Alaska Adventure Elopement

GIRDWOOD, ALASKA —

There is nothing quite like flying over a massive glacier to make a person feel small.

I can genuinely say this was one of the most inspiring moments I’ve had as a photographer. The visual load was almost overwhelming as we zipped around the Alaskan mountains in a helicopter. Grateful doesn’t begin to explain. Humbling, maybe. Emotional, certainly.

Valerie + Michael planned their elopement to prioritize an adventurous experience together. Their day was spent in two parts — first, getting ready and flying out onto a glacier, and second, hiking with their friends for their ceremony. We’ve split their photos into two blogs accordingly. So this is part one, you can find part two HERE.

We woke to a heavy fog that morning. There were dew drops on all the plants and low clouds hung over the mountains as we drove into Girdwood. Valerie + Michael cozied up in their treehouse-like cabin to get ready before going out for their helicopter ride. Valerie wore a Rue De Seine beaded silk dress and grabbed her bouquet of dried flowers made by Lexi of the Slow Cult before going outside to see Michael, dressed up in a dark red suit and black leather hiking boots. A quick video compilation of put together by their friends and family of encouraging words and congratulations sent them on their way.

The heavy fog nearly made us unable to fly out on the helicopter, but after an hour’s delay to watch the weather, our pilot thoughtfully guided us through lower elevation areas to see the glacier. On our way out, we saw moose grazing in the wetlands between the winding rivers leading to the Turnagain Arm, which eventually empties into the ocean. Alaska is a wild land, perhaps one of the most visually inspiring and colorful landscapes we’ve photographed. There’s something about the natural forces so evidently at play here — the glacier activity, earthquakes, wildlife, and frigid winters that make this place feel all at once humbling and inviting. Perhaps this is the way things should be, humans yielding to nature’s wishes, not manipulating nature to serve our interests.

Our little helicopter landed on the shore of a glacial lake. Wind whipped off the glacier and tiny rain drops fell around us. We hiked out to the edge of the water, in awe and inspired. Valerie + Michael held tight for warmth, and after a few moments snapping photos in the piercing rain, we climbed back into the helicopter for our second location to land on the glacier itself.

On our way out, our pilot pointed out a bear who was crossing the glacier below us. As he spoke about how rare it is to see something like this, the bear took off running and launched himself over a deep crevasse — a moment that felt like something straight out of a David Attenborough documentary. Wild. The only word I know to describe this experience.

Our helicopter landed on the glacier and we hiked onto the rich blue ice, standing, floating on the nearly invisible frozen structure below. Valerie + Michael just kept looking at each other in awe, and struggled to find the words to express just how beautifully special this experience was. We explored, hiked, flew — all of it so unreal it felt like magic.

What a wildly beautiful way to spend a wedding day, to start a marriage with an otherworldly experience like this one. Grateful — this word still feels inadequate.