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Self Solemnization | What it is and How to do it

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@adventureinstead

If you ask me, the answer to a nervous system frie

If you ask me, the answer to a nervous system fried from human life in 2025 is always going to be to get out in nature and breathe it all in.

This particular beach is in Kefalonia, a snippet from Kaitlynn & Chance’s elopement there a couple of years back. I took this as the sun was starting to go down and they were enjoying golden hour at the shore.

We were never meant to process this much on a daily basis. If you’re struggling, it makes sense. Get outside if you can, even if it’s just to root your feet to the Earth for a while.

Don’t forget that there are always resources if you need to talk to someone.
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#takeamoment
#doomscrolling
#clearyourmind
#beautifullocations
#naturelover

ENGAGED DOG LOVERS, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU. Every t

ENGAGED DOG LOVERS, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU.

Every time I hear that folks want to include their pup in their wedding day (which I am ALL FOR by the way), I point them to Melissa & Jonathan’s Colorado elopement day.

While they initially made the choice to elope because they had been to big weddings in the past that the couples hosting hadn’t loved, they realized that they also had a huge perk… their beloved pup, Yoshi, could come with for the whole day!

They had a lakeside ceremony, playing rock paper scissors to see who would get to read their vows first. Their vow reading was super emotional, and I don’t think any of us made it out without getting teary.

Yoshi stood by in a tuxedo, looking his best, playing the important role as Best Man for the wedding. He would also later sign their marriage license with his paw print as their officiant, which you can do in Colorado!

After the ceremony, Yoshi had a snack of kibble while Melissa & Jonathan popped champagne and toasted to being just married 🥂

They settled in for a picnic in the same spot they got married in, spreading out a beautiful breakfast full of berries and charcuterie goods. Before they headed back to the car, Yoshi donned a new bandana proclaiming that his humans got married.

Melissa & Jonathan had rented a 4X4 for the day, so they drove their Jeep through mountain passes to see waterfalls, other alpine lakes, and aspen groves.

At some point it started to sprinkle, and Yoshi got an express air lift over muddy patches of the trail! But for the most part he hiked steadily right behind them, just happy to be included.

He even sat by for emotional support while Melissa & Jonathan read letters from their loved ones, stretched out on the blanket right beside them.

I wrote a blog post all about this beautiful day, which you can read! Just comment MELJON and I’ll send you the link!

We just passed these two’s 3rd wedding anniversary, so everyone wish them a happy anniversary in the comments!

Melissa & Jonathan, thank you so much for letting me document your day. I still think back on this one super fondly.

xx Maddie Mae

When I asked what scenery they wanted, they said,

When I asked what scenery they wanted, they said, “Definitely GLACIERS”—and I think we nailed it.

Jennifer & Max had been to Alaska multiple times, so it was a perfect fit when it came time to plan a destination elopement.

These photos wound up snagging an award after the fact, and I’m still so proud of them. Glacial meltwater pools are one of my FAVORITE natural phenomena, and I’m always stoked to get to capture them!

If you want to see glaciers on your elopement day, I highly recommend planning for late July and tracking down a pool or two. They’ll be gone the next day, so no one will ever replicate your experience!

I’ve got a few slots left for next year—let me know if this is your dream day!
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#glacierceremony
#outdoorwedding
#destinationelopement
#adventurewedding
#epicelopement

Imagine if instead of stressing about the fate of

Imagine if instead of stressing about the fate of your wedding day and all the little details, you got to just relax into the moment & enjoy it instead?

The thing that eloping gets you in spades that you have to eke out on a big wedding day is *peace.* You get to do things your way, on your own timeline.

Any setting, any time of year. No traditions. Just the two of you and absolutely nothing you don’t want to do.

As someone who eloped myself and has photographed literally hundreds of elopements across dozens of countries, I’ve never spoken to a single couple who’s regretted it.

