Every time I capture a moment during a couple’s elopement day, I’m overcome with a rush of emotion. 

That click, that capture, that tiny fraction of a second I managed to document is now a permanent part of your history.  Something you can look back on and say, “Remember this? Do you remember how this felt?” 

These images are the true captures of what it was like to hike that trail, drive that road, read your heartfelt vows to your partner, forget the champagne, and get married in a whirlwind of a way that felt absolutely perfect for who you both are. 

And no matter what happens for the rest of the day–or the rest of your lives, for that matter–that moment is engrained, perfectly preserved as it happened.

And the fact that we’ve captured the magic of your elopement day in frames has nothing to do with my skills as an elopement photographer. It’s got everything to do with the fact that your elopement photos are more than just photos–they’re heirlooms. 

The 4 Reasons Your Elopement Photos Are Actually Heirlooms 

Your elopement photos are so much more than photos. They’re so much more than images we can pull up on a digital screen, post to our social media, and send them off in emails to our friends, families, and loved ones. 

Listen, all of these things are good things. 

You should share your photos. You should pull them up digitally, set them as your backgrounds, and have a constant reminder of the magic of that day in your daily life. 

But the moments captured on your elopement day aren’t just images. They’re heirlooms. They’re memories. They’re moments frozen in time you can reflect on forever. Every scientist and realist out there will tell you there’s no such thing as time travel–but I disagree. 

Your elopement photos are a way to zip back into moments, remember everything, and feel it all over again. And if that’s an opportunity to travel back in time, I don’t know what is. 

Every moment captured on your elopement day is–and should be treated as–an heirloom. 

Something that you hold close and dear, frame and hang, pass down in your family for generations so that your loved ones–children, nieces or nephews, cousins, whoever they may be–can look back at them with love. 

Your elopement photos aren’t just photos; they’re heirlooms. And here’s why. 

They’re Time Capsules 

Like any heirloom, your elopement photos are time capsules. They freeze moments in perfect preservation, propelling viewers back into those moments when they’re gazed upon. Think about heirlooms from your family. 

When you see them, run your hands over them, and even smell them, where do you go? Where does your brain take you? You’re right back in a moment that meant something to you. You’re right back to feeling how you felt in the significant moment tied to that heirloom. 

They’re Physical Reminders of the Greatest Day of Your Life

Digital images are beautiful. They’re amazing. As a photographer who delivers a full gallery of digital images, I’ll be the first to tell you how valuable and incredible they are. 

Digital images allow us to experience love, nostalgia, and an emotional whirlwind anytime we want because we live in a digital world. 

But there’s something different about seeing the moments of your elopement printed in ink.

There’s something different about running your hands over a page splashed with a moment from your elopement that time never forgot. 

These images, printed and hung, can pepper the halls, tables, and shelves in your house, acting as a never-ending reminder of moments you never want to forget. 

They Tracked Every Emotion You Felt–Big or Small 

It’s said that a thousand things can be felt in a moment. Personally, I feel like that number is closer to a million on an elopement day. And as much as we might wish it, we can’t always remember these feelings unprompted. We can’t always see the looks on our faces or track the emotions we’re feeling all at once. 

But photos can document them, showing you when you look back what you felt as it happened. And when you print these photos, treat them as treasured memories, and consider them heirlooms; they help you preserve those feelings, allowing you to immerse yourself back in them time and time again. 

Memory is fickle. Even if we like to believe that we can track, record, and remember everything we said, did, or felt, it’s simply impossible. But photos that document us at our most authentic can help us do that. 

And preserving those memories–for you, for your loved ones, for those who come after you–creates the most sentimental heirloom of them all. 

They’ll Be Passed Down & Appreciated Forever 

Your elopement photos can be heirlooms even in the most traditional sense–they can be handed down within your family forever. 

Maybe one day, your favorite photo from your elopement will hold the same power and nostalgia for someone else that your parent’s or grandparent’s wedding photos do for you. 

Maybe one day, your elopement photos might curl at the edges–yellowing from a little age and wearing down from a life of being touched and loved–and become something you can run your fingers across, look at your partner and say, remember this? 

Your Elopement Day is About More Than Images–Let’s Create Your Heirlooms

If you’re like me and believe that the images on your wedding day matter, then I think we’re going to get along just fine. 

Reach out to me anytime to talk about how we can create the ultimate elopement experience that does more than just deliver iconic digital images but helps you have the most authentically you, perfect-fit day possible. 

When you look back on your elopement day–flipping through a photo album, walking past a framed canvas on your hallway wall–I want you to remember everything. I want you to be transported back there for as long as you can to soak in the moments and memories. 

I want your elopement to live on forever. Let’s make that happen.