4 Reasons to Elope
It’s no secret that I think eloping is the bee’s knees - I mean, I’ve pretty much dedicated my life to helping couples make it happen. And for me, it’s about way more than the amazing photos (those are pretty sweet though). I truly think that eloping is the best way to enjoy your wedding day. When I first started, I was shadowing other photographers to see how the whole wedding photography thing worked. I loved working with couples, there was no doubt about that! But after seeing many couples stressed, running around trying to say hello to every single guest, and barely getting any time to enjoy the day (or each other), I realized that maybe traditional weddings weren’t entirely for me…
Photographing my first elopement was life changing. Seeing a couple who truly did things their own way, and actually got to enjoy their wedding day free of stress, expectations, and pressure, made me realize that eloping is really the way to go!
But, you don’t have to just take it from me. I had a spot in Mount Rainier National Park that I’d been eyeing as an epic elopement location, so I brought one of my previous couples along for a styled elopement. As a bride who got to experience both a traditional wedding and now an elopement, Jordan can definitely speak to how the two differ and why eloping is the best! If you’re on the fence, here are 4 reasons to elope.
1. You Get to Be Together
And I don’t just mean like, seeing each other at the ceremony and then occasionally bumping into each other throughout the night while guests are pulling you in every direction. With an elopement, you spend the day together - but even more importantly, you get to actually be present with each other. You don’t have to worry about the DJ showing up on time or the people who brought unexpected plus ones. You truly get to enjoy your day - because shouldn’t your wedding day be about you? Shouldn’t you actually spend time together on the day you commit your lives to each other?
Jordan summed up the ease and stress-freeness of an elopement. “This was my FAVORITE DAY IN THE WORLD! I think even more than our wedding day, because we got to be together without all of the extra people and stress and everything that annoyingly comes with having a ‘traditional’ wedding compared to something way more amazingly intimate like an elopement. So basically this shoot was my dream elopement that we would have had if not for all of our family.
While traditional weddings often become about everyone but the couple, one of the biggest reasons to elope is that it gives you the chance to focus on what really matters.
2. Incredible Scenery
Instead of a stuffy venue or a dark reception hall, what if you could spend your wedding day outdoors? For couples who love to get outside and explore, scenery is one really great reason to elope. Imagine saying your vows surrounded by mountains, or having your first dance under the stars. There’s nothing like being out in nature - and starting your marriage off with an adventure is good luck!
Well, maybe I made up the part about it being good luck - but I think it’s true! When you get married the way you want to and start your life together in a way that really reflects you as a couple, how could that not mean good luck for married life?
With Jordan and Phil, we drove into Mount Rainier towards the end of the day, and hiked to the location with a stunning view of the mountain.
“The magic began by driving into the park just as most of the visitors were leaving for the day. You could already feel a sense of intimacy and quiet solitude coming over the mountain, which perfectly matched the evening ahead. Jessi guided us along an incredibly gorgeous trail, snaking in and out of forests and winding up hillsides. Then we circled around one larger hill and BAM, Rainier was right in front of us, seeming to almost sit at the end of the plateau we had ended up on, just there in all of her glory. And that was just GETTING to the shoot location!”
3. It’s an Experience
When she says, “that was just GETTING to the shoot location,” Jordan means that the fun was just getting started! The scenery and views are just one part of the incredible day you’ll have when you elope.
There’s a little misconception that elopements are just a quick ceremony - vows, rings, and you’re outta there. That may have been true a few years ago, but that’s no longer the case. The whole day should be an experience - because traditional weddings get a full day, so why shouldn’t yours?
Everything from hiking with your wedding attire, to saying your vows as the sun sets, to spotting mountain goats is a part of your elopement day, and it’s what makes this a once in a lifetime experience!
