Adventure and Vow - Elopement Photographer

11/08/2024

The time we get together in the wilderness and on adventures is sacred.

This time together easily becomes what shapes our relationship.

The adventures become the stories we hold fondly in our hearts passing down for generations.

Moments that bring us closer and teach us about each other and ourselves.

For many of us these are our everyday, routine of getting out there amongst it as often as we can.

It is easy to overlook the importance of the now, it is easy to be so present in it that you forget things will change, the now turns to memories and memories turn to faint moments in time of our life we once knew.

Capturing these moments together keeps them alive.

Capturing these moments can slow you down within your now, creating even deeper memories and special moments together.

It is honorary, it is sealing your legacy.

It is important.

We're so honored and forever thankful to capture these moments for our couples, to get a glimpse into their connections and love for the outdoors. 💕

11/07/2024

11/07/2024

Celebrating your marriage your way is 100% what we are here for and that's exactly what Reanna and Roxy did.

Featured on today, let's take a look back on this beautiful elopement wedding.

It's okay for plans to change. R+R initially planned to elope in the desert just them two while sharing epic adventures together exploring everything this sandstone oasis had to offer. And we defiantly did that.

However, they also decided they didn't want to fully experience this alone. They wanted to bring out all those dear to them to share this space, adventures and celebration.

The elopement became a two day elopement wedding. One day for them to connect, intentionally spend time together in the depths of the desert. One day for everyone where they officially got married, danced the night away, listened funny and touching stories from their loved ones.

It was the perfect blending of two events, two families and two people becoming one in marriage. ✨

I could rave about these two, their guests and their elopement forever, but I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking 💕

11/02/2024

Ever changing landscapes.

One thing I love about the desert is that you can drive 1-2 hours and the landscape is drastically different than were you just a little bit, transported to a different land.

When Bill and I first came to the desert from the east coast we were expecting simply dry empty lands, but instead we were greeted with mountains graced with aspens, ponderosa pines, massive red rock walls, sunny blue skies, blossoming flowers, rivers, lakes and insane vista views.

Eloping in the desert is a deeply magical experience. The sand stone walls and wildly varying colors + textures remind you of the beauty in the world, withstanding the test of time and the harshest conditions in life.

This elopement was today, in two different states exploring the ever changing desert landscapes and varying adventures to be had. It felt like it was just us and the big whole world, but like a different planet.

You simple have to just experience. It's tactile, it's visual and it's euphoric. ✨

11/01/2024

My answer will always be, YES bring the cat. 😻

+ beautiful fall elopement day spent in Sedona with their family and of course fur baby was recently featured in !

After traveling from south Florida, they started their day on a sunrise hike for a first look, private vows and picnic - just them two to enjoy the morning among the red rocks settling into THIS is their wedding day!

Back at their airbnb they started getting ready with , writing vows and FaceTiming loved ones who couldn't attend the festivities. Before heading out for their ceremony they hung out Finley for the last time as fiancés.

They held their ceremony with the ever stunning Cathedral Rock as their background. Kicking it off with a toasts to their guests and ending it with a celebratory champagne spray. Their family headed to cocktail hour at the beautiful while Pao + Joaq soaked up the last bit of the beautiful day watching sunset among the vibrant fall colors below them. They rejoined their family to celebrate the evening away with toasts, food, drink and so much love.

It was a beautiful day. Curated by all the things they love and that matter to them, celebrated to the fullest. ✨💕🍾

10/31/2024

Your elopement day is not about the photos.

Your elopement day is about creating profound memories together and starting off your marriage in a way that's intentional to you.

Don't do things for photos. Do things for memories, once in a life time experiences, to deepen your connection and to enjoy life.

The photos become important after the elopement day. They become a place to go to and bring back to life those memories, the taste of your cake, the sound of the wind, the feeling of the cool air, the sigh of the Milky Way and cloud inversions, the feeling of joyous laughter and memory of your partner wiping your tears away as you sacredly share vows.

Moments in our life are fleeting, they become distant, fuzzy and can even change.

The photos though, they're true and long standing. It brings the past to present. Your memory stored forever.

This is why having a photographer for your wedding day is sooo important and one that captures memories in a way you resonate with.

For us capturing photos is about understanding you as a couple, getting your why and helping you create a space that allows you to express yourselves freely on this day. We capture the big grand moments, but the small ones too. We want to capture images that tell the story of the day, but also reflect your connection as a couple. 💕

Tag your partner in this post so they know you may have found your photographer 😉📸✨🙌🏻🏔️🥾

10/29/2024

Excited to have received an Elopement Legend award this round! This image was also in my Rangefinder portfolio for Rising 30 Stars!

