Extreme wedding shoot features Colorado couple on dangerous cliffside

Talk about a stunning Colorado backdrop! Brandon Mueller and Chelsea Fong recently took their wedding photo shoot to the next level by posing on the iconic “Knife’s Edge” section of 14,137-foot Capitol Peak.

Friends Kyle Mcdermand and Ben Vandenwymelenberg climbed alongside the soon-to-be bride and groom in early August, snapping some jaw-dropping photographs in the process.

In total, it was a 17-mile, two-day backpacking trek to the 14,137-foot summit of Capitol Peak. On the first day, the group set up camp at Capitol Lake. The very next day, the group hit the trail at about 3:00 a.m. for a wedding shoot that's just about as extreme as it gets.

Capitol Peak is rated as one of the most challenging fourteeners to climb in the state due to several factors including extremely rugged terrain, rockfall hazard, and narrow cliffside hiking. It's a steep and strenuous climb requiring a multi-day backpacking trip for most. The 14,137-foot summit is located in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of White River National Forest.

The daring duo can be seen standing along the Knife’s Edge on the 14,137-foot summit of Capitol Peak in their full wedding attire. 

"It's hard to put on a tuxedo on that ridge there," Brandon joked. "I wedged my shoes into a crack just to be stable, but it was worth it." 

The couple trained for the photoshoot by bagging four dangerous mountaintop traverses including Little Bear Peak to Blanca Peak, Crestone Peak to Crestone Needle, El Diente Peak to Mt. Wilson, and Maroon Peak to North Maroon Peak.

"Our friends and family were shocked, to say the least," Chelsea recalled after revealing the iconic photographs to them.

Brandon and Chelsea officially tied the knot on August 29 at the River Tree Inn in Buena Vista. During the ceremony at Twin Lakes, wild weather dropped a downpour while temperatures dipped to 39 degrees. 

Brandon, originally from Wisconsin, is a captain in the Air Force, and Chelsea who grew up in California, is Physician Assistant in the ER at Penrose-St. Francis Health Center. The couple has been together for seven years, planting their adventurous roots in Colorado Springs after meeting as students at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Editor's Note: Climbing Capitol Peak is dangerous. Many climbers have died attempting to reach to the summit and return, including five in the summer of 2017.  Hiking in Colorado can have many risks including serious injury or death. Always be prepared. Research your route, check the weather forecast, pack extra food, water, and warm layers. Emergency essentials are also a must.