Tony and I needed a break. Badly. Between wedding planning, crazy times at my day job and getting ready for photography’s busy season I was definitely overwhelmed. All I wanted to do was hang out outdoors since it’s starting to get nice out, but I was just trying to keep my head above the water. 

The weekend before we went to Colorado was packed with awesome but somewhat stressful events- Crafts & Cocktails night with our wedding party making the decorations for our wedding (super fun! I’ll post photos soon!) and participating in a wedding fair for the first time as a  vendor at Golden Oak Farm’s wedding fair. It’s an incredible venue and I highly recommend checking it out! I can’t wait to shoot there in August! 

All that to say a vacation was much needed. Tony and I planned a short getaway to Colorado to take a breather, wander through the mountains and hit the refresh button on life. Neither of us had spent much time there before and figured it was an exciting and affordable (thank you Southwest rapid rewards!) place to visit. 

We flew into Denver and drove straight to Estes Park on Cinco De Mayo. Since we would be in the mountains, we didn’t know how cold it would be and we were pleasantly surprised to be basking in 70 or 80 degree sunshine. We headed straight towards an inviting Mexican restaurant rooftop and enjoyed margaritas in the sun overlooking the mountains. It was perfect and one of my favorite parts of the trip. 

We didn’t come prepared with sunscreen and got absolutely fried during lunch on the rooftop. Apparently the sun is stronger at higher altitudes. Who knew!?! We sure didn’t didn’t! See the photo of Tony’s ridiculous farmer’s tan for proof…

Estes Park is basically an enchanting little town that is full of character, wild elk running around and a gazillion tourist shops. There were at least 6 shops that specialized in salt water taffy alone which I was incredibly excited about. Sea salt caramel and vanilla bean taffy? Yup. So good! 

If you’re in the area, we stayed at Hotel Estes and it was charming and delightful. I’d definitely recommend it! Stay tuned for Part 2- my most favorite part of all- Rocky Mountain National Park!