I love the balance in this image and each couples own set of celebratory emotions. Capturing this elopement was a true joy. The couple's ceremony was specifically planned around cultural elements. The groom's brother officiated the ceremony, making it an emotional one. The only guests were the bride's parents who had been happily married for decades. On a crisp fall day, they got married privately by Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona making for a sacred environment.

Earlier this year I got the opportunity to judge the first round of the Legend awards which was so fun to take everything we have learned over the 2.5 years working towards winning the Rising 30 award when it comes to seeing stand-out images that tell a story and are photographically well captured.

You can see all of the winning images from this round here: https://elopementphotographyawards.com/elopement-legend-award-winners-round-3/

10/24/2024

Scott Whitaker, a jeweler one of our couple's this Summer worked with, put together a beautiful piece on our couple's elopement day and I wanted to share!!

Planning a wedding is a stressful endeavor. As every bride knows, each little detail needs to be figured out in order for the day to run smoothly. It can be challenging. Adventuring couple Skye and Garrett decided to add an extreme step to their wedding preparation: the two planned to rock climb up....

10/24/2024

The desert is full of secrets. Sure there's the famous vista view points, watering holes and famous features everyone seems to know about.

However, when Bill and I both went to the desert for the first time we didn't expect what we saw. We were basically thinking sand dunes, flat rock and just dried up lands.

Instead we found peace, adventure, starry nights, slot canyons, privacy and never ending joy. The deserts a place that'll remind you how fragile your life is, how non-existent you are in comparison to millions of year old rock formations that are just as colorful as the sky.

In the desert you can have it all, you just have to pick the right nook. From mountains, water, rock, hiking, off roading, climbing, kayaking and more.

This little nooks of wonder, they're my favorite. If you're welling to get off the beaten path you can find them everywhere.

When you tell us you want privacy for your day - we know just the place here.

When you want to bring family to your elopement, we know the place that can sustain it.

When you say you want to see the stars - we've see the darkest skies with the brightest stars out here.

The desert is truly a special, magical place to get married on a lifetime adventure ✨

10/22/2024

When you hire your elopement photographer you are commissioning an artist. Art is subjective and each photographer has their own unique style, approach and process. 📸

Photography is the art of seeing, but it is also all encompassed by creating something that is a balance and reflection of what is happening in front of them, but also entangled with their knowledge of the subject + their own artistic approach.

Our approach is embedded in nature, connection, authenticity and purpose.

Photography from the start for Traci was a way of escape and expression. This still holds true today as she documents your wedding day. This is a day for you to fell safe, to freely express your deepest self, to slow down life and be together without distractions. Our photography and purpose is inspired by nature + connection. We believe that being in nature together can give you peace, help you grow and find unity.

Photography is truly a split second captured of your story as your life continues moving and shifting. We strive to capture images that are in their simplest form, a true representation of the connection between you, nature and your love story.

As your commissioned artist our job is to best prepare you for the the day of so you can share a beautiful experience together and for being in front of our camera. Our job is to get to know you and hear your vision, understand you so we can capture you as authentically as possible.

To us this is a collaboration. Our final product is not possible without your efforts. It is important to us that you plan an elopement day from your heart with intention. We will guide you through date nights to spark ideas, but being yourselves, planning from within and being fully present within the experience you share on your elopement day is what brings the moments to life.

Together the experience, the moments, the love and imagery will come together in unity creating a story you can feel, you can see and you can cherish forever.✨

10/21/2024

"We never got our wedding photos." - You do not want to be the person saying this after their wedding day, and my friends, this happens to folks.

9/10 times booking your wedding or elopement photographer means it's your first time working with a professional photographer or needing one. Working with us or not, we want all couples to have a good experience so we've put together our top tips and considerations when booking a photographer!

How to hire a photographer:

📸 Search for a good fit, we recommend searching via Instagram and/or Google. However looking at who your friends hired, Pinterest or general searches about the type wedding or place you want to wed isn't a bad start.

📸 Create a list ranking your top choice at the top based on these things - style, vibe of personality (you want to like spending time with this person as you spend your wedding day with them), value and experience (check their reviews!). This information can be pulled from reading over the photographer's website/social media.

📸 Book a call with 1-3 of your top choices! NOTE: don't schedule calls with 4+ photographers, this can be confusing to what you want overall. You should have a really good idea of who you want to work with by looking through their work and reading their website, IG captions and reviews. Remember, you can always book more calls as needed, but do not overwhelm yourself right away. After your calls), sit together and ask if that felt like the right fit.

