After recently relocating back to Colorado and living through a time of major civil rights movement, we wanted to do a styled photoshoot that highlighted the deep history of the wild west beyond what is on the surface. In the early 20th century 1 in 4 cowboys were Black. In my research of the time, however, I have wondered why we don’t see more representative imagery of those cowboys. Of course, this question was the perfect inspiration to create some representative imagery of #blacklove too! So a modern ranch wedding inspiration shoot was born.

Using that as a starting point, we designed an intimate elopement session. Firstly, we focused on a clean and simple design. The style of the shoot is a modern and minimalist ranch wedding in the Colorado mountains.

Secondly, we leaned into the ranch-style of the venue, Devil’s Thumb Ranch. We love the venue’s modern ranch vibe. However, we wanted to keep the styling as modern as possible to reflect current day trends. We used lots of dried and foraged native grasses along with soft colors. The backdrop of the wedding was Rocky Mountain National Park so we knew it would be dramatic.

Similarly, the idea of the shoot was to show how special an intimate wedding could be at an amazing venue like the ranch. The shoot captured the magic of waking up early to the sunrise and watching the horses come out to the pasture with Rocky Mountain National Park in the background.

The full vendor team jumped on board with the vision for the shoot. Above all, the end result was a styled shoot that highlighted each vendors’ strengths.

Devil’s Thumb Ranch Elopement Shoot Vendors

Photographer: Bonnie Sen Photography
Florist: Amy Lauren Floral Design
Curated Rentals and Event Design: Enjoue Studio
Beauty Concierge: Elwyn + Cass
Hair & Makeup: Ashley Smith Beauty
Paper Goods: Model Paper
Dress Boutique: a&be Denver
Cake: Sugar Bakeshop
Dress: Rish Bridal
Veils: Sara Gabriel
Earrings: Untamed Petals by Amanda Judge