Kimberly Crist Photography

Kimberly Crist Photography Colorado Elopement and Wedding Photographer located in Denver, Colorado.

Unexpected Places That Make Incredible Micro Wedding LocationsSome of the best ceremony locations I’ve ever photographed...
06/09/2026

Unexpected Places That Make Incredible Micro Wedding Locations

Some of the best ceremony locations I’ve ever photographed were not traditional venues.

Not even close.

An Airbnb deck in the mountains with coffee cups still sitting on the railing from that morning.
A random forest clearing we found while driving.
A greenhouse during a snowstorm where everything outside disappeared into white.
A riverbank with absolutely nobody around except one extremely judgmental looking duck.
An alpine meadow that required trusting a dirt road that definitely did not look correct.
Even a snowy trailhead parking lot at sunrise somehow ended up feeling cinematic.

I think couples sometimes assume their location has to be huge or elaborate to feel meaningful.

But honestly, the places people remember most are usually the ones that felt personal.

The cabin you stayed in all weekend.
The overlook where you ate sandwiches after your vows.
The quiet spot that felt like your own little corner of Colorado for a few hours.

Turns out the feeling of a place matters way more than whether or not it’s technically a wedding venue.

How to Include Family Without Making your Wedding Feel HugeA lot of couples think they have to choose between:having an ...
06/03/2026

How to Include Family Without Making your Wedding Feel Huge

A lot of couples think they have to choose between:
having an intimate wedding
or
including the people they love.

But honestly, it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Some of the most intentional wedding days I’ve photographed included family in ways that still felt relaxed and personal.

Renting a cabin together for the weekend.
Having everyone around for dinner the night before.
Doing a private first look with parents before the ceremony.
Keeping the ceremony circle small and meaningful instead of feeling obligated to invite every distant relative your mom has ever spoken to.

The beautiful thing about intimate weddings is that people actually get to interact with each other.

Guests aren’t spread across twenty tables barely seeing the couple all night.
Everyone slows down a little.
Conversations last longer.
The whole weekend starts feeling less like an event and more like a shared experience.

And honestly, a smaller wedding doesn’t make the day feel smaller emotionally.

If anything, it usually makes the important parts feel even bigger.

The Best Colorado Locations for Couples Who Hate Crowds.I fully understand why everyone wants those iconic Colorado wedd...
06/01/2026

The Best Colorado Locations for Couples Who Hate Crowds.

I fully understand why everyone wants those iconic Colorado wedding locations.

The problem is… sometimes everybody else wants them too.

And nothing pulls you out of an intimate moment faster than accidentally making eye contact with three hikers and a family eating trail mix during your vows.

The good news is Colorado is full of places that are just as beautiful without feeling like a tourist attraction.

Crested Butte feels quiet and cinematic in a way that’s hard to explain until you’re standing there.
Buena Vista has unreal mountain views and somehow still feels relaxed.
Ouray genuinely looks fake. Like someone accidentally turned the saturation up on an entire town.
The San Juan Mountains are perfect if you want dramatic scenery without constantly running into crowds.
Kebler Pass in the fall feels like driving through an entire world made of gold.
And the Great Sand Dunes area feels so different from the rest of Colorado that couples usually just stand there for a minute like:
“wait… this is real?”

Honestly, the best locations usually aren’t the ones blowing up on social media.

They’re the places where the day still feels quiet.
Where you can hear the wind in the trees during your ceremony.
Where your photos feel like your experience instead of a copy of someone else’s.

And sometimes the most meaningful part of the location is simply having space to yourselves.

What Couples Forget to Plan for During an Intimate WeddingEveryone plans the fun parts first.The views.The outfits.The “...
05/25/2026

What Couples Forget to Plan for During an Intimate Wedding

Everyone plans the fun parts first.

The views.
The outfits.
The “holy s**t we’re actually doing this” part.

But Colorado likes to humble people a little.

Because sunset disappears behind mountains way earlier than you think it will.
Wind absolutely will try to steal your veil off a cliff.
And your rental sedan may not survive the dirt road your ceremony spot requires.

Then there’s altitude.
Which sounds fake until your uncle from Florida climbs one staircase and suddenly needs a recovery snack and emotional support water bottle.

And honestly? One of the biggest things couples forget to plan for is time alone together.

