Imagine starting your life differently. Instead of getting married and then buying a home and starting a life together, you actually did it backwards. You meet, fall in love, move in and and buy a house with one another, start a dog family, and then–when you’re good and ready–get married. That’s exactly what Alison and Stephen are doing. And to top all of it off, they even invited me out to photograph their perfect Denver, Colorado engagement session last fall.
Alison and Stephen are the perfect amounts of kitsch (their words), clever, professional, and quirky. They have a real love for one another that you can sense just through their subtle actions and motions. They’ve created a lovely life out in western Denver and since they love Denver, they asked if I’d be interested in flying out to photograph them there.
OF COURSE I WAS!
A Denver, Colorado Engagement Session
When I travel, I typically try to create two days of portraits. This gives my clients a bit more “bang for the buck” and it allows me a bit more freedom to further explore a location that I’ve wanted to experience.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science Engagement Session
We began our first day shoot at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This is a special place for Alison and Stephen as they are members and therefore receive a bit more of the white glove treatment. We were able to get there early in the day and avoid a lot of the bigger crowds.
We explored their favorite spaces and got to go out onto some of the beautiful deck spaces as well. Truly, it was an engagement session that captures exactly who Alison and Stephen are. After we finished things up at the museum, we headed out to one of their favorite local bars for some rooftop beverages and a quick walk around the local park there.
Once we were finished up at the bar, we loaded up into their car once more and headed to the very infamous/famous Stanley Hotel!
A Stanley Hotel Engagement Session
If you’re not familiar with the Stanley Hotel, that’s okay. It’s a pop culture reference back to The Shining, a Stephen King adapted Stanley Kubrick film. Ya know–”Here’s Johnny!” That type of thing with Jack Nicholson. The Stanley Hotel is pretty cool. While it’s not the hotel pictured in the mountains, it is the location where they filmed. They also filmed “Dumb and Dumber” there too–however under a different name (for the hotel).
Anyway, the space was super charming and while we couldn’t explore too much due to too much foot traffic since it is an actual hotel, we did get to have some fun outside the front of the hotel. And believe me, I have never laughed so hard and such a silly show of love and joy.
Finally, we finished up our day at the gorgeous Knoll Willows Nature Preserve and the Birch Ruins. This is a slight hike up an overlook that once upon a time stood as a lookout. Today it has amazing views of Rocky Mountain National Park and made for a great way to end our first full day of adventure.
We wrapped up shooting and Alison and Stephen returned home for a Halloween party with their friends.
The next day, we started a little later and did some in home session cuddles with their pups and coffee making. Afterward, we headed to the Flatirons in Boulder. While we missed out on the gorgeous snow covered effect that they have a lot of the year, it was still breathtaking and absolutely perfect.
I’m grateful for Alison and Stephen. They’re true blue friends and real soulmates. It was a pleasure to get to serve them at their Denver, Colorado engagement.
I look forward to their wedding!
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New Adventure Productions is owned by Nate Dale, a Lafayette, Indiana wedding and elopement photographer. We travel nation and worldwide to capture beautiful and intimate weddings and elopements while providing a guidance, love, help along the way.
He is married to the love of his life, Felicia with their two doggies, Pika and Princess.