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Portfolio
Elopement Packages & Pricing
Best places to elope
How to Elope
Blog

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@adventureinstead

If you’re looking for an excuse to cancel that w

If you’re looking for an excuse to cancel that wedding or uninvite that family member who ruined the holiday dinner… this is it.

I’m here to gently take your hand and let you know that if you don’t want your family at your wedding, you don’t have to invite them!   Seriously. That’s one of the best parts of eloping. You get to be out there with just you and your partner—or just you and your chosen family, if that’s more your speed.

It stops being a day to focus on making everyone around you happy and starts being about YOUR bond, YOUR love, and YOUR wedding day!   At the end of the day, if your 100 person wedding isn’t making you happy, scrap it. You don’t owe anything to anybody. Life is short and this is your milestone. You *deserve* to make it exactly what you want it to be.

Stop painstakingly crafting drama-preventing seating charts that make sure your Uncle Tom doesn’t sit next to your Aunt Lisa and start finding epic ridges by the sea that give you complete privacy to say your vows on.   Don’t let a billion dollar industry make you miserable on one of the happiest days of your life.   Just elope!   xx Maddie Mae
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#elopementinspiration
#intimatewedding
#letselope
#destinationweddingphotographer

This is it! I’ve got space to work with just 6 (

This is it! I’ve got space to work with just 6 (SIX) more couples in 2025!

If you’ve been waiting to reach out, here’s your sign to get on that before I’m filled up. 😉

A unique thing about working with me is that I only work with 15 couples per year.

You’ll get my undivided time and attention, and you’ll never be just a “number” to me. I often become friends with my clients and we keep in touch for years afterwards

Here are my available locations & dates left in 2025 👇

MARCH
• 20-27 // Florida

APRIL
• 11-12 // Utah (flooded, mirror-like salt flats under the full moon 😍)

MAY
• 26-29 // Alps, Western Europe, UK

JUNE
• 6-12 // Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Iceland

JULY
• 1-15, 25-31 // Colorado
• 14-18 // Alaska

AUGUST
• 3, 7-15 // Colorado

SEPTEMBER
• 12-15, 18-30 // Colorado

OCTOBER
• 1-4, 13-18 // New Mexico, Utah, Arizona

NOVEMBER
• 15-21 // New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, California

DECEMBER
• 4-22 // California, Florida, Mexico

If anything is catching your eye, let’s get dreaming.

I don’t just photograph elopements, I design and plan a curated, unique experience around the two of you—one you’ll enjoy every minute of.

Let’s make this a story you light up to tell ✨

Reach out to me and let’s get to planning!

xx Maddie Mae

The top 10 most beautiful locations you can elope

The top 10 most beautiful locations you can elope at for much less ↓ (from an elopement photographer who’s been to 41 countries and all 7 continents)  📩 Save this list for later   💬Comment “BESTPLACES” and I’ll send you a link with more info on each of these amazing spots and how to elope there!  (make sure you’re *following* to get the message!)  1. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 2. Moab, Utah 3. Yosemite National Park, California 4. Kauai, Hawaii
5. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
6. Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah
7. Olympic National Park, Washington
8. White Sands National Park, New Mexico
9. Palmer, Alaska
10. Telluride, Colorado

BONUS: My top 3 favorite international elopement locations 
1. Switzerland
2. Iceland
3. Greece  Comment BESTPLACES for my full list of the best spots to elope!  //  #elopementphotographer #elopementplanning #bestplacestoelope #placestoelope #eloping

How to navigate the “we’re eloping” discussi

How to navigate the “we’re eloping” discussion with your family & friends ↓ )

📩 Save this list for later

Listen, I get it.

There’s a ton of pressure to invite specific people to your wedding day, so how do you navigate telling people that you’re eloping?

As an elopement photographer with 10 years of experience, and who eloped herself, I’ve helped hundreds of couples navigate this discussion, and put together a free guide on everything you need to handle it with tact and grace.

Comment “TELLFAMILY” and I’ll send you my free “Ultimate Guide to Elopement Etiquette”

It includes:

FREE Elopement Announcement Template (to tell those you aren’t inviting)
FREE Elopement Invitation Template (to invite guests to your elopement)
Step-by-step Guide to Craft Your Own “We’re Eloping” Announcement

(make sure you’re *following* to get the message with the link!) .
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. #elope
#eloping
#elopementplanning
#elopementphotos
#adventurebride

POV: You feel like you’re watching a movie but i

POV: You feel like you’re watching a movie but it’s someone’s real wedding day.

Libby & Kate EARNED this moment. They loved the idea of going to Kauai to soak in all of the tropical natural