[PHOTO SHOOT LOCATION] Mayflower Gulch: South of Copper Mountain, Colorado

You're getting married in the mountains, and you deserve to utilize all the available opportunities to capture the mountain wedding experience to its fullest.  And that includes putting a bit of time and effort into a great photo shoot.  Yes, you can get the obligatory "walking down the middle of the street" shot, but for a backdrop that no one else has, there are lots of choices when it comes to your Breckenridge wedding photography, or whichever mountain town you choose.

Not too far from Copper Mountain is a hidden gem, Mayflower Gulch.  A short walk, hike or even shorter drive will get you to a majestic alpine basin that is literally filled with wildflowers.  It took us about half an hour to reach the cabin at the lower valley, we then chose a steeper trail on a road that climbs to the right.

The backside of the Ten Mile range is what you see when you're in the gulch, and you should take five minutes to pull out your map (you did bring a map and the ten essentials, didn't you?) and figure out which peak is which.  

You can actually drive back to the cabins, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have lots of clearance and a 4WD.  It's an enjoyable walk, but a photographer with lots of equipment should use a vehicle to transport clients and items needed.  

Towards the higher slopes in the basin you'll see thousands, if not millions of wildflowers of all shapes, sizes and colors.  North-facing slopes still hold snow in the windy, alpine terrain.  You can feel the air temperature drop as you reach the ridgeline.

Dina looks to the north and the Gore Range that is in the distance.  We ran from Silverthorne to Vail once, over Red-Buffalo Pass and had a friend pick us up and bring us back.  There are amazing trails and terrain in the area near Summit County, and we hope you enjoy checking out this spectacular spot!

We dropped back down to the lower valley floor, and checked out the cabins for a few minutes.  We think this is really the best place to head to, as the higher ridgeline is a bit of a climb to reach.  So, please share your photos that you create with the advice and tips given from this blog and we'll share it on our real weddings blog!  

>> photos[stacysanchez]