Blog | Real Elopements | Adventure Instead Photographers & Guides

Ceremony Planning ResourcesJuly 27, 2022

Rocky Mountain National Park Weddings & Elopements

Ceremony Planning ResourcesMay 15, 2022

What vendors do you need for an elopement?

Finding a LocationApril 11, 2022

Finding Adventure in Bandon Beach

Ceremonies by LocationMarch 26, 2022

Alyssa & Kevin’s Alvord Desert Elopement in Central Oregon

Adventure SessionsFebruary 25, 2022

A Dirty Wedding Dress Makes More Memories

2-Person CeremoniesFebruary 3, 2022

The ethereal Proxy Waterfalls were perfect for this Oregon Elopement

Elopement IdeasJanuary 10, 2022

Waterfall Wedding Venues in Oregon – 8 Unique Options + Tips

2-Person CeremoniesDecember 30, 2021

Best of 2021 – Adventure Instead

2-Person CeremoniesDecember 20, 2021

The Ultimate Elopement Planning Guide & Checklist | 2021

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This summer has been EPIC. But, am I crazy for al

This summer has been EPIC.

But, am I crazy for already feeling a little chill in the air? Maybe getting excited to see changing leaves or the spooky, fog-shrouded mountaintops?

Am I a little too eager for fall brides to lean into the season and bust out their black dresses and red lipstick?

Maybe.

Fall wedding season, here I come.
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#fallwedding
#intimateweddingmoments
#autumnelopement
#weddingdayideas
#fallelopementvibes

There’s only a handful of ways to get married on

There’s only a handful of ways to get married on top of a glacier in the summer, and this is for SURE my favorite way to do it. 😎🧊

For this particular glacier, you could access the top via train (crazy busy, a gazillion tourists), hike (takes the entire day, no time left for getting away from the crowds), or helicopter.

Heli is THE way to go for adventures like this, ya’ll. I love helicopter tours for elopements so much because it lets you use your day to its fullest potential. You can pop up for just an hour in a secluded area and still have time left to do other things.

Lizz & Evan, for example, chose to spend some of their bonus time taking a scenic train ride to a different mountain ridge for a hike with a whole different set of views.

Which would totally not have been possible without the helicopter.

They wanted a snow-capped glacier for their ceremony and they got it! Along with a summertime snowball fight and lots and lots of dancing.

The Alps have a way of making super idyllic, truly memorable moments like that happen every single time that I’m there.

There’s genuinely nothing quite like the super clear alpine lakes, blend of cultures and foods, accessibility of peaks, and huge array of quaint stays and great activities. From Austria to Italy and every valley in between.

I’m going back to the Alps next June and have space for just one more couple to make a day like this happen for...

Is it you?

xx Maddie Mae

What’s a moment without a photo? Fleeting. . .

What’s a moment without a photo? Fleeting.
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#capturingmoments
#intimateweddingmoments
#adventurebride
#elopementinspo
#weddingdayideas

Mid-October means changing leaves and crisp air. F

Mid-October means changing leaves and crisp air. Foggy mountains and golden glows. It’s the time where getting cozy under a blanket because of the perfectly romantic chill in the air makes sense. When a bonfire at dusk feels right and a hike feels more rewarding because every view is dripping with shades of mustard, auburn and rust.

In just 6 weeks time, fall is upon us and eloping gets just a tiny bit more magical ✨
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#fallwedding
#elopementinspo
#fallelopement
#adventureelopement
#intimatewedding

There’s only one setting you can elope in where

There’s only one setting you can elope in where you can pretty much guarantee good weather.

That’s the desert. No rain to wash out your ceremony, no fog to hide your views. This stressor that exists in pretty much every other environment on earth just doesn’t exist in the desert.

The desert has that permanence to it. Through every season, it’s steady and the same. I love the symbolism of that. It’s always there. And most of the time, there’s going to be sun.

Growing up here in Colorado in the high altitude desert (which a lot of people don’t know about the front range—but it is a desert!), I LOVE those sunny days. I love leaning into harsh light. And I love how, when you shoot in the desert, you can just focus on having fun, enjoying the adventure, and relaxing.

In over a decade of elopement planning, I have never had to do a hard crazy pivot during a desert elopement due to weather.

Amanda & Sean live in the desert full time, but they were so blown away on a trip they took together to Joshua Tree that they wanted to make it their elopement spot, too.

These two were so sweet with each other. They got ready together and helped each other out. Their whole day had a very mellow and chill vibe that was so perfect for a fall desert elopement.

We grabbed portraits of them outside their AirBnB in the stellar boulder field that was out there and then headed into the national park to get images with them and those iconic trees.

(Did you know that Joshua trees are actually Yucca plants and related to Agave? They’re basically cousins to tequila.)

But the real magic of this day happened after the sun went down, which was by design.

They watched the full moon rise up from the hills over the tops of the trees and ended their day with a night picnic, stargazing, and 1:1 time with the beauty of the desert after the sun goes down.

The vast majority of the time, the weather in the desert is nice to you. If it rains, you know it’s not going to last—just a quick breeze through with no horrible wind or clouds. No being crazy bundled up in a ton of layers.

Just you and your partner, no crowds, and the wilderness.

xx Maddie Mae

My August may have looked a little different for m

My August may have looked a little different for me compared to the beach days and lake trips I’ve seen on my feed, but I would never pass up a picnic on a glacier in Alaska’s best time of year.
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#elopementphotography
#photographybusiness
#adventureelopements
#momentsovermountains
#destinationelopement

The only thing better than finding one insanely pe

The only thing better than finding one insanely perfect dress for your day is finding TWO. Don’t pass up the opportunity and JUST GET THE DRESSES.
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#weddingdresses
#elopementattire
#elopementinspiration
#adventurebride
#adventureelopement

Can we have a moment please for the puffin colony?

Can we have a moment please for the puffin colony?! 🐧

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get to photograph a couple with this many puffins.

I’ve seen puffins in a lot of different places, but I have NEVER seen this many in one place. There were absolutely thousands nesting on just this one cliff.

I love these fancy black & white parrots in tuxedos—they made this part of Kayce & Nick’s elopement so freakin cool.

Kayce & Nick took a boat to an uninhabited island in the Faroes and just happened to land perfectly in puffin nesting season in the middle of June. There were so many there that it genuinely started to feel like a safari of sorts.

Half the world’s puffin population breeds in this area, so that should tell you just HOW many were out here.

Puffin bills also change colors throughout the year but are brightest during this season, meaning all of Kayce & Nick’s photos have all the puffins in their finest.

So if you’ve ever thought about eloping but wondered if you might miss the guests, come to the Faroes—you’ll have about a thousand little birds in their black-tie attire waiting to watch you get married.

xx Maddie Mae

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