Blog | Real Elopements | Adventure Instead Photographers & Guides

Adventure ElopementsJune 10, 2021

Your Sedona Elopement Guide

Elopement PlanningMay 19, 2021

Elopement and Wedding First Looks

Colorado ElopementsMay 12, 2021

Garden of the Gods Wedding

Colorado ElopementsApril 28, 2021

10 Colorado Mountain Wedding Venues

Colorado ElopementsApril 21, 2021

Crested Butte Elopement

Colorado ElopementsApril 14, 2021

Sapphire Point Elopement

Mountain ElopementsApril 6, 2021

Grand Teton Wedding

California ElopementsMarch 25, 2021

Joshua Tree Wedding Guide

Adventure ElopementsMarch 15, 2021

14 Non-Traditional Wedding Dresses

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🤔How do couples get ready for their wedding out

🤔How do couples get ready for their wedding out in the wilderness?

Whether you’re hiking or Jeep’in up together to an epic sunrise “first look” location like Joy & Clint did… if you're getting ready in the wilderness, there are a few things that we recommend bringing:
—A towel/blanket, to stand on while you change or for a little added privacy
—A mirror, to make small adjustments easily
—Extra makeup, to fix anything you sweat or wipe off
—A comb, to tame any wild hair

For Joy & Clint, we took an epic Jeep road up in the dark pre-sunrise. Since they were driving together but still wanted their wedding attire to be a surprise, they drove up in their regular clothes, and changed when we got to the top of the pass.

Clint changed on one side of the jeep, while Joy changed on the other, and I helped her put on her dress just as the alpenglow on the surrounding peaks was about to start.

Since Joy wanted to sneak up on Clint, I had him stand in front of the best view, and she walked up & tapped him on the shoulder, and they had their amazing moment together seeing each other in their wedding attire for the first time, before exchanging sweet gifts & taking sunrise photos before their ceremony.

I just love how every elopement “getting ready” and “first look” look so different depending on where you’re going and how you’re getting there. So if you’re working on planning your day and wondering….

“How could we have a ‘first look’ if we’re hiking together” or “Where would I change?”

Don’t worry—we are absolute experts with elopement logistics and we are full of solutions and will discuss the best time of day to ensure privacy, choose a location where you can comfortably step aside to change, & talk through the ways that you can look like you just stepped out of a salon after a long trek.

xx Maddie Mae

Elaura & Daryn eloped in the Faroe Islands, just t

Elaura & Daryn eloped in the Faroe Islands, just the two of them, and began their day with a stunning “first look” ✨

I’m all about breaking tradition, but “first looks” are one of the traditions that I can get behind because it’s all about you, your partner, seeing each other in your wedding attire for the first time—it’s one of those amazing “Oh sh*t, this is really happening!” moments of a wedding day, that makes “getting married” feel super real.

On Elaura & Daryn's wedding day, they had a relaxing morning getting ready together, drinking coffee, finishing writing their own vows, and Elaura did her own hair and makeup. And then when they were ready to change into their wedding attire, she went upstairs to put on her dress, and Daryn put on his suit downstairs and then waited outside their Airbnb for her to meet her outside for their first look overlooking the Fjord.

When Elaura walked up & tapped Daryn on his shoulder and he turned around, it was just them, the Fjord, and all the “Oh sh*t, we’re gettin married!!!” feels that overwhelmed all three of us, and the day had just started.

After hiking up to a viewpoint, they had a tearful ceremony, committing their lives to each other with hand written vows, as the mist swirled around them above the Fjord below.

The whole day was honestly one of the most peaceful and beautiful days I’ve ever experienced.

No matter what kind of wedding you decide on, the tradition of a first look is one that you should consider, so you really can take in that first moment & feeling when you see your partner on the epic day you commit your lives to one another—and relive it again & again through your photos 🙌

xx Maddie Mae

P.S. If you're curious how to have a first look while eloping, check out our blog all about it! We've linked to it in our stories today, so just swipe up 👆

Let’s celebrate LGBTQ+ love with PRIDE 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ today & every day.

To all of the folx out there who are part of the LGTBQ+ community—whether you are out or not—always remember that:

You matter.

Your story matters.

Your identity matters.

Your love matters.

Pride Month is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and all the love, joy, and pride within that community—but it’s also important to remember that Pride Month is a time to bring awareness to the issues that LGBTQ+ individuals face, to raise up those voices (especially of BIPOC members), and to recommit to & continue to the fight for equality.

