The Elopement

1.

We also are available for proposals, adventure couples sessions like engagements, anniversaries/vow renewals. We do photograph adventure focused micro weddings. Typically this is a day or multi-day elopement where the couple adventures on their own and then celebrates with around 10-60 loved ones an out door forward venue.

For past Adventure and Vow couples we also offer mini sessions and maternity sessions. If you are interested in booking a session with us that is not an elopement please contact us and we will get back to you on availability, pricing + process!

2.

This is up to you! If you’re eloping in Colorado or eloping after doing all the technical paperwork in a courthouse it can be just you two! Other states require two witnesses and an officiant. I (Traci) do count as a witness if you need me to be one for you and so does Bill! However, we are also both ordained so keep that in mind! Otherwise it’s up to you if you bring friends or family.

Ideally to actually be able to follow Leave No Trace and be able to go somewhere beautiful we HIGHLY recommend 12 people or less in total. If you want to have more people than that we strongly suggest holding the ceremony or “reception” on private land like a venue, winery, brewery, private home, etc. Your day shouldn’t be limited in who can attend + celebrate with you, it’s just important to consider guest count + experience, how each of those effects the other.

Some Public Lands are becoming more strict on elopements so the less people the easier it is to get approved for a permit. Often locations in parks are determine by guest count for the ceremony.

3.

UMMMM, yes!!! I love when couples bring along their furry kiddos. I would say at least 50% of our couples elope with their dogs tagging along. Just keep in mind it is a good idea to bring a friend along to be the dog wrangler for any time during photos that you may just want the two of you in them or to hold during the ceremony. It is not a must, but a great thing to do! Also, you want to research your location to see if dogs are allowed on the trail. A lot of National Parks have heavy restrictions on pets. Be sure to know if your pet is allowed off leash or not at your location. Lastly, always be sure to clean up after your pup 🙂

Learn more about bringing your pup to your elopement.

4.

✨NO✨ Here’s the thing, we love helping couples find the most epic spot for them to plan the most authentic and best experience for their elopement day. Truthfully, sometimes this can’t be done right up front. Not knowing yet where you want to elope means we have more ability to share with you places you may have never heard of, or run ideas by you that maybe you hadn’t considered yet. We love the flexibility this gives in the initial planning stages!

So how does it work to book us without a set location??

We leave a set flexibility in our schedule for your elopement for the first 30 days for you to narrow down your location as we work together on ideas and places!

Why do we do this? Because we love truly helping couples have the most fun, core memory, connective experience. Your elopement location a million times over effects that!

This isn’t to say – don’t have a set location when going into your elopement planning! If you have a place that 100% pulls at your heart strings and you know you want to get married at then LETS DO IT! But if you’re not sure, let us help! Let’s brain storm together!

5.

We work closely with each couple to make sure we are picking locations that each couple feel stoked and comfortable getting to. Also, hiking is not always how we can get somewhere super epic to say I do, there is rock climbing, kayaking, boating, helicopter or private plane, ski or off-roading!

What we’re getting at here is the adventure is yours and that’s where our stoke is at. We are here to help you craft the perfect plans.

6.

We recommend booking at least 2 months in advance so we have time to pull permits if needed. Couples typically book anywhere from 14 months to 3 months in advance. If you are eloping somewhere that does not require permits like the Oregon Coast, Sedona or other areas then we can for sure plan everything within a month! (We have done it in even less time before!)

7.

Our approach to photographing couples is very authentic, We want to photograph you two being yourselves and capture your love story just as it is. Part of this is done by getting to know you two during our elopement planning so it is as though just a few friends have gotten together, two just have cameras in their hands 🙂 It is also done by planning a day that is authentic to you two filled with activities and meaningful moments. Our thought process is that this is 50% you and 50% our choices behind the camera. We like to take a hands off approach, but we are always happy to help with posing as needed.

If you nervous to be in front of the camera that is completely normal and we encourage you to read the “How to prep for being in front of the camera” blog post we wrote just for you two!

8.

Your dress will almost definitely get dirty, but this does not mean it is ruined. Depending on where you are eloping will effect the dirtiness of your dress, for example, the red dirt in Sedona is very hard to get out of certain fabrics. If you are eloping on the coast at Olympic National Park, your dress may get wet, but it is nothing a dry cleaning can’t get out. It also depends how much of the day or hike you are spending in your dress as to how dirty it will get, but hey that’s kind of the fun in it all right?! It is important to go into your elopement day accepting that your dress could be ruined, but you will always have the beautiful photos from your day and if you dress gets a tear or stain that just means you totally sent it on your wedding day! Check out this blog post for tips on types of fabrics for your elopement dress, where to shop and colors and texture ideas!

9.

Welp, my friends, life happens sometimes! This does not mean that we will not be prepared for it though! In the case that there is an extreme weather condition that would make it unsafe to elope we would go to a pre-planned back up location, switch the time of your elopement or change to a back up date. Leading up to your elopement we will be watching the weather like a hawk. We will make the call most likely the day before.

Here are a few of our top tips for handling weather when you’re not in control!

✨ Watch the weather. Don’t panic or take it too seriously until needed, weather changes all the time.

✨ Choose your elopement location based around the best weather option, for example we don’t recommend eloping in the desert in the summer due to extreme heat and monsoon season.

✨ If rain or snow is in the forecast pick up some clear umbrellas they photograph beautifully and keep you dry!

✨ Have a back up plan in place. Our three recommendations are: have a back up location selected, leave room in your schedule the day after your elopement or pick a different time of day to do your elopement if it’s not a full day.

✨If it’s going to be cold be sure to have layers and hand warmers!!! You want to be warm and comfortable so you can enjoy the day!

✨ Most importantly, accept it and freaking have fun with it!!!! If it’s raining, heck go dance in the rain! Cloudy? Embrace being in a cloud and snuggling up together. Snow? Build a snowman or have a snow ball fight! Let your inner child embrace what Mother Nature is providing.

Don’t let weather scare you away from a freaking epic elopement day experience. One of the biggest reasons Bill and I love elopements is that they feel like a true reflection of what marriage may be, the ups and the challenges and the whatever life throws you! The moments and weather is simply a part of that ♥️

10.

We are both ordained! This means we can officiate your ceremony almost anywhere in the US or you can “self-solemnize” and we can provide the legally required bits. Whichever one of us that is not the officiant can sign as a witness and then we simply find another witness on the trail. Don’t worry, we are here to help you figure out the legal logistics of getting married, no matter where that is!

11.

Part of the reason we offer a free initial planning call is to help you decide how much time is right for your elopement day! Keep in mind, our creativity and your comfort in front of a camera flourishes with time. Plus you do not want to rush your wedding day!!! You want to slow down, cherish every minute of it and be immersed in experiencing it together. We highly recommend reading out timeline samples blog and chatting with us on a call before deciding exactly how many hours to book us for!

12.

After the elopement day you will receive several selected + edited sneak peaks that highlight your overall elopement experience. Within 5 weeks you will receive your full gallery to download, print and share with others. Through our gallery, we offer beautiful printing options. We can personally design an album for you that is created from hand crafted leather or wood. There are many options to display your images proudly and we are here to help with that!

Outside of receiving your images, we also make sure your images are backed up in at least three places and help give you guidance on preserving your images yourself.