Madeline J Studios // Wedding Photographer servicing Buena Vista, CO
Buena Vista Wedding Photography
Are you getting married in Buena Vista, Colorado? Or maybe nearby in Salida, Howard, or Leadville? Maybe you are just starting to dream about it but you don’t know where to start. You are at the right place!
I grew up around this area and know a ton about all the hidden and not-so-hidden gems around the area. Check out more in the guide below for help with:
I’m Maddy,
I am a Wedding Photographer based in Colorado.
I’m an adventure-loving wedding, elopement, and lifestyle photographer. I believe in capturing inclusive love stories for any humans. I grew up going to the Buena Vista spending time with family and have seen the surrounding areas of Leadville, Salida, and Howard grow and blossom over time. I would love to capture your love story in the Buena Vista area or wherever your love takes you.
I have a few loves of my own. The first is ice cream - if you feel me on this you really know that no intolerance could get in the way of a sweet cold treat like this one. Rock climbing is pretty high up there on my list of true loves, also. If you climb I already have a feeling we will get along juuust fine. Also, an honorable mention for my love of really bad reality tv. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta have it.
I believe that with the right lighting, genuine chemistry, and some classic dad jokes we will create the most epic, candid, and timeless photographs together.
It is likely you have landed here because you are looking to have a wedding in the Buena Vista area in Colorado. Maybe you drove up highway 285 and then dropped down into the Arkansas River Valley and was hit in the face with a huge view of Mount Princeton looking back at you. Perhaps you and your partner have a special connection to the Rocky Mountains and want to stage your wedding in the area to show off what Colorado offers on your wedding weekend.
Buena Vista, Salida, Howard, and Leadville might be the perfect area to start planning your wedding! I can help save you the trouble of scrolling and endlessly to find local wedding vendors in Buena Vista and beyond. I’d love to be your guide to the area and help you plan your BV wedding day. I’ve photographed over 100 weddings and have over 7 years of experience working in the wedding industry.
I’m Maddy, aka Madeline J Studios. My style is all about showcasing the real moments of the day. The big views of the mountains and the massive love you are sharing with all your loved ones on your wedding day. I take a photojournalistic approach to photography capturing the moments of you seeing your partner for the first time walking down the aisle, with glistening eyes to your family getting down and dancing to Love Shack by the B-52’s. I think what you have told me is most important to you about your wedding day and focus on what you are most excited about and capture it in a cinematic manner.
For me, wedding photography is about capturing moments in time so you can hold on to them forever. Creating timeless memories of your grandparents, parents, and family who have all come to celebrate with you. To cherish the way you looked at one another during your first dance, forever. I take photographs that tell the story of the day so that decades from now you can re-live the emotion all over again.
Featured On
Wedding Venues Buena Vista
The Barn at Sunset Ranch, Buena Vista | Erika + Jeremiah
The Barn at Howard Creek, Howard | Lesley + Joe
Why Buena Vista?
Buena Vista is located just two and a half hours outside of Denver and just under two hours from Colorado Springs. The small town is located right on the Arkansas river and has the highest concentration of 14,000 ft mountains nearby in all of Colorado. There are endless places to see in the area between the high mountain peaks, the miles of Arkansas river, and alpine lakes galore. If you love to be outdoors on an adventure such as hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, or camping this is a great place for you. There are also some absolute gems for fine dining, local art, hot spring spas, and live music.
Though many people know the region for the summer activities like white water rafting and hiking, there are sites to see year-round. In the spring there are alpine wildflowers that come out and bloom adding beautiful color to the entire valley. In the winter there are frozen lakes for ice skating, paths for cross-country skiing, and a downhill ski area for my fellow adrenaline junkies.
THINGS TO DO IN BUENA VISTA
If you are in the area for your wedding and you need some recommendations for places to go eat, drink, sleep, or explore, I’ve got you covered.
Click on one of the tabs below to expand your options for each category.
