Blog | Real Elopements | Adventure Instead Photographers & Guides

Choosing to ElopeNovember 29, 2023

Should I Elope? Top 12 Reasons to Elope from 3000 Couples Study

Elopement IdeasMay 4, 2023

Luxury Elopement: The Ultimate Romantic Experience

Elopement IdeasApril 28, 2023

4 Reasons to Have a Non Traditional Wedding

2-Person CeremoniesApril 20, 2023

Luxury Meets Adventure for Pam & Elliot’s Amangiri Elopement

Elopement IdeasApril 18, 2023

How to Plan an Epic Helicopter Elopement

Choosing to ElopeApril 11, 2023

Elope Definition: What does it mean to elope in 2024?

Elopement Planning ResourcesDecember 29, 2022

Best of 2022 – Adventure Instead

Elopements by LocationAugust 25, 2022

ElopE in Death Valley National Park: Everything You Need to Know

Elopement Planning ResourcesJuly 27, 2022

Rocky Mountain National Park Weddings & Elopements

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Three Adventure Instead Photographers

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🚨CUTENESS OVERLOAD ALERT🚨 Bringing some pupp

🚨CUTENESS OVERLOAD ALERT🚨 Bringing some puppies your way to cleanse the feed

This is easily one of the most unique and out-of-the-box adventures I’ve ever had a couple do. (And it was perfect, because it was on my bucket list AND theirs!)

Stephanie & Kyle are huge animals lovers, so doing something super special to celebrate that human-animal bond was a total dream-come-true.

Part of what I loved so much about this activity for them was that you could tell how special it was. On your wedding day, you can fully give yourself permission to do things that you wouldn’t necessarily feel like it was valid to go out of your way to do.

(And it’s a huge bonus when it comes with, like, a LOT of dogs.)

Stephanie & Kyle got to play with the puppies before heading out, and even though everyone was having their coats and fingers chewed on, no one wanted to leave.

The way the the tours were managed (to keep all the dogs safe and give them breaks), they do multiple shuttle trips... but we were the first ones picked up and the very last to leave, because we were all glued to the dogs the whole time!

This experience was so cool that I didn’t even mind how tricky the logistics sometimes were. I had never done this before either, so it required a ton of research beforehand to try to figure out how to approach it.

The sled also technically has room for three people, but in order to get the best photos I could, at one point I definitely wound up hanging off the back of the sled... Stephanie kept looking back at me we would both crack up at how crazy it looked.

We’d go for a bit, then stop for the dogs to rest, then go for a bit, and then another pup break. Every time the dogs took a rest, I’d leap into a new position!

I love this part of Stephanie & Kyle’s day because it just goes to show that there are as many unique adventures out there for elopements as there are people.

And if you’ve always wanted to spend part of your wedding day surrounded by snow and happy, energetic dogs, then you can!

Is this your dream day? Then tag your partner below and come chat with me!

xx Maddie Mae

Ever wonder how the HECK pack rafting on your wedd

Ever wonder how the HECK pack rafting on your wedding day even works?! Save this post now, because I’m about to tell you 👇

If you want to get epic photos in a blue glacier lake all to yourself during your elopement like Amanda & Dennis, there’s a couple things you should know...

1. These blue meltwater pools only happen for a two month window in Alaska from mid-June to mid-August! If you go too early, you’ll have a ton of snow on top of the ice still. If you go too late, you risk the snow already being back.

The meltwater pools form from the heat of the sun melting the snow from the rest of the year into pools on top of the ice.

2. These pools are not everywhere! You’ll have to do research on which glaciers have them and find a helicopter company who knows about the pools and how they change.

You can Google how fast the glacier moves each day—how the pool looks from day to day can be totally different—including location!

3. The pack rafts are inflatable and will come out on the heli with you.

You’ll land and strap on microspikes so that you can walk around on this giant ice cube while your guide inflates the raft.

Then you’ll have to find a spot to get into the raft without slipping down the side of the pool (which, again, it’s all ice!). Once you’re in, you pop off your microspikes so that you don’t pop the raft!

And then... ta da! ✨ You’re paddling and exploring something maybe no one else will *ever* be able to see, because it could drain tomorrow.

When you’re packing out, you do the whole process in reverse... climb out, microspike up, deflate the raft, and then heli out!

These pools are a super special phenomenon and unbelievably beautiful in person. Some of them are MASSIVE. You’re in a pool with hundreds or *thousands* of feet of ice under you, which can turn into moulins or crevasses in certain spots.

And because of the seasonal nature of these pools and the way they pop up and then drain, it’s almost guaranteed to be something no one else will ever replicate in the same exact way as you.

