Most of the weddings that we're part of don't happen at traditional venues. Typically we're photographing couples getting married in National Parks, on public land, at vacation rentals, and in their friend's backyard. You don't have to have a wedding at a multi-thousand dollar venue to have an inspiring wedding day, and in fact, I think the more stunning places tend to be the ones that are free of buildings and rules and a wait staff. 

Christine & Fernando…I could say so much about these two—they are the epitome of the kinds of couples we love working with for real elopements. Present, spiritually aware, open, playful…I think the two of them being so open with us left the students with more inspiration than the photos or the shoot itself ever could. It was a fantastic evening going through how we would treat a real elopement from getting ready, to first look, to hiking, to ceremony, to portraits.

We met Mary and Joe in Telluride, Colorado at their hotel and started their day by driving up a bumpy dirt road and hiking out to a waterfall for their first look. From there, we continued up the road and started our 6 mile hike to an epic and secluded alpine lake. Mary changed out of her dress for the hike up and packed it in her backpack to put on again once we made it to the lake. Then she strapped her flowers to the outside of her backpack and we started up the mountain. The hike up was steep, but beautiful, with the landscape in the middle of its transition from summer to fall. Warm yellows and golds dotted the hillsides.

We started the day with a short hike on a secluded trail in an area of Big Sur that not many tourists go. Lyndsie put her dress on in the forest on the way to their ceremony site. She dawned an epic bridal cape in lieu of a veil, carried a mix of dried, foraged, and wild flowers from an amazing local florist, and put her mother’s garter on before walking down the trail to meet Brett for a first look. They met teary-eyed, and embraced before continuing down the trail to a sanctuary in the woods where they’d say their vows. Their ceremony site was a perfect bend in the trail flanked by four giant redwood trees—a hidden little spot we scouted just for them.

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.

Of all the weddings we’ve been part of, this one takes the cake for most adventurous. Since starting our business, I’ve dreamed of shooting a wedding on the summit of a Colorado “Fourteener” (local verbiage for mountains that extend above 14,000 feet in elevation). Colorado Fourteeners can be intense – they generally require an alpine start in the cold before the sun is up, there can be afternoon thunderstorms, they can involve scrambling and technical climbing, and the hikes are always unrelentingly steep. In other words, the perfect spot for an adventurous elopement for some Colorado locals like Monique and Craig.

When Heather & Emerson reached out to us for their anniversary session, I asked what they were hoping the day would look like. She described wanting to maybe do a hike and read letters to each other somewhere along the way. I sent a few location options, and the one they decided on was probably the most difficult option. They knew full-well what they were getting into--hiking several miles up to a summit almost 12,000ft above sea level.