I love photographing elopements because you have the freedom to make your day personal to you. In order to plan for this day, it involves a little bit more thought and intentionality.

Typically when my couples reach out to me, they don't have much planned other than a general date and location. This is where I come in. I love to help each couple plan their dream day from beginning to end. I help each couple choose locations and activities!

Most people do not elope more than once so odds are, you’ll need help through the process. Totally understandable! Here’s what you can expect.  Well, first, an elopement is not just a long, nonstop photoshoot. It’s not hours of “stop, smile, kiss” etc. There will be some of that yes, however… this day is meant to be a super fun memory. Again, just to clarify, however long you book doesn’t mean that’s how long you’ll be smiling for the camera.

Each couple’s elopement day looks different. One couple may want to have a morning ceremony at their favorite lake and eat brunch at their favorite cafe then head to the boardwalk for the rest of the day. One couple might want to start their day off on a boat with their closest friends before getting ready and getting married at sunset and ending the evening with bonfires and games. Another couple might want to say “I do” after hiking on a trail in their favorite National Park. There is no one way to do an elopement. Your day should feel like the greatest love story you’ve ever read. For some couples, love is an adventure. For others, it’s a Nicholas Sparks romance story. And if you’re living your love story, you’ll want it to last as long as possible. Remember this is the only day you get married. You want to remember it forever. You want to look back at the photos and feel so happy it happened. Feel every moment like you're living it all over again. I believe you should hire me for your elopement between 4 - 10 hours. You may think you need less coverage for your elopement because you don't have a ton of guests to get different photos with or don’t plan to have a cake cutting, toasts, etc that need to be captured. However, you can do other activities. You could have a little (or big) get-together before or after your elopement to celebrate with all the people you love. Take your entire day and make it yours instead of just doing the traditional wedding activities such as garter toss, bouquet toss, cake cutting, etc which may mean nothing to you. If your day is just as special and sacred as a traditional wedding (and it is!), then you should have a wedding photographer for your full experience. And that full experience — if you want it to last and you don’t want to feel rushed — is probably going to take at least 8 hours.

If you thought about your dream day, where would you want it to be? What activities would fill your soul? Who would be a part of it? Take some time and think about if you could create the best day ever together (which you are!), what would you do from the moment you wake up to the time you go to sleep? Where would you go? What would you see? What would you eat?

Here are some activities that could get you thinking:

• Rock climbing

• Visit an aquarium

• Go to the beach

• Hike

• Helicopter ride 

• Bike Ride

• Kayak

• Take time for worship and devotion

• Go to the boardwalk

• Jeep tour through waterfalls and jungles

• Explore glaciers

• Starry sky photos

• Eating pizza

• Elephant rides

• Rent a retro car and go for a joy ride

The sky is the limit! Your one day can actually fill up pretty fast because you’re creating your own adventure. Your day is a movie and you are the directors and stars. It will go by so much faster than you think which is why you should think about booking 4 hours at the very least. I highly recommend making the most out of your day and hiring me for 8-10 hours. Here are a few sample timelines!

Mini Elopement Day Timeline: 4 Hours

The minimum amount of time available to book is four hours. This time is perfect for a first look, your ceremony, and some portraits!

2:30 pm: Detail shots

3:00 pm: Begin getting ready separately in your rented cabins

4:00 pm: Have your first look right outside your cabin

4:30 pm: Head to the nearby forest for the ceremony

5 pm: Have an incredible ceremony and say your vows!

5:30 pm: Take photos with guests after the ceremony

6 pm: Take sunset portraits

6:30 pm: Photo coverage ends

What else can you do with 4-5 hours:

• A 1-2 mile hike round trip to a beautiful waterfall with just the two of you, taking photos along the way.

• Jeep excursion, horseback riding, helicopter tours, quads, etc.

Elopement Day Timeline: 8-10 Hours

Eight to ten hours of coverage is perfect for couples who value having their entire day captured, who plan on having more than 15+ guests, and/or who want a truly unique elopement day experience.

10 am: Drink coffee on the cabin porch with your immediate families

10:30 am: Make crepes

11:30 am: Start getting ready

1:30 pm: Get married in the backyard of your family cabin

2 pm: Take photos with immediate friends and family

3 pm: Go to a nearby meadow with mountains for your couple portraits

4 pm: Come back to eat dinner with your families

5 pm: Take sunset photos and go on a sunset jet ski adventure together

6:30 pm: Return for a bonfire, games, and smores!

8 pm: Coverage ends

The beauty of eloping is that you have so much control over your own experience. You can make sure it's one that you will enjoy and remember for the rest of your lives! Obviously, my biggest tip is to make your day your own, but here are a few more tips!

1. Plan to take photos during golden hour. When you see the words best light, think soft light, which is super flattering, gives amazing skin tones & just looks pretty. When you think of bad light, think of harsh shadows, panda eyes, extremely unflattering on your skin, etc. The further from midday you get the better the light gets. So when you’re planning your elopement day, ideally you’ll have your portraits closer to the sunrise or the sunset.

2. Get florals that match the occasion. It’s the only day you get to wear a white dress and have a bouquet so I say, spoil yourself just a little get a bouquet you love. Your flowers complete your look and totally add another dimension to your elopement photos. One other benefit of holding a bouquet is that it gives you something to do with your hands.

3. Plan for your dress to get dirty. If you’ve decided on an adventure elopement then you’ve said goodbye to perfectly manicured gardens at a typical wedding venue. You’ve said yes to getting outside & exploring awesome places, this means that more than likely your dress is going to get a bit dirty.

4. Make sure you can move in your dress. If you plan to do any activities in your dress, you don’t want to be stressing about it being too heavy, too tight, falling off, etc.

Good luck planning your adventure together. If you're already a booked couple of mine, hopefully, this blog helps give you some inspiration on what your day could look like! And if you haven't booked yet and need help planning, I got you! I love helping you create your dream day so don't hesitate to ask me! Dream big. It’s your love, so let your day reflect what you value.