Lucky Peak Lake Elopement | Boise, Idaho

Lucky Peak Lake elopement couple kisses on a snowy mountain

When I was a kid, I have to say I didn’t have the appreciation for Idaho that I do now. I definitely took for granted living in a small town. I wanted to live somewhere dazzling, the big city life. I wanted the hustle and bustle of a city that never sleeps, where I could find somewhere to go out to eat without any difficulty at 3 AM. I thought I wanted to be where all the people are, where there were much more opportunities for not only careers but also for hobbies, and interests. I felt as though people in small towns are stuck in such small town mentalities, and that I needed to experience the world in a big city.

As I got older, I began to see what exactly makes Idaho, and for me specifically the Boise area, so great. Now, I wish our small town was as small as it was when I was a kid! I love having a ton of new stores and restaurants popping up all around our house, but I also miss the days of being on the very edge of town, when you had to drive a few miles before you hit a grocery store. It would be ages before you would hear another car driving down the road, now we can hardly get out of our neighborhood because it’s so backed up.

Michael and I like to lovingly refer to the Treasure Valley as “the bubble.” Inside of the bubble, everyone carries on going to work, going to school, going out to eat, riding bikes, or going for walks. People pass each other on the greenbelt or on the sidewalk and greet each other with a smile or a “hello, how are you?” In the suburbs you’ve got your cookie cutter houses with perfectly manicured lawns, and people taking advantage of the nice day. That means pretty much anything above 40 degrees usually, but you’ll see people out and about no matter how cold it is.

People here are super into keeping active and being fit, and in the early mornings you will often see people going out for their daily runs, or heading out on their bike to work. In the summers people will go fishing, boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, climbing, and hiking. In the winters they’ll busy themselves with pretty much the same things except water activities because for most people it’s just a tad too chilly. You can head up to Bogus and be snowshoeing, skiing or snowboarding within 45 minutes.

It’s such a peaceful life, it feels as though we can tune out the rest of the world, or more accurately the world is so muffled because it’s outside of the bubble. Have you seen the movie The Truman Show? Living here sometimes feels like that, like it’s almost fake, except of course we have free will. It may sound crazy, but it’s comforting in my opinion.

So after reading that description, you’re probably either intrigued, or you just wrote down Idaho on your anti-bucket list. It’s definitely not for everyone, and that’s just fine with most Idahoans. For those of you who I have piqued interest in, I’ll tell you why you should not only visit, but also why you should elope in Idaho.

Idaho. The state that everyone overlooks, the one that’s always mistaken for Iowa.
It doesn’t have all the glam and glitter of a destination wedding on a distant Carribean beach, sure. It may not have the adventurous experience of the Canadian Rockies. And it definitely doesn’t have the rocky, jagged shoreline of the Oregon Coast.

What we do have is the feeling of breathing in the fresh crisp mountain air as you watch the sun’s golden rays peak over the snow capped mountains. Of slicing your paddle through the dead calm water when kayaking in one of our 2000+ lakes. The warmth you feel deep in your chest as you cuddle up in front of the fire with your loved one, and watch the fat snowflakes drift down over the hills and treetops without a sound.

Let me paint you a picture. You, and the one you care about most in the world, holding on to each other’s hands, and looking into each other’s eyes. The sun is setting, and showing off a cloudy pink and gold sky that rivals the iconic paintings on the Chateau de Versailles ceilings. You can hear the water of the lake lap gently behind you, and further than that, the mountains rise as the golden sun slowly hides itself behind them. In front of you, the aroma of pine trees surrounds you as you take in the view of your parents and best friends, and the silent wet tracks making their way down their faces. The officiant pauses, and you and your partner begin your vows to each other.

That’s why you should elope in Idaho. Yeah, I know my description really doesn’t hold a candle to what it’s like in person. But, trust me when I say, I am not over exaggerating when it comes to how truly beautiful Idaho is! This is why we wanted to do a styled shoot showcasing the natural beauty of our amazing hometown, and to add more of the adventurous vibes we love to our portfolio. Although there are a million and one epic locations in Idaho to shoot we decided on a Lucky Peak Lake elopement.

Lucky Peak Lake Elopement

For the day of the shoot, we had a dress that we had found at a thrift store months prior, and we added a jean jacket with a Sherpa collar on top of that. We also had Mike, our groom, wear a brown corduroy jacket with a Sherpa collar to contrast well with Amanda, our bride’s jacket. We asked Amanda and Mike to bring along some hiking boots so they could be comfortable as well as achieve the adventurous couple look we were going for.

The day of the shoot, there was a huge blizzard that came through the valley. It was absolutely gorgeous but we were concerned for our models driving out, so we rescheduled for the following weekend. The day of the rescheduled shoot thankfully, everything turned out perfect. We drove up to Lucky Peak Lake, just outside of Boise, Idaho and were greeted with snow-capped mountains, gorgeous clouds, and a beautiful sunset. Amanda and Mike seemed very excited to have additional pictures of themselves, as they had envisioned a mountaintop wedding, but were unable to do so as they wanted to include their family. This Lucky Peak Lake elopement was a perfect choice for them.

We all had a blast traipsing around the area, climbing over hills and rocks, and capturing them along the way. As the sun began setting, we took a couple minutes to just stand there and take it in as the last drops of sunlight disappeared behind the snow capped mountaintops. I can only speak for ourselves, but standing there feeling the peace and tranquility in the chilly mountain air made us so happy to be able to call this place home. Even though beautiful vibrant sunsets occur on the daily in this town, we can still honestly say that they never get old.

Anyways, if you need a little more convincing to put down Idaho as a possibility for your wedding or elopement day, here are some of the amazing shots we captured! Let us know what you think of this stunning Lucky Peak Lake elopement!