Things your wedding or elopement photographer should 100% have/do if these things are not checked off the list I would consider that a red flag:

📸 insurance
📸 dual card camera system
📸 back up gear and system for your images
📸 a contract for you to sign (this protects them, but also you)
📸 reviews and full galleries for you to see prior to booking

Don't be afraid to ask your photographer if they have these things in place before booking them.

What questions do you have about booking a photographer? Drop them in the comments ⬇️ and we'll answer them!

If you already worked with a photographer, share in the comments how you decided your photographer was the right fit for you! ✨

10/17/2024

Since + elopement was featured on today I thought it would be fun to reflect back on their day!

Their adventure together started in college on an evening dirt bike ride, eventually leading them to a vanlife road trip excursion from Vegas, to Moab, to Colorado and then Wyoming. On which, they would elope in Moab!

On their elopement day they off roaded to the most beautiful private canyon for a first look, picnic and space to write their vows. After trading out the off road rig for the vanlife rig we ventured to a breathtaking canyon vista view where they would become officially married. Their ceremony was intentionally planned and honoring of both of their fathers who were watching from above.

After the ceremony we explored the vista while enjoying sunset and the moon rise. The deserts prime time to shine really wrapped them in natures most beautiful warm, watercolor painting of colors as a congratulations.

We planned this day with Rachel and Chris for a little over a year. It's beautiful to watch couples bring to life a day that's so intentional and a beautiful reflection of who they are, their desires and interests.

Thank you for sharing we also love seeing features that can inspire couples to carve their own path when it comes to deciding where, when and how to get married. 💕✨

10/16/2024

How important is privacy to you on your wedding day?

A lot of our elopement couples value privacy and intimacy during their elopement ceremony or entire day. When you choose to elope you are deciding to share space with any other person there to enjoy the outdoors, but privacy can be found.

My best tips for achieving this are:

🌿 choosing an elopement location that is "a little off of the beaten path." This could mean a place that has not been blown up on social media, a place that maybe you have to off road to, kayak to or back pack to, etc. Typically, the further you go the less people you see.

🌿If your heart is set in a location that is popular or you need somewhere that is accessible for guests and still want privacy I highly recommend eloping stop sunrise or Tuesday through Thursday. Choosing to elope at sunrise can also help with getting a popular location to yourselves.

🌿 Choosing an elopement day in the "off-season" for that location is also very helpful, just make sure it's still accessible during that time, especially in the mountains!

Our top two location recommendations for finding private elopement spots: Alaska + Southern Utah.

Outside of privacy, locations off the beaten path that you can sometimes have totally to yourself offer a sense of solitude. In our daily lives we're constantly stimulated by noise, advertisements, notifications and social obligations.

Getting the chance to have only the sounds and visuals of nature is soul cleansing. It's a beautiful way to spend your wedding day connecting with your partner. ♥️

Note: please remember to always practice LNT out in the wild, this also includes not geo-tagging fragile areas. 🌿

10/15/2024

"Climbing can't be done alone, it can but only if you're crazy or . It requires a partner to give the climber a belay or spot and it insists that you and your partner develop your relationship on a foundation of trust and teamwork by it's dangerous nature.

At the risk of sounding a like a complete cornball, love and marriage are like climbing in that respect.

In climbing where you need a leader and a follower each takes their turn at either role on a pitch or problem, in a relationship each person must be willing to switch off and support the other, catching their partner softly when they fall and giving them they encouragement they need to get back up and ice the route another go."

Words written by + 's friend who officiated their ceremony surrounded by boulders, mountains and high desert flowers. We loved these words and the connection it had between their love story and the place they chose to say I do.

A+A started their day off hiking into the mountains to share a first look, private vows, coffee + freeze dried meals. Then joined their loved ones for their ceremony before an official send off within the boulders - see what I did there?? 👀🧗🏼‍♀️😅 Then ending their night celebrating with those that they hold close to their hearts with dancing, food and toasts!

It was a beautiful day! Congrats you two, thank you so much for inviting us along for the adventure! 💕

10/14/2024

We live in a go, go, go world. We often focus so much more on the big moments in life - birth, engagement, wedding, new jobs, new homes and death. While these big moments in life are most defiantly important, they're not whole without the pieces.

“When you stop trying to do everything, you do what really matters.”

What matters to you? Is that not worth celebrating, documenting and giving space to on a day as special as your wedding day?

Your wedding day is dedicated to celebrating the relationship you have built with your partner and yourself as an individual, it is a day of honor for the future together. That is not possible without infusing what makes up the whole within the bigger picture. Photographs are here to tell your story. Your story is your everyday - your you in all aspects.

