Blog | Real Elopements | Adventure Instead Photographers & Guides

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

Adventure ElopementsMarch 1, 2021

Hawaii Elopement

Colorado ElopementsFebruary 22, 2021

Ultimate Guide to Your Maroon Bells Wedding

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Jordan & Clayton's engagement photography session

Jordan & Clayton's engagement photography session in Yosemite National Park almost didn't happen! But thankfully the stars aligned & these two now have a wild story to tell ✨

The original plan had been to meet up for this engagement session while I was already in California photographing a couple other elopements. But then the pandemic hit & those two elopements were rescheduled, effectively causing Jordan & Clayton's session to be rescheduled too—even though they lived in California & didn't have to worry about traveling as far.

When it became clear that covid-19 was going to have long-lasting effects, Jordan & Clayton's jobs became 100% remote—they took the opportunity to work from home elsewhere & moved out of California to Montana.

Now, being a lot close to where I am based, we rescheduled their session to RMNP & they drove down to stay in Estes Park for a few days.

As fate would have it, RMNP suddenly had to close access to their location because a freak snow storm AND a wildfire happened!

They had already driven out to Colorado, but ended up just camping for a few days & then driving back to Montana—still no engagement session 😅

We decided to go back to their original plan of Yosemite & I flew out there in October to FINALLY meet these two wonderful humans in person! Jordan was wearing a black dress & custom black veil, which perfectly matched Clayton's black suit.

I thought it was pretty funny that they decided to take photos at Taft Point, because I remember Clayton saying something about not liking heights—but Jordan was absolutely fearless! If you're familiar with Taft Point, it's one of the most incredible cliffside sunset spots in the world & it gets busy. We were quite literally waiting in line to take photos, with a dozen other people in wedding attire or fancy outfits. But once these two got out on the ledge, their attire absolutely stood out BEAUTIFULLY against the hazy Yosemite sunset light.

I recently caught up with them & after this whole journey they've decided to make a more permanent move to Montana—they fell in love with the mountains & the big open spaces!

xx Amber

Did you know you could have *two* ceremonies inste

Did you know you could have *two* ceremonies instead of just one? If you want to have a ceremony with family & friends *and* read your vows privately just the two of you... you can! Just like Ashley & Casey did with their laid-back 2-day adventure wedding in Oregon.

One of my favorite things about these two is their love story—they became friends working in Ecuador as speech pathologists. While living in South America they traveled together, got to know each other super well, but stayed "just friends" until they both moved back to the states & realized they missed each other so much 😍

Day 1 of their elopement began as this adorable rental property about 30 min outside Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. Ashley got ready with her best friends, who had flown out from all over to celebrate with her during the pre-elopement festivities—the day prior they all went winery/brewery hopping to enjoy the best drinks the PNW had to offer!

Even though the ceremony was just immediate family, having friends there to help Ashley get ready for her wedding was so much fun!

After their sweet & very windy ceremony overlooking the Colombia River, their family headed back to the rental to prepare for a dinner reception while Ashley & Casey hopped in his old vintage car that had been parked at his parent's place nearby.

❤️ I loved how laid-back these two were about their elopement plans—we originally planned to do a big hike the next day for the second half of their wedding celebration, but they had so much fun on Day 1 that they decided to go for something a bit more chill.

Instead of a strenuous hike above the gorge, we decided to explore one of the dozens of waterfall trails in the Gorge and hit some popular ones as well as some hidden gems that we had all to ourselves! With the sound of rushing water drowning out any distractions, they shared personal vows that no one besides Ashley & Casey will ever hear 🥰

Having a 2-day intimate wedding/elopement is such a perfect solution, and I'm stoked for more of these this year!

xx Tori

FUN FACT: Did you know all 3 of us eloped? Yup! A

FUN FACT: Did you know all 3 of us eloped?

Yup! All three of us—Maddie Mae, Amber & Tori eloped in places we loved outdoors—and that's a huge part of what bonded the 3 of us together with our mutual passion for elopements.

Tori eloped in December 2016 in the Colorado mountains with her 20 closest people and spent the week skiing afterwards.

Amber eloped in Colorado in September 2018 and read her vows privately at sunrise by a lakeside surrounded by mountains and then had a BBQ in a barn with some family & friends that afternoon.

