Tim + Caitlin // El Chaltén Patagonia
Eloping at the base of Fitz Roy
Have you ever walked into a giant old cathedral or mosque and suddenly felt very aware of how small you are? Imagine that, but times a hundred. Patagonia makes you actually feel your own mortality. Where you abruptly realize the significance (or insignificance) of your life. And in terms of places to get married, the landscape makes you truly feel the weight of everything you’re committing to.
I could probably write a million words about the vastness and brilliance and humility one experiences when visiting a place like Patagonia. What I love about the region is that it requires the most out of a person. These mountains aren’t content with just being a pretty backdrop in front of which to pose—no, Patagonia imposes itself on you with all of its might, bringing wind, rain, clouds, wildlife, and avalanches—all of which make it so much more than just a nice place to visit. Patagonia is wilderness in its purest form.
When I think back on Caitlin and Tim’s elopement, I’m filled with so much pride it almost hurts. Probably because these two remind me so much of ourselves when we got married. They both grew up in the Deep South and decided to forego the traditional big southern wedding that so many of us are so familiar with. They decided not just to elope, but to travel to one of the more remote places on earth, Patagonia, where very few people have visited (much less heard of in the south), and say their vows at the base of one of the most daunting mountains in the world — mount Fitz Roy.
Patagonia brought out its finest for them. Between sunshine, wind, rain, and clouds, Caitlin and Tim said their vows, read from scripture, and exchanged rings. We scrambled over boulders and marveled at the gem-colored waters of the “Laguna” before us. After exploring the extents of walkable terrain around the lake, Caitlin and Tim popped champagne while it rained sideways with the wind. They hugged tight, stoked beyond stoked to experience the fullness of joy and love and adventure with Patagonia’s infamous weather. And just as soon as it came, the clouds cleared and we hiked down in dry weather to camp for the night.
And the ultimate wedding banquet to end the day—dehydrated backpacker meals. Thanks to AlpineAire for providing only the finest!
Cedar & Pines is an adventurous wedding and elopement photographer duo made up of Nate and Megan Kantor, a married couple living on the road in their Airstream and traveling the American West. They believe in honest wedding photography, capturing the small candid moments to the epic landscape views. They travel to photograph adventure elopements and destination weddings in Colorado, California, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Washington, Patagonia and the ends of the earth.