Elope and never wonder if you did the right thing. Choose yourself and never look back.
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#yourweddingday
#specialelopement
#elopementideas
#momentsovermountains
#intimateceremony

So many people accused these photos of being AI wh

So many people accused these photos of being AI when I first posted them. 😂

As crazy as it was, I promise you they’re 100% real! I’m including even more BTS in this carousel of this insane shoot.

In our first conversation, Louisa & Kim told me they wanted 2 things: to get married at the solstice and to paddleboard among the icebergs.

The former they knew was possible. The latter they were less sure about.

To be honest *I* wasn’t even sure about it.

But this is one of the best parts of being an elopement photographer. Getting couples who come to you with their craziest, most out-of-the-box, wouldn’t-it-be-cool-if ideas and getting to see them come to life.

In fact, their vision was SO unique that it actually got featured on the Weather Channel recently! Which, I’ll be honest, I never thought I’d have an elopement highlighted there. 😂

I need to emphasize what a feat of athleticism this is. Kim is a dance teacher (they met during a class!) and Louisa hikes a ton, and they both are very experienced paddleboarders.

They eloped because they have a shared love of traveling and wanted to avoid wedding stress, and I can’t think of a cooler way to do it than this. It was really meaningful for them to get married ON the solstice at midnight to represent light in the darkness.

Since I’ve had a lot of people ask, and yes, safety was a huge concern here. I only wanted to do this if I knew it was 100% safe! Here’s a list of all the safety precautions they had in place:
• An experienced local Greenlandic guide who is an expert in THIS icefjord advising us
• A boat never more than 15 feet away from them
• In depth instruction on how to move around the ice and what to do if they got stuck
• LIGHTWEIGHT layers (Louisa’s dresses are both mesh) so that they could float
• Tons of experience in paddleboarding beforehand
• Great weather that was on their side for calm waters

I’m going to be dreaming about this elopement for a long time, and I’m still so happy & grateful that Louisa & Kim chose me for their wedding day.

No matter what your biggest dream is, tell me all about it. We can find a way!

xx Maddie Mae

I never thought I’d have an elopement featured on

I never thought I’d have an elopement featured on the WEATHER CHANNEL, but here we are.

Honestly, I’m not over Louisa & Kim’s wedding day yet, and I don’t expect to be for a very, very long time. If ever.

I’ll share another post in the next few days with more details about these two and this insane adventure of theirs, but for now, here’s more footage from the paddleboarding part of their day.

If you’re engaged, I hope this is your sign to do something epic for your wedding day that you’ll hold onto for a lifetime. You deserve it.
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#glacierwedding
#elopementideas
#weddingdayadventures
#paddleboardingwedding
#adventurebride

I started taking couples into nature to say their

I started taking couples into nature to say their vows and never👏🏻 looked 👏🏻 back👏🏻

The feeling of getting to give a couple nothing but joy and privacy on their wedding day after photographing so many big weddings that were the exact opposite was truly game changing for me.

To this day, I think eloping is a great choice for anybody. Whether you’re looking for:
Something less expensive than a traditional wedding
A reason not to invite relatives that you don’t want there
True and complete privacy for your vows
A wedding day that feels like the start of something epic
New traditions that mean something deep to you
A backdrop for your ceremony that you actually love
... or anything else! Eloping is the way to go.

Friends don’t let friends go through with expensive weddings they don’t love. ELOPE.
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#natureelopment
#adventureceremony
#forestwedding
#smallweddingday
#elopementideas

I’m never gonna steer you wrong. I’ve trekked all

I’m never gonna steer you wrong.

I’ve trekked all over the globe. I’ve been to 42
countries (and counting!) and have traveled to all 7 continents. I’ve sandboarded in the Sahara and floated next to glacial ice in Greenland. So when I say I know adventure, I KNOW adventure!

And I’ve helped over 300 couples have epic wedding days all over the world. So no matter where you want to say your vows, I’m going to know exactly how to make it into the experience of a lifetime.

Where are we heading?!
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#elopementphotographer
#elopementcouples
#adventurewedding
#momentsovermountains
#intimateceremony

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