Maddie Mae eloped at sunrise in Peru in January 2019 at 13,500 feet near an Incan temple site in the mountains outside of Cuzco.

And honestly, none of us could have imagined getting married any other way.

👆THIS is why we all deeply believe in elopements, and are so passionate about helping as many couples as possible have wedding days like we all did—a totally "just us" day that was deeply meaningful, personal, and unique to our relationships.

Elopements aren't just a trend.
They aren't just to get great photos for Instagram.
They aren't wedding days for people who don't care enough to plan or pay for a big wedding.

For all 3 of us they were an intentional choice—to choose each other and what was "honest" to us rather than trends, tradition, obligation, & expectations.

We know how brave of a choice it is to go against the grain and do what's truly YOU.

So we are HERE 👏 for 👏you 👏
No matter when or where you elope...
Whether you hire us or not…
or if you're just following along...

Cause we honestly just love elopements.

Who’s with us?

ELOPE! ❤️

Love you all,

xx Maddie Mae, Amber & Tori

📷 Photo Credit:
Tori’s Elopement: @autumnnicole_
Amber’s Elopement: @jennifermorganphoto
Maddie’s Elopement: @amber_sovorsky from @adventureinstead

There's only one thing getting me out of bed befor

There's only one thing getting me out of bed before sunrise, and that's ✨ALPENGLOW✨

What's "alpenglow"? Well, it's a phenomenon caused by the lower energy wavelength rays of light coming from the sun (the red & orange end of the spectrum) that bend around the horizon, when the sun is about to rise, or just after it's set.

👉Basically, "alpenglow" is when mountain peaks turn red/pink at sunrise & sunset—like you see here in full display for Cynthia & Blaine's sunrise elopement.

If you want to catch alpenglow at sunrise, hike out somewhere with a dramatic feature on the horizon, make sure to look WEST.

To catch it as sunset, go somewhere that has a dramatic feature that you can see by looking EAST (cause the sun will be setting in the west).

Alpenglow happens opposite the rising sun *just* before the official moment of sunrise or right after it sets. It's impossible to guess what shade you'll get on any given day—it might be more yellow, orange, or a deep red depending on cloud cover & the atmosphere that day.

If you're lucky alpenglow might last for a few minutes—sometimes it's just moments.

But those mere moments are always worth the early wakeup call at sunrise, with the added perk that
you'l probably have the entire trail and this entire view to yourself.

It may take me 5 alarms starting at 1am to get up, but it'll always be worth it for views like this and a day like Cynthia & Blaine.

xx Amber

P.S. If you'd love to have alpenglow as a part of your elopement experience & photos, just ask me and I'm happy to help you find the right time of day for the right spot! While it's never perfectly predictable, we have virtual reality software that can show you where to be at the right time of day for the best chance of alpenglow!

👉 Swipe to get the full picture… it’s worth

👉 Swipe to get the full picture… it’s worth it.

These little squares here honestly never do justice to the incredible landscapes we are lucky enough to take couples to for their elopement days… especially in the North Cascades.

I’m honestly pretty obsessed with taking as many panormas as possible during elopements—I feel like my job is to document what the day was like, what it felt like to be there, and what the scenery looked like, just as much as it is to photograph each couple in the most real way possible.

🙋‍♀️ Anyone else love panormas?

I can’t wait for the long summer days ahead in these beautiful peaks surrounded by wildflowers…

Elopement season here we come!

xx Tori

Mehgan & Naveed's elopement was SO special, but th

Mehgan & Naveed's elopement was SO special, but then when I read their review—I cried happy tears!

"I stumbled across Adventure Instead a few years back and was adamant on booking with them for our wedding—it was the first detail we decided on. Amber was patient with us when it came to deciding on details (I’m an indecisive person) & gave us amazing advice along the way. She made us feel comfortable, loved & brought out our inner adventurers! I always looked at the beautiful photos of other couples & never imagined we could look that good in our own photos. We rock climbed, hiked, laughed, and cried, and it couldn’t have been more worth it."

I'm not crying, you're crying! 😍But it was really the next line that got me...

