finding our photographer made our day even easier and more magical than we could have ever imagined. Finding a photographer from our community made us feel so comfortable! We both felt surprised at how welcoming the town clerk was when we got our marriage license in Breckinridge and again how great the event staff at our New England reception were. In the end, all of the AirBNBs we stayed at were not just accepting but went out of their ways to celebrate us.