I promise... it’s so worth the logistics. 😉

Is this your dream? Tag your partner to let ‘em know!

xx Maddie Mae

As a photographer, black and white images hold a v

As a photographer, black and white images hold a very special place in my heart.

They strip away a certain busyness that color brings to a photo and highlights the emotional core.

Suddenly a fun photo feels raw and real. You can see the excitement emphasized on the faces in front of you and the strength of the grip they use to hold one-another. It feels intimate and romantic.

It feels like watching two people in love, saying their vows instead of “just another beautiful photo.”
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#blackandwhitephotos
#photoeditingideas
#elopementphotos
#weddingdayideas
#intimatewedding

That’s right, in March 2025, I want to capture Y

That’s right, in March 2025, I want to capture YOUR elopement in Utah’s Salt Flats under the full moon and blood moon!!

It’s going to be so epic and I’m so, so stoked to capture this!!

Contact me ASAP if you want this experience to be yours so I can save your spot!
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#fullmoon
#elopementmoments
#elopementlocations
#weddingphotoinspo
#intimateweddingmoments

I’m not kidding when I say this is one of *the*

I’m not kidding when I say this is one of *the* most spectacular sunsets I have seen in my life.

From the moment they met, Marina had always told her friends that she wanted to marry Taylor “on a mountain somewhere.” And boy did this ridge come THROUGH.

They knew that they wanted the sunset and big views. Marina even had her dress custom designed to blow beautifully in the wind (inspired by another bride on this page!).

I found them a spot that was along the tallest peaks in the Olympic Mountain Range that was off the beaten path but still super easy to access to minimize hiking.

We took a 4X4 up the mountain and chatted about cloud inversions and the view before hopping out at the top and immediately getting spoiled with some of the best mountain views and one of the most spectacular sunsets EVER.

There was a little haze in the air, which resulted in this super dramatic, cinematic light that was so bright and full of color.

Marina & Taylor got to hold each other on the chilly mountaintop and cuddle up while they watched the sun go down and change colors—all while letting those amazing dress sleeves fly.

After their day was done, Marina later told me that the sunset photos were exactly like she envisioned and, “I don’t think I have any photos in my life that capture me and my now husband as our most authentic selves with an insane backdrop.”

This was only one day of their two-day elopement, but the whole thing had such an amazing “chill-venture” vibe that I’m still dreaming about a full year later.

It was one of those days that makes you remember why elopements are so special. When you have a couple up on a stunning ridge and they’re spending time with just the two of them while looking down on everything.

TOTAL us-against-the-world energy. Everything just focused on them, that exact moment in nature, and the start of the rest of their lives.

No one will ever convince me there’s a better way to get married than that.

xx Maddie Mae

Yes, eloping in winter can be cold, but the winter

Yes, eloping in winter can be cold, but the winter is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.

This time of year is so underrated and is often the “off season” for most photographers, when it has SO much to offer!

You get privacy in nearly any location you choose, the scenery differs an insane amount in the most beautiful of ways, plus you get to wear some of the most jaw-dropping wedding clothing items… a gorgeous coat that screams “wedding day”.

This is the time of year, you NEED to snuggle up and get cozy. Elopements allow you the freedom to get more intimate in a more private setting. So why not get warm and cozy together?!

Ultimately, this is your day, so if you want a day that looks like Jess & Spencer’s day, then GO HAVE ONE! (Happy 3 year anniversary @lowcarbdashian!)
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#winterwedding
#snowysession
#winterelopement
#elopementideas
#elopementvibes

JUST LET THEM LOVE YOU. Dogs are there for it ALL

JUST LET THEM LOVE YOU.

Dogs are there for it ALL and are there for you during every hard time… during your worst of times. Isn’t it only right that they be there for the best times too?

If you have the opportunity, please please, please, let that good pupper witness you get married!

If you do choose to have your dog there on your wedding day, I promise you’ll *feel* just how much they add to your day! 🥰

Not only will they be your most excited and happy supporter, but in nearly half of US states (including Colorado 😏) they can adobe an OFFICIAL WITNESS. Yes, seriously! They can sign your wedding certificate and everything.

And you know what, if that isn’t enough, in some states your dog can officiate your ceremony too.

So they bring both the vibe and the legal requirements.

Tell me if you included your dog on your wedding day in the comments!
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#dogelopement
#bringyourdogwedding
#elopementinspo
#adventurebride
#dogsatweddings

QUIT trying to bring the outside in and just get o

QUIT trying to bring the outside in and just get outside on your wedding day!  Better yet, run straight into the greenery of the trees and have a forest wedding in one of the most beautiful forests I’ve captured an elopement!

So… which forest will you be choosing?
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#outdoorceremony
#forestelopement
#elopementinspo
#adventureelopement
#adventurebride

Follow @adventureinstead and show how you #adventureinstead in your life