Stanley Hotel Wedding | Estes Park, Colorado | Danielle + Sara

Elopement, featured, Portfolio, Weddings

January 27, 2026

Danielle and Sara are married! They had a beautiful ceremony at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park with their friends and family. Then, they headed into Rocky Mountain National Park for a more adventure-elopement-style experience just with the two of them.

Another really cool thing about their wedding – birds! Danielle volunteers with HawkQuest, and they brought birds of prey to the wedding! One bird delivered the rings during the ceremony, and then multiple birds were there after the ceremony for some really cool photo opportunities and the chance to get up close to the amazing birds.

Their Story

Danielle and Sara met 6+ years ago as coworkers, and they told me that they actually weren’t very fond of each other at first! But over time, their friendship grew stronger, eventually transforming into something more. After both went through breakups, they realized there was something deeper between them.

Stanley Hotel Wedding

Danielle originally wanted to elope just the two of them, and Sara envisioned a bigger gathering. They found the perfect wedding compromise! They had a small ceremony at the Stanley Hotel, then went to Rocky Mountain National Park just the two of them, then met up again with everyone for dinner at the Bird’s Nest in Estes Park.

The day began at their Airbnb in Estes Park, where Danielle got ready with their dogs by her side. Sara arrived to the Airbnb for a first look, and then everyone headed to the Stanley Hotel for the ceremony.

Set on the Longs Peak Lawn, their non-denominational ceremony featured sweeping mountain views and a surprise from HawkQuest! When it came time to exchange rings, a hawk from HawkQuest flew down the aisle and delivered the rings. It was a complete surprise for all of the guests!

After the ceremony, we took photos with guests and the birds before heading to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Once in the park, Sara and Danielle shared a picnic and first dance next to the creek in the valley. We got gorgeous golden hour light, and had the best time hanging out and relaxing in the park.

Then Danielle and Sara joined their guests for dinner at the Bird’s Nest. Everyone had custom lego flower sets to make at their place setting!