Not photos.
Not guests.
Not logistics.

Just space to actually exist inside the day for a second.

Some of my favorite wedding moments happen after the ceremony when everything gets quiet for a minute and couples finally look at each other like:
“okay wait… we actually just got married.”

The beautiful thing about intimate weddings is that they leave room for those moments.
And the less rushed the day feels, the more you actually remember it later.

A lot of couples start planning a big wedding thinking it’ll feel simple.Book a venue.Invite everyone.Have a fun party.A...
05/20/2026

A lot of couples start planning a big wedding thinking it’ll feel simple.

Book a venue.
Invite everyone.
Have a fun party.

And then somewhere along the way they realize they’re planning a massive event with spreadsheets, timelines, and 100 tiny decisions they didn’t even know existed.

And suddenly the wedding day itself starts to feel like something they have to manage instead of something they get to experience.

That’s usually the moment couples start saying things like:

“Wait… what if we just did something smaller?”

Not because big weddings are bad.

But because sometimes the version that feels the most like you is the one with fewer expectations and more freedom.

So you want to get married in Rocky Mountain National Park and suddenly you’re deep in the land of permits, timed entry,...
05/16/2026

So you want to get married in Rocky Mountain National Park and suddenly you’re deep in the land of permits, timed entry, and “why is this so complicated??”

Here’s the simple version:

Yes, you need a wedding permit to have a ceremony
Even if it’s just the two of you + a photographer + emotional support granola.

No, you can’t get married just anywhere in the park
There are designated ceremony spots (aka: the ones the park won’t yell at you for using).

Yes, you probably need timed entry
During busy months, you can’t just roll in at sunrise and hope for the best.

And yes your photographer should know all of this before you go
Because “we’ll figure it out when we get there” is how stress enters the chat.

I have an entire breakdown of what where and when on my blog, complete with maps and all the permit info you need.

The good news?
Once you understand the system, it’s actually pretty straightforward.

The confusing part is just… the internet explaining it 47 different ways.

If you’re planning an RMNP elopement and your current vibe is “help” you’re exactly who this is for.

The forecast said 99% chance of rain.They checked it the morning of their elopement, looked at each other, and did it an...
05/13/2026

The forecast said 99% chance of rain.

They checked it the morning of their elopement, looked at each other, and did it anyway.

We started at their cabin with their dogs Reggie and Gus, headed to Georgetown Lake for the most chaotic treat-bribed portraits, then dropped the pups off and drove up Guanella Pass.

The drive up was fine. Clear-ish. Hopeful even.

Then in the five minute walk from the car to their ceremony spot, the lowest, foggiest, moodiest clouds I’ve ever seen just... rolled in. Like the mountain decided to put on a show specifically for them.

The storms held off. They shared cake and PBR and said private vows while fog curled around the peaks. I tried not to cry behind my camera like a normal professional.

The “perfect weather” elopement is beautiful. But this? This is the kind of day that feels made for exactly the two of you.

If you’ve been holding off because you’re scared of Colorado weather, save this and read it again.

Not every Colorado elopement requires a 6 mile hike.Some couples love the adventure of hiking into the mountains.Others ...
05/07/2026

Not every Colorado elopement requires a 6 mile hike.

Some couples love the adventure of hiking into the mountains.

Others prefer exploring rugged 4WD roads that lead to ridiculous views without the uphill suffering.

Both can lead to some pretty incredible ceremony spots.

It really just depends on what kind of adventure you want your wedding day to feel like.

So now I’m curious.

4WD mountain roads or hiking trails?

Let me tell you about 5AM on an elopement day.Getting dressed in a trailhead parking lot in the dark. Stars overhead. Br...
05/07/2026

Let me tell you about 5AM on an elopement day.

Getting dressed in a trailhead parking lot in the dark. Stars overhead. Breath visible in the cold air. Wedding outfits layered under puffy jackets while it’s still completely pitch black outside.

Then headlamps on, hiking to a first look on a wooden bridge while alpenglow is happening behind them like it’s nothing.

Then vows at the edge of a lake and a moose walked in. Not figuratively. An actual moose who had somewhere to be and did not care about the ceremony. We stepped back. He swam across the lake. We continued.

This is what the 4AM alarm is for.

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Columbus, OH

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+16145305047

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