These are values that we strive to uphold & live out every day at Adventure Instead, both on our team and with the couples that we photograph.

Because we fundamentally believe that everyone should feel safe, heard, and represented—that they should be able to be truly themselves in the world, to have space to tell their stories, and be able to do so with support and affirmation.

This extends to your wedding day, too. On your day where you are committing your life to your partner, in all of the vulnerability and commitment that comes along with that, you deserve to celebrate with unconditional love, in a way that is unconditionally you, where you can be bold & proud.

And to all the gorgeous LGBTQ+ couples who trusted us with documenting their incredible elopements—thank you. It is an honor to be a part of so many beautiful wedding days, filled with celebration & honest, authentic love.

Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

xx Maddie Mae, Amber, Tori & the entire Adventure Instead team

P.S. Please kindly unfollow if you don’t want to see more beautiful LGBTQ+ love, cause it’ll keep coming at ya in our feed 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Do you want to know the ultimate secret to having

Do you want to know the ultimate secret to having the absolute best elopement day?

It's pretty simple really.

It's not rocket science.

Plus, the best part is that it costs nothing!

So what is this secret ingredient?

TIME

That's right—all you need to do to guarantee a 10/10 elopement day is schedule enough *time* into your day—so each thing you do include is enjoyed to its fullest extent.

👉🏻 And here’s our controversial take: you don't have to try & fit 1000x more events & activities & to-do’s into this particular day just because it's *your* wedding—and too much of our lives are already spent being busier than we probably honestly should be.

Which is why we recommend you take this opportunity to do something really wild… be slow & intentional with your day and just *chill.*

If you’re not sure how to do that—any other workaholics here?—take a note from Marcella & Vasily's elopement day & pack a hammock 😍

If your *chill activity* isn't hammocking, you could also bring a packraft, kayak, slackline, or picnic blanket. Maybe slowing down & taking in the moment doesn’t actually mean being *slow* to you & you'd rather bring along your mountain bike!

Whatever activity gets you to be present, relaxed & not feeling rushed—we support that!

You don't have to turn your wedding day into a huge event with a bunch of high-paced obligations that you don’t want to do. Sometimes, less is more.

There’s a quote that we read & remind each other about all the time—"You should spend 10 minutes in a hammock every single day, unless you're too busy. Then you should spend an hour."

Make it a goal to not be *too busy* on your wedding day 😉

xx Maddie Mae, Amber, & Tori 🤗

FUN FACT: You can marry yourselves in Colorado—l

FUN FACT: You can marry yourselves in Colorado—legally, no officiants or witnesses required 🙌

This is called "self-solemnizing," and it means you can sign your own marriage license, which is then recognized by the state as a legal wedding!

We freaking love this because it means you don't *need* to include anyone in your wedding (of course, you can still invite anyone you want to a self-solemnizing ceremony) & it's 100% up to you how you want your day to go!

Plus, you can have anyone you want sign your marriage license without having to fit ceremony criteria—so if you’re looking to get married in a two-person ceremony, want a friend to officiate who isn’t ordained, or want your dog to sign as a witness, you should consider self-solemnizing!

Colorado is for sure the easiest & best place to self-solemnize because the state recognizes these marriages without any fine print, which is one of our favorite things about being elopement photographers in Colorado. A couple other states also have self-solemnizing laws, but they have religious caveats or other restrictions.

But if you’re interested in self-solemnizing in a state other than Colorado… it’s honestly a little harder, but we still find ways to help couples plan "just us" elopements in places that require officiants & witnesses. One way to do this is by having any of us sign your marriage license, since we’re all licensed officiants 🙌

👉 Obviously we can't lead a ceremony in the traditional sense while also photographing your wedding, but anyone else could lead your ceremony (ordained or not) or you could lead your own ceremony—and we’d sign afterward.

We've even been known to wrangle up witnesses whenever needed—kind strangers at trailheads are usually STOKED to sign as witnesses to a marriage 😂

Ultimately, no matter where you get married, it IS possible to have a two-person elopement ceremony & still get legally hitched. You deserve to have the freedom to choose how you want to get married on your wedding day, no matter where you get married—which is why we’ll be here to help you every step of the way!

Gabbie & Steph are in love with space and the star

Gabbie & Steph are in love with space and the stars aligned to give them one of the most meaningful elopement days I’ve had the honor to witness ✨

We began the day at the Great Sand Dunes, which is already an otherworldly park—but when you arrive under the light of the moon before sunrise, it truly feels like another planet! The sand dunes are the biggest in North America (located here in Colorado) & the skies are ideal for stargazing.