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K’s Dairy Delight: Let’s start off with a tried and true classic you may have passed on your way into the town of Buena Vista. It has an iconic building right off 285 right next to a park along the river you can hang out and eat your food in the summer. The food is straightforward: burgers, fries, and shakes. Definitely worth a stop for a dipped cone on a hot day.
Eddyline Pizza and Beer: The local brewery in the BV area with homemade pizza, salads, sandwiches, and more. They have both a taproom and restaurant location so you have the option on just-drinks or going to sit down on the patio and eat, also.
The Lariat: Originally this was just a bar in town, and the newest owner has really revamped the place with an amazing sound system for live music, great cocktails, and a menu of really great food. This is a local spot that often has really fantastic live music to enjoy with your dinner.
Simple Eatery: This restaurant shares a space with a great local shop but has a very laid-back and easy-going environment to eat in. They are most commonly known for their soups and sandwich combos. But I have to say my favorite thing I’ve ordered here is the Steak Stroganoff (drool).
Wesley and Rose: The more upscale restaurant located in the surf hotel with an amazing menu of New American food with a changing Chef Special menu and absolutely delicious cocktails. Their patio is right by the riverside and is a perfect setting for a nice date night out.
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Rock Paper Scissors: This shop is darling and right off the main street in BV. They have all kinds of gifts ranging from plants, baby products, bath and body, home goods and jewelry.
The Trailhead: This is a gear shop for your favorite outdoorsman or outdoorswoman. They have all kinds of outdoor gear for camping, climbing, hiking, and everyday wear. If there’s anything you are missing to be out in the mountains with the proper gear, you are likely to find it at this shop!
Sundance and Friends: All of the merchandise in this store is made in partnership with local artists. As an amazing way to support the local community, you can browse lots of handmade decorations, leather goods like wallets and bags, jewelry, outdoor decor, sheepskin hats and slippers, and more! Every time I go here I see new pieces because the artists locally make new pieces for the shop weekly.
Yolo: In Salida this is one of my favorite boutique clothing stores. They have hand-selected items that seem to fit into any outfit I have!
Howl: This is a coffee shop meets merchandise that has delicious espresso drinks and lots to see while you shop around. They have a record section, lots of gift ideas, clothes, ceramics, jewlery, and other goods.
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Mount Princeton Hot Springs: A gorgeous hot springs with many soaking pools and their claim to fame is hot springs in the river. There is geothermally heated pods in the river where you can relax and enjoy the mountain views that the Arkansas Valley has to offer. They have a spa, restaurant, and cabins here where you can make this a one-stop getaway if you want to keep it simple.
Intentions Spa: Right in town in BV they offer different spa services like massage, skincare, waxing, and body treatments so you can relax without having to drive out of BV.
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White water rafting is a hugely popular sport in the area because the town of Buena Vista sits right on the Arkansas River. There are several companies that base out of this area to guide you down the thrilling rapids of the river. This is definitely not for the faint of heart because the rapids in the area can get up between class 3 and 5 (on a class 5 scale!). I recommend River Runners to join the fun with if you decide to take a day out on the river.
Take a drive up Cottonwood Pass or Independence pass to get some major views of the mountains. This is where the continental divide lies, meaning the drainage of all water on the west side all goes towards the Pacific ocean, and everything on the Buena Vista side drains toward the Atlantic. The roads take you up to the top of mountains where you can get absolutely epic views of the peaks around you without having to hike up to 12,000ft.
Paddleboard or flat water kayak on a peaceful lake between Buena Vista and Leadville at Twin Lakes. This lake is absolutely huge and has stunning views of the mountains. You can rent gear from CKS in Buena Vista if you don’t have gear of your own!
Hike up for fall colors or wildflowers just about anywhere nearby. There are a zillion places to go nearby but I recommend starting to look at AllTrails to find something in your wheelhouse of difficulty and length. There is a huge range of hiking in the area depending on how high and far you want to go. Make sure to bring water - you are at a high elevation!
Four-wheeling, offroading, and dirt biking has a big presence here and there is a wide range of trails back in an area called Fourmile.
Are you getting married in Buena Vista? I’d love to be your photographer.
Get in touch with me by filling out my contact form to get started.
