Colorado Wedding Photographers – An Intimate Forest Wedding

A few months ago, it dawned on me that I really wanted to shoot in the middle of a forest. I’m not quite sure what brought this on, maybe it’s because I shoot indoors a LOT, and just wanted something different – but regardless of the reason, that want was there. When I told the beautiful Lilli with Bella Calla, she got excited too, and said “let’s make ART!” The forest shoot was born.

This shoot originally started out as a boudoir shoot, but we started talking about weddings as well. I absolutely love wedding details, but I wondered, what if two people went into the middle of a forest to get married? No lavish tables with a million little details, just a man, a woman, an officiant, some gorgeous flowers, and stunning gowns and attire. What if two people still wanted a “wedding” with the gown and flowers, but wanted it to be just about their love, instead of about everything else?

Again, don’t get me wrong – I love the details, but I wanted to show that while the details are gorgeous, they’re not necessary to have a beautiful wedding. Even if the wedding is just three people. The location was a private residence from a very generous man that let us into his home for a little while, thank you SO much Kevin, we really appreciate you being so hospitable!

Thank you so much to my awesome assistant Amy, my second assistant & husband Tom, Lilli & her team, Alex & Cate, Micah, Nicole, TC, and Rick, you can find all of their links below. And of course, our amazing models, J & A. There is boudoir coming, so names are shortened, but I wanted to share all of the wedding images first. They did an amazing job, with a location that was challenging and light that was ever changing. I didn’t really picture myself lying on the forest floor to get the shot, but between that and hiking, it was definitely a different shoot from the everyday, and it was wonderful!

These awesome people did an amazing job and were all a part of this shoot:

Lilli Black & her team from Bella Calla – a Denver floral designer
Alex & Cate with Little White Dress Bridal Shop – Denver bridal gowns from designers
TC Decker & Danielle from Muse Events – a Colorado wedding planner
Nicole Ramirez from Pretty Bride Shop – Denver makeup and custom bridal accessories
Micah Sturr from Wedlock Officiants – Colorado wedding officiants
Rick with Denver Tux – Denver wedding men’s wear
Brooke, Tom & Amy with Brooke Summer Photography – Colorado wedding photography

I know for my readers the thank yous are boring, just show the photos, right? But really, I am so blessed to work with amazing people and cannot say enough about them. Thank you so much everyone!

How about some gorgeous photos?

J was SUCH a stunning bride! Lilli made the headpiece, they are live flowers and it was perfect for the setting.

The primary feature that we wanted in the gown was movement, and Little White Dress did an awesome job! This is a Jenny Packham gown, and the movement was beautiful!

Lilli and her team not only created the gorgeous bouquet, but decorated the swing too. When I told Tom that I wanted to have a swing in the middle of the forest, he thought I was bonkers. Lilli went with it though, and nailed the decoration, it was just beautiful!

There was a little mix up with the men’s outfits, and Micah wore his signature bowtie – not the original plan. Even though it wasn’t planned, I think it fits even more than a suit, it is something that is HIM and was perfect!

J & A have a lot on their plates with their family, and professional aspirations. This was a chance for them to reconnect, and I suggested that they tell each other what they love and appreciate about each other, while exchanging rings. J was teasing me later, telling me “thanks for making me cry!” It made me cry too. This intimate setting allowed them to really focus on each other, there were no kids screaming, no guests sniffling loudly, they could just be with each other.

Lilli created several boutonnieres to choose from, all complimenting the bouquet beautifully.

While we were doing bridal photos, Lilli’s assistant Angel found this mangled stump further down the path, and used it as a backdrop, adding flowers and accents to make it stand out. This and the swing were two of my favorite accents from the day!

We were losing light quickly, so we kept adjusting the light accordingly, and Amy sneaked around the back and got this gorgeous shot.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in this shoot! As artists, sometimes we just need to do something that most people consider a little crazy, and I’m so grateful to have other artists come alongside me and be involved in the crazy. The crazy clearly turned to gorgeousness, and I was feeling the creative high for quite awhile!

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I am so privileged to be a top Denver wedding photography specialist! My clients’ privacy is a top priority for these intimate portraits. Any and all boudoir images that are posted have been shared by the subject with written permission. I am honored that my clients choose to share their images with the world, and talk about their experiences with those images.

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