the .raw photo: Ryan + Allie
A glimpse of Ryan + Allie’s Story
This wedding was a special one to John Paul and I. Ryan and Allie have been good friends of ours for a long, long time. John Paul and Ryan have actually known each other since they were 4 years old. Good friends like that don’t come around often let alone stay around.
Ryan’s family has a cabin up in Estes Park Colorado where him and Allie would venture to every summer for 7+ years. They knew all along they would have their wedding there - Ryan proposed to Allie at the cabin just the year prior (which we were a part of and executed the plan perfectly capturing the whole thing on camera!) Additionally, the last three summers we’ve actually joined Ryan + Allie on their summer retreats up to the mountains creating a little fourth of July climbing tradition, so when we were asked to be a part of their wedding we were naturally honored and so ecstatic to be a part of their love story.
Aug 1st 2020 started off as a sunny crisp day in the mountains. Rain is inevitable in the summer time but only adds to the Colorado mountain feeling. Getting ready in town, everyone was in a beautiful mountain home prepping for the day - boys playing basketball & games most of the morning while the girls got the best view at the top of the house!
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As they day went on, it was time for the ceremony. 20 minutes up the mountain and we were at the cabin. Allie met Ryan behind the cabin in the forest for a moment alone together before standing in front of their friends and family. Laughing and crying so hard at the same time, these two were just perfect. They attempted to read cards to each other through all the laughs and tears while I watched from afar as I let them have their moment.
Allie wanted no one else other than her dad to officiate the ceremony. And again - it was nothing short of perfect. The afternoon rain held off, the sun peaked out just in time. A short ceremony filled with nothing but love and laughter, these two were now married!
After the ceremony we went down the road to Copeland Lake to take some portraits. This lake is a memorable place for these two as this is where Ryan proposed and the lake that they would go swimming every summer. Unfortunately, a beaver dam blocked the river that feeds this lake so its been looking pretty grim and low the last few years. Allie joked about hiking upstream and unblocking the dam to fill the lake before her wedding day - it didn’t happen but the weather was absolutely perfect for these photos. The moody sky created colors like I’ve never seen before in the mountains and it totally made the lake look much better than it did in real life.
After frolicking in some fields and capturing these two it was time to head back to the reception to greet their guests. All along this was Allie + Ryans plan to have 30 of their closest friends gather in the mountains for a weekend getaway and celebration (even before corona) and it was the perfect plan. They danced, ate and laughed in celebration til the raindrops came as the finale to the evening.
I am so grateful that I get to experience the life moments with my friend and it was truly an honor to be a part of Ryan and Allies story.
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