Eloping is so unique, because when else would you get to wear a wedding dress on top of a mountain? Jordan explains that packing your wedding attire may seem weird, but, “honestly it felt natural because Jessi made us feel natural. Jessi showed us how to tie our attire to our hiking backpacks so that there were no issues with wrinkles or with them being in our way as we hiked a few miles to the location. By the time we got to the top of the mountain, with Rainier smack dab in front of us, I was ready to take off my hiking stuff and throw on a wedding dress. Phil said he had never felt better in his suit than he did with Rainier checking him out the whole time. I kept on my hiking boots because I'm clumsy as anything, and that actually added a lot to my experience! Who gets to say that they've worn a wedding dress and hiking boots at the same time? We ran around on top of a mountain, looking up at Rainier and with the sky on fire, in our wedding clothes. Pretty damn cool.”
A few other highlights that Jordan mentioned:
Hiking to a shooting location
Seeing mountain goats!
Rainier looking incredible, snow covered and gorgeous and bursting through the clouds just as we got to the top of the plateau
The freaking delicious donuts that we all got to try (s'mores one was my favorite and incredible)
Getting to pop the champagne in front of Rainier! So much fun laughing through that whole experience That sunset. I mean come on, how was that real!? Seriously!?
Singing as we hiked back down through the forest in the dark in order to avoid bears (we still laugh thinking about how fun that was)
Getting to hang out with Jessi the whole time, sharing stories, laughs, crying (from laughing), champagne toasts, and donuts. I can't imagine a better evening, honestly
4. Gorgeous Wedding Photos
When I was assisting with traditional weddings, one thing I noticed was that it seemed like the same thing was happening every time. The same poses, the same photos, and rushing to make sure that you had time for everything that had to be done.
When you elope, your photos are not only beautiful because of the scenery, but more importantly, they’re real. They’re authentic, and capture exactly how it feels on your elopement day. Instead of being posed all day, you get to actually have fun, while I just happen to be there with a camera.
The best photos don’t happen when you’re perfectly posed and smiling at the camera - they happen when you’re being yourselves. Don’t worry - I’ll help you out and tell you where to put your hands if you’re struggling, but those real smiles, genuine laughs, and all the little ways that you love each other are what make your photos truly amazing.
“The experience Jessi gives you during the entire day *somehow* far outweighs the amazing photos you'll have for the rest of your life. When we started shooting, Jessi made everything fall into place. Every pose felt natural, every smile was accompanied by real eye crinkles...every moment of intimacy just felt right (and that's coming from a couple not usually comfortable with PDA). We also got the most incredible sunset I've ever seen in my entire life, and I know, I KNOW she doesn't have the power to influence a sunset...but I also think maybe she totally has that power. This sunset was unreal, and being able to spend the evening together, running across a plateau with this sky on fire all around us as Jessi felt, captured, and shared our joy was awesome in the truest sense of the word. Running across the top of the mountain together, in our wedding clothes, with Rainier to our left and the Cascade mountains below a fiery sunset sky, with Jessi running and laughing with us, is something we will never forget for the rest of our lives. With Jessi it's about the experience, the feeling, the memories, the moments that stay with you forever when you see those photographs and reminisce on that day. We think back to Jessi warning us beforehand that she makes a lot of sounds while she is shooting - usually in the form of ‘ahs’ and ‘ohs’ and ‘ughs’ and other sounds of pure joy - and that is exactly how we would describe our experience with Jessi. When we tell friends and family about those moments, when we show photos and are able to describe what was happening in that moment and exactly how comfortable and happy we felt because of Jessi, we can only describe it with the same ‘ah’ sounds of pure joy. Once you meet Jessi, once she becomes not just a part of a single experience but a part of your life, you get it. Having Jessi as our photographer, and now as our friend, is the best choice we ever made.”
Giving my clients-turned-friends the elopement experience of a lifetime is what makes my heart the happiest. So, if you’re sold on eloping and you want to start planning your own unique, once-in-a-lifetime day, contact me! Let’s start the adventure.