Kristi and Kevin had the wonderful idea of making a whole trip out of their Colorado elopement. Driving all the way from Oklahoma City, they rented out a VRBO and had their wedding and Christmas in the snowy hills of Del Norte.
This was an interesting day for me, and Kristi and Kevin were SO wonderfully understanding about my unusual predicament. I had been suddenly scheduled for back surgery that was to be done the day after Kristi and Kevin’s wedding, so I had some surgery prep things I had to do the day before surgery, their wedding day.
I was very nervous to tell them that I would be needing to drink magnesium citrate (laxative) on their wedding day. I was ready with diapers on, and my family with me for support and assistance, so I was prepared to do whatever I had to to make sure this didn’t get in the way of me capturing their special day.
But when I told them my situation, they were more than understanding, in fact Kevin had had the same exact surgery I was scheduled for, so he had been through the same thing and understood completely. They were so accommodating, fun and easy to work with.
Their wedding day was beautifully laid back. I arrived at their adorable wood cabin VRBO, my mom came with to assist, and immediately felt at ease and comfortable with them. It was just Kevin, Kristi and Kristi’s daughter.
I started shooting details as my mom chatted and got to know the couple more. We did a bit of getting ready stuff, but they were pretty much 95% ready when we got there, all we really had left was the dress and a letter. Kristi had written Kevin such a sweet letter, I didn’t actually read it, but I could tell from watching him read it and tear up.
They were so cute with each other, in this cozy setting, with their Christmas tree decorated at the base of the stairs. Kristi came down, tapped Kevin on the shoulder, and you could just see both their faces LIGHT up as they took each other in. They were so ready to get married.
At this point, some wind had picked up outside, and when I say some I mean some biting, freezing, intense wind. But they were willing to brave the cold, so we went out to their back patio area, set everything up as quick as we could, and got them married.
Their officiant was ready with his scarf and earmuffs, he kept it beautiful and short, jokingly mentioning a touch of hypothermia at one point haha. It was so cold we needed to go inside and warm up a bit before attempting any more photos outside after the ceremony.
Kristi and Kevin were really such troopers heading back out into the cold, it was really so so cold in that wind. We popped some champagne, did some twirling, dipping and of course snuggling for both adorableness and warmth, and were ready to go back inside.
At this point, I have already drank my magnesium citrate, and am not feeling very good. But we needed breaks from the cold anyway, so it actually worked out quite well in that respect.
It was such a beautiful little intimate ceremony, despite the cold and the laxatives, I was able to capture the intimate, adorable nature of their day. I was able to capture the immense love between these two people, and I think that may have been what pulled me through, because as soon as we were finished and I was back in the car I felt terrible.
So I think the immense joy and love coming from Kristi and Kevin was so powerful, it kept my ill feelings at bay! Which would totally make sense because their love was thick in the air, they were just so cute with each other!
So first congratulations Kristi and Kevin on braving the cold, and celebrating each other and your love so strongly and beautifully! Congratulations on your beautiful marriage!
And second, thank you so much for making what could’ve been a somewhat nightmare situation for me, totally bearable and beautiful! Thank you for being so understanding, accommodating, and supportive! Thank you for letting me capture a piece of your story!