The Elopement That Changed Me

Here’s a well known industry secret: We LOVE what we do. Every wedding is a love story witnessed and a lesson learned so we can get better and better for each client. There are things from every wedding that stick out to us. But some weddings, they stick with you in special ways. 

I’ll set the stage for you: It was a December in a snowy canyon. I had met the couple on video twice to ensure everything they wanted in a ceremony was ready and perfect. So I put on my dress, loaded up my car with my brother's help, and went into the mountains to meet my grooms in person. Two wonderful people that although we had not seen each other in person before this, I felt immense excitement and care for.

The minute they joined hands, something shifted. The love was practically there in physical form and the tears were flowing with my grooms. Even as they read their vows, their hands never left each other's. To this day, I couldn’t tell you exactly what was said by my grooms in their vows. Simply that the love they displayed was otherworldly in that moment. The tenderness that they held one another with and the warmth and excitement in their eyes in that moment shook me to my core in the best way.

The snow was coming down hard. Huge flakes fell all around us and the temperature was dropping as well. But for some reason, I felt cozy. Magical isn’t quite enough to describe that moment. It wasn’t rehearsed, simply two people in love. It was as though the world around my couple didn’t exist to them, it simply fell away and all they could see was the other person. And here I was, ankle deep in a snowstorm, witnessing it with a photographer, my brother, and no one else. 

This Elopement was a secret elopement, so I have not posted or shared anything about the couple. (Which is totally fine! This is your reminder that you are NOT obligated to share your day with anyone!) But even if they never share the photos, don’t tell people they got married, I will never forget them. For me, it was a life changing moment that shaped my career. It made me want to do even more for my couples, to go the extra mile to make every ceremony like this one, just full of love and magic. I started writing my ceremonies with more heart, started really studying my couples stories like a book I couldn’t put down. And it made my work better. This is the kind of love story I can’t get enough of, something I want for all of my couples. I can’t wait to have more ceremony moments like this one.