"One thing that truly sets Amber apart from other photographers (other than talent) is that you can tell she loves what she does. She took the time to get to know us & encouraged us to make this day about us. Her passion for her work shows in her photos, and we were all in awe at how beautiful the photos came out. Looking at the pictures makes me tear up every time, and I am so thankful we followed through with booking. I could not imagine our wedding day any different."

I *truly* believe, from the bottom of my heart, that EVERY couple deserves to feel this supported in their authentic wedding experience. Whatever *your* dream is, I think you should GO FOR IT!

Some couple's just GET IT—they understand why elopement photography is important, they're totally aligned with a vision for their day that represents their unique relationship & they're down to #adventureinstead!

Whether it's a backyard wedding with 20 guests, or an backpacking elopement just the two of you—if it's YOUR dream, it's *perfect* 🥰

And I'll be your biggest cheerleader every step of the way!

xx Amber ❤️❤️❤️

Want to elope in a landscape that looks like the s

Want to elope in a landscape that looks like the surface of the moon? Well, you can in Utah! 🙌

It's a place called the Bonneville Salt Flats. Located about 90 minutes outside Salt Lake City, the flats (literally made of salt) are a crust spanning a dozen miles in Utah's wild desert—the crust itself ranges from inches to feet thick in places & YOU CAN DRIVE ON IT!

In fact, Bonneville is a name familiar to those who love cars—a race track here is world-renowned, and land speed records have been famously logged on the ideal surface. Something about it being flat but also the salt creating the perfect grip or something 🤷‍♀️

Whether you're here to race across the miles in mere moments, or walk slowly taking in the majestic views, the Bonneville Salt Flats are certainly one of the most *unique* places to elope in the US! The 12x5 mile-long surface is ringed by mountains that turn a gorgeous pink/orange at sunrise or sunset with alpenglow. If it has recently rained, the entire surface becomes like a MIRROR, reflecting back a perfectly clear image of the mountains & sky 😍

Lizzy & Alex's elopement at the Salt Flats embraced this truly one-of-a-kind place! They stayed nearby and woke up early to witness the stunning view in the morning light.

If you're looking for that *perfect* spot to elope that is unlike any other, I highly recommend you consider the Salt Flats!

xx Tori

P.S. In my opinion, sunrise is the BEST time to elope here because the Salt Flats are so accessible, they get pretty busy during the day. Wake up at the crack of dawn to have it all to yourself! Also if you’re looking for that dramatic “mirror” effect, go for a late fall, winter, or early spring date before they dry out again :)

Lilly & Jamal's lakeside elopement in Buena Vista,

Lilly & Jamal's lakeside elopement in Buena Vista, Colorado with their young daughter began with a hike up in the dark to catch sunrise 🌅

Not everyone can manage a toddler on a hike in the dark, but this 2.6-mile round-trip trail was fun for the whole family! Lilly carried Sophia the whole way up & we all enjoyed watching the stars.

This morning, we all stopped to witness one of the coolest things I've ever seen on a sunrise hike—a comet! Before this moment, I actually thought comets shoot across the sky like meteors. Turns out they go slowly, kind of like the moon orbiting the earth. So we had plenty of time to stop & appreciate this once-in-a-lifetime wonder 💫

After getting a couple portraits with the comet, we reached the destination of our hike just before sunrise. The lake was incredibly still & we could just begin to make out the reflection of the surrounding mountains.

We hiked around the lake to reach a higher vantage point for the ceremony—a spot where we could see the island in the middle of the lake. There, Lilly & Jamal got dressed up with their backs turned toward each other.

Something I was so impressed by was that they managed this adventurous elopement while also holding Sophia 99% of the time! Of course, as all parents know, things never go perfectly according to plan with a toddler—but that's part of the adventure when you elope as a family 🥰

Lilly & Jamal's vows were interrupted regularly by cries & coos. But then they pulled out the snacks for a morning picnic & those cries immediately turned to sounds of joy! I don't think I've ever seen someone so excited to chow down on berries & melon, but it was adorable 🍉

After their breakfast we all hiked back down the trail & had one of the BIGGEST surprised of the day!

We accidentally startled FOUR moose hanging out on the trail 😳

The rest of the hike down Sophia kept saying "moose!" For Lilly & Jamal's first visit to Colorado to see these majestic animals was the *perfect* end of a STUNNING day in the mountains!

xx Amber

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