We have to stop thinking that we are not important, or that what we do in our simple lives together is not of value to be told. When you look back on your life or share your life with kids, family, new friends - what story do you want to tell? What do you want to remember? Do you want to remember what it felt like to hang out at the crag together, remember spending time out by the fire over a camp stove dinner under the stars after a day of sending together? Do you want to remember standing on the edge of a cliff watching the sunset behind the rocks as you hold hands after saying I do? Guess what - you can have both.

became a trending sound, hashtag and thought over the last few years, but did we miss the mark on what that really means? To Romanticize something means to make something seem better than it is. I think we took the literally meaning and ran with it - booking abroad trips, putting ourselves on social media in an inauthentic light, worrying about our looks, etc.

Instead what if - loving who you are, the relationships you hold, allowing yourself to hold value in both the big AND small things that shape you.

The depth of the memories that will flood back when looking back at those deeply meaningful seemingly “small” moments in photographs always amounts to so much more.

10/11/2024

Looking for the perfect place to elope this Spring?

Here are our top 10 reasons to consider the desert for your elopement day!

🌵 The most reliable weather, likely sunny 😉 with warm temps or a mild chill. Did I mention no humidity??

🌵 The most colorful sunsets

🌵 Starry night skies for star gazing

🌵 Unreal vista views

🌵 Adventure to be had from hiking, climbing, off roading, canyoneering, camping, swimming/cliff jumping, boating, fishing and more

🌵 In most cases, family friendly since a lot of locations are very accessible

🌵Privacy since there's so much vast land to choose from

🌵 Many many dog friendly locations

🌵 Are you a geology nerd or lover of rocks?? They're so many rocks and cool formations to blow your mind.

🌵 The desert is fun, it has a way of bringing out everyone's inner child. I call it the adult playground.

Tag your lover so they know you have the southwest on your mind ✨🙌🏻👀📍

Where should you elope in the desert?! We recommend these places:
📍 Moab, Utah
📍 Page, Arizona
📍 Sedona, Arizona
📍 Joshua Tree NP
📍 Flagstaff or Bishop for high desert
📍 Depending how far you're willing to be from an airport we know some deep pocketed desert locations that are truly beyond mars 😍😍😍

See ya out there???? 👀

10/11/2024

One of our favorite things to capture of a couple's elopement day is them, under the stars. ✨

Your elopement day does not have to end once the sun goes down. Staying out to witness the stars shine bright under a dark sky is truly a moving, relaxing and in-awe worthy way of ending your elopement day. A larger than life, smaller than an ant kinda feeling.

A lot of our couples travel from bigger cities and have never seen the milky way to their raw eye. It is a reminder of how small we are and the one in the trillions chance you found each other to share this life with.

If you want to take star photos during your elopement these are some of planning/in the moment tips:

✨Pick a date with little to no moon

✨Pick a location that is a dark sky community or very remote

✨Bring layers to stay warm or plan to have fire while you wait between sunset and the stars being bright enough.

✨ You can't move!! Avoid drinking before trying to take star photos as that can make it harder to not move during a long exposure image.

✨ If you're doing star photos before sunrise be on time or you might miss the window to capture or see them! If you're doing them in the evening bring a snack or dinner! Star photos can take anywhere from 5-30 minutes to photograph, typically. It's most important though to start them at the right time.

These star photos were captured in (in the order you see them):
📍 Moab
📍 Moab
📍 Sedona
📍 Sedona
📍 Sedona
📍 Olympic National Park
📍 Yosemite National Park

Send this to that special someone you want to stargaze with 💕✨🙌🏻

10/04/2024

Why do we think the 3am wake up times are worth it on your elopement day??? ✨👀

These are our top 5 reasons sunrise is one of the most magical parts of an elopement day:

☀️ Sunrise is often less busy at usually busy locations offering privacy for our couple's intimate moments like first look or vows.

☀️ Some locations have better lighting at sunrise. There are definitely some locations we recommend only at sunrise or only at sunset for the best images.

☀️ Sunrise is the coolest part of the day to hike in. There is also a little extra magic hiking in under the stars, then hiking back in the morning light getting to see the views for the first time.

☀️ Sunrise is simply sacred. It is the start of a new day, a transition, the world waking up. It is known to be the most meditative part of the day.

☀️ Starting early means you get to spend more time together and get a longer day. Let's face it, the day goes by fast, so why not get all the hours you can have together out of it?

Have you ever experienced a sunrise out in the wilderness??? Did you think it was worth it??

It's by far some of my (Traci here👋🏻) favorite moments in life that I've witnessed on our couples days and within our own adventures. ✨