This elopement actually ended up taking place a day later than planned because of a freak snowstorm the day before—which was unexpected because the dunes rarely get snow! But stargazing was an important part of why Gabbie & Steph chose the Great Sand Dunes, so we pushed their plans back a day for clear skies.

I admire their commitment to including one of their shared interests into their wedding day, despite a snowstorm—and Steph’s engagement ring even looked like a moon!

So one day after their planned date, Gabbie & Steph had their ceremony standing atop a sand dune right at sunrise.

Gabbie shared her vows first—and then surprised both Steph & I by pulling out a speaker and playing a recording of herself singing "Golden Hour" at the exact moment the sun peeked over the dunes and cast a warm golden light on us ☀️

We spent the rest of the morning running around the vast dunes, which are pretty much the *ultimate* playground, and found ourselves exploring & having the best day ever 🥰

Then we went to a different spot about 30 minutes away where you can hike through a slot canyon to a waterfall that freezes dramatically in the winter—and it was there that they pulled out a handmade cake & shared a first dance.

Our final stop during this epic elopement was a UFO watchtower that I've always wanted to visit! It's a quirky spot & visitors are encouraged to leave something behind. Gabbie & Steph each dropped off a couple trinkets that meant something to them & were representative of their epic day.

Honestly, this elopement ranks HIGH as one of my all-time favorites—simply because FUN was prioritized & it was such a joy to witness the love these two have for each other 🥰

xx Amber

Amber & David's winter waterfall elopement was FUN

Amber & David's winter waterfall elopement was FUN! They included family, David's 4-year-old twins & brought everyone together for a day of truly enjoyable adventure 🥰

David's kids were troopers—they braved snow, mud & cold without a single complaint. I was wildly impressed! It was heartwarming to see this family coming together & Amber included the twins into the wedding ceremony in the sweetest way—she had two wedding bands made & David put the engagement ring on Amber's finger while the two kids each put on one of the wedding bands.

Something special about this day was how everyone came together to celebrate the couple—Amber & David rented out a lodge just south of Bend, Oregon that was big enough to house all their guests & more than a dozen people together under one roof is guaranteed to be a party! 🎉

Amber & David wanted snow & when we arrived it was mildly raining with some snow flakes scattered in too. Then, when the ceremony began at the base of the falls, the rain turned into this BIG fluffy snow flakes! I could see Amber & David's eyes light up at how perfect it all was.

Later they did their first dance to a Metallica song they love, played on an acoustic guitar by their friend and had dinner with their family prepared by local chefs in their cozy cabin with many beautiful toasts from their loved ones ❤️

I absolutely love intimate weddings like these, where everyone is on board with the couple's vision of having a stress-free day that’s centered on celebrating their relationship and having truly meaningful experiences with just the people closest to them.

xx Tori

P.S. Check out out stories for more tips on how to elope with your kiddos ❤️

Would you believe us if we told you that August is

Would you believe us if we told you that August is the *best* month to elope in Colorado?

Seriously, so many people are afraid of getting married in August, because it’s grossly humid or painfully hot in so many other places in the country.

But the 2 factors you don’t realize is that 1) Colorado is a *desert* and it’s NOT humid here (seriously we have about the same humidity as New Mexico or Utah). And 2) We have mountains and therefore ALTITUDE here, so it’s not the same temperature as lower elevations.

Yep! Colorado is the BEST in August—it’s delightfully warm in the mountains, the trails are finally accessible after all the snow has melted, and it's when the wildflowers are in peak bloom in a lot of the state.

Seriously—for photos like these, at 11,000-12,000 ft above sea level, it’s seriously COLD AF almost any other time of year except for the peak middle of summer—because the air is thinner up here and you lose about 5 degrees per 1000 ft you go up. So yeah, while it could be 95° in Denver in August at 5,000 ft, at 12,000 ft, it won’t really top 60°.

Some of my very favorite Colorado elopements ever, including this one with Jen & Brad who got married at a glacial lake, happened in August.

And you don’t have to hike 10-miles to get to these stunning wildflowers and cool-temperature elevations either. Just rent a 4x4 jeep, or simply drive up to the summit of our many passes, calderas & 14ers so famously beautiful 🏔️

Now, who wants to elope here 😉

xx Maddie

👇 TELL ME: Are you *surprised* to learn that Colorado is so pleasant in the late summer?!

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