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Each time I tell the story of a couple’s elopement on the blog, I want to make sure I’m doing a few things right.
First and foremost, though, I want to explain as carefully as possible just how unique and special each day is. In the elopement world (at least in the world I’m helping my couples create), there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all.
Sure, couples can elope in the same places, find inspiration from the same photos, and want to experience some of the same things. But every couple, every elopement, and every route to get there are all different.
No trail I’ve hiked–twice, three times, four times– has ever felt the same. The couple alongside me is different; their experience is different, and their day is different. And that’s the point.
The scenery of Yosemite National Park is iconic. Recognizable. Epic in every way. Anyone who sees their elopement photos can likely pin down those classic peaks in a few moments.
Do you know what Maegan and Matthew see? Magic. Do you know what they feel? Nostalgia. Love. The warm and familiar embrace of a day they’d dreamed up and created so uniquely perfect for themselves they think of it all the time.
This might be the spoiler at the beginning of the blog, but I want to say it anyway. If you’re planning your elopement day, do it like Maegan and Matthew–your own way.
Then, watch your own elopement day story unfold in an unreplicable, indescribable way.
A Full-Circle Moment–From Engagement Photos to Elopement Photos
When I met M & M for the first time, it wasn’t on their wedding day. Often, I meet couples face-to-face for the first time on their wedding day. But I was fortunate enough to capture M & M’s engagement photos in Moab a year before their wedding.
Here’s what’s important to know about them both–they’re silly, they’re boldly adventurous, and they’re not interested in doing what’s inauthentic to them. We spent their engagement celebration day gloriously running around Arches National Park, offroading the dirt roads in their Bronco, and catching the desert sunrise over a Utah canyon.
It was fun, it was dizzying, and it was packed from sun up to sundown with non-stop adventure.
I couldn’t know for sure at the time, but I quietly expected their elopement day would be no different. (And, another spoiler for you, I was right).
A Full-Day Adventure Elopement in Yosemite National Park
M&M didn’t want to waste a moment on their elopement day. They woke early, dressed in their wedding attire, and headed to Glacier Point–eager to experience the magic of Yosemite in the soft light of morning.
They spent hours there, soaking in the magic of towering peaks before we continued through to Artist’s Point, Tunnel View, and Cathedral Beach.
Every new location was all about the wonder of it–no timeline, no ceremony to stick to, no plans but to be present with each other as they adventured through the park. They prioritized a day of experience, not timeliness. They weren’t worried about where to have a ceremony or when to get back to their hotel for a dinner reservation–it was wholly about what unfolded in each new spot.
During a midday break, M&M took a moment to sit in a restaurant, catch their breath, and reflect on the experiences of the day. It felt like a lifetime had passed since their morning at Glacier Point, but only a few hours had gone by.
For M&M, that was exactly the day they’d imagined.
They’d spend the rest of their lives adventuring together; it was important to them to start that off with something wild and exciting and filled with wonder.
They spent their sunset at Taft Point, hiking up the trail as the soft afternoon light peaked between the trees, giving everything a hazy glow.
They ended their day among the pastel pinks and purples of a sunset, holding each other close, and waiting for the stars to make their debut over the California mountains.
Hiking in Elopement Clothes–a Yosemite Elopement Must
If I sat down and made a list of the things I loved the absolute most about M&M’s elopement day, I’d pick that they made the deliberate choice to adventure the entire day in their wedding attire.
It’s not for everybody (which is OK!), but I’m a big fan of couples wearing their wedding attire throughout their entire day–even when they’re hiking. Why do I love this? For lots of reasons, of course, but mostly because it’s fun, it’s memorable, and it gives a little extra life to those clothes that may only be worn once or twice.
I have an entire blog post on this, but the gist is that a little dirt and dust don’t have a thing on the beautiful memories (and epic photos) that result from wearing your elopement clothes while hiking around.
M&M chose to spend their elopement day wearing their elopement attire–from their sunrise look at Glacier Point to a sunset staring over Taft Point. There’s something magical about the way the light catches Maegan’s dress, the contrast between the rugged cliffs and the structure of Matthew’s suit–it just captures something that hiking clothes can’t always.
Elopement Paperwork & M & M’s Elopement Day
Remember that list I talked about a moment ago? The one packed with things I loved about M&M’s elopement day?
Shortly after that #1 spot comes #2–the fact that M&M made the choice that made sense for them about elopement day logistics.
Maegan and Matthew chose not to worry about paperwork or logistics on their elopement day. They sought out a day jam-packed with the good stuff–adventuring, hiking, silliness.
What they wanted on their elopement day didn’t include finding witnesses or signing paperwork, and that’s OK.
M&M took care of the legal side of things before their elopement, opting to sign and date all their paperwork ahead of time so that when their elopement came, they could be free of the little details.
My advice to every eloping couple is to go with your gut on this. If you don’t want to deal with day-of scrambling and signing, then don’t. Get “legally” married before, after, or not at all (if that’s your jam).
Make your elopement day about your elopement–that’s to say, make it about the things that matter most to you.
Adventure Your Way on Your Elopement Day
Your elopement day is about you and your partner. What really matters is what you want to feel and what you want to remember–everything else is just details.
If you’re ready to surrender to that, to open your hearts up to creating a day that’s all about you and what you see as perfect, I’m ready to help you. Let’s talk–because I’m here to capture that day as authentically and beautifully as possible.
