Get To Know Katie

Your Colorado elopement photographer and micro wedding photographer.

Hey There!

I’m Katie Dawn.

I’m your Colorado elopement photographer, ceremony location scouter, elopement planner, pack mule, vender recommender, elopement expert, and your biggest cheerleader for your day. You’ve probably already figured some of that out, though. I'm also a camper, hiker, traveler, knick-knack collecting, plant watering, grandma sweater wearing, van-dwelling, novel reading, life-enriching-experience haver.

I decided to switch to specializing in elopements in 2019 after wedding season. I noticed that the parts of weddings I really loved were the parts when I got to spend time with just the couple and their closest friends and family, so I decided I’d shoot weddings that focused more on just that, so elopements became my focus. Luckily for me (not so lucky for others) the pandemic hit in 2020, and a bunch of couples that would have otherwise had a larger wedding hired me for their elopement, and bam! I was an elopement photographer. Since then, I’ve been helping couples find beautiful places all over Colorado to say their vows.

I was born and raised in Colorado

It’s become increasingly rare to find someone that’s actually from Colorado these days- but I’m one of them! I grew up hiking the Rockies, and I know the state like that back of my hand. Most of my time- both working and free time- is spent outside. I’m your basic crunchy granola girl, so you can probably guess that I’ve done my fair share of snowboarding, off-roading, skinny dipping in hot springs, eating s’mores, rafting, hiking, backpacking, and general exploring. I was an outdoor education instructor, so I can tell you all about the ecology and geology of the Rockies, I lived in Italy as an au pair for a spell, and I’ve even built out an Astro van to live in for an undetermined amount of time. Wherever you wanna go or whatever adventure you’re into, I probably know a place or two.

Why Elopements?

I want to create a day that’s about you.

As it turns out, when you attend dozens of weddings every year, you get very tired of shooting weddings! After photographing a bunch of large, traditional weddings, I realized I really only enjoyed the parts of the day that included just the couple and their closest friends and family. I got really tired of the performative nature of ceremonies and hearing the same general vows and speeches over and over, seeing the same cheap Pinterest decor ideas being recycled, and seeing people blow $30k on one day that’s more about their guests than them. It all just started to feel really inauthentic and wasteful to me.

When I found out eloping existed, it blew my mind.

It was something totally new to me and encapsulated everything I loved about weddings- the couples’ love for one another, their closest confidants, and a beautiful place that’s really special to them. I love elopements and intimate weddings, because the focus is on the couple, and they’re totally unique every time. There’s so much personalization to each one, it’s always something new. After Covid hit and the wedding industry totally collapsed, I decided to focus my business solely on small weddings and elopements and never shoot a large wedding again. So here we are!

I really just believe eloping is the best way to get married.

It makes me so sad when people talk about how they’d wished they’d eloped, how they don’t even remember most of their wedding day, because it went by so fast, or how they made certain decisions for their wedding because of what their mom, mother in law, bridesmaids, etc. instead of doing what they really wanted. It’s one of the few days in your life when you should be able to be totally selfish and devote every single thing to you and your love, and it’s just so hard to do when you go the traditional route.

I love that eloping allows couples to be their most genuine selves on a day totally devoted to them.

And I love being able to help put it together and document memories that will be kept forever. The fact that I get to be one of the few (or the only one) to witness people’s most intimate vows of love to one another is such an honor. Helping people create something unique to them is my passion, and I love being able to offer a way for couples to marry the way they want.

Some Extra Qualifications:

Anybody can take photos, you don’t need a degree or certificate, but I have a few just to be extra prepared.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Do you want to hear all about the history of Medeival folk tapestry weaving? What about Chinese literati style ink painting? Probably not. But I have an extensive knowledge and background in art history and various mediums of art, which includes both digital and film photography (and a bunch of other art forms).

Ordained Officiant

Call me Reverend Katie, because I’m ordained in (almost) all 50 states, baby! If there’s an emergency and you need someone to officiate last minute, or if you just want to keep it as intimate as possible, I can sign that license.

CPR + First Aid Certified

You never know what could happen in the wilderness, and if the worst happens, I’m experienced and prepared to keep you safe. Just in case.

LGBTQ+ Ally.

I love love, whatever and whoever that may entail. I will photograph and officiate any kind of consensual love without hesitation, question, or pause.

Leave No Trace

I love the outdoors and believe in keeping it as pristine as possible, and since so many of the elopements I shoot are on public land, I practice and educate on leave no trace in my elopements (keep the sparklers and confetti at home!)

Colorado Born

Unlike most of the people from around here, I was actually born and raised in Colorado, so I’ve grown up in the mountains. I know Colorado better than anyone, and I can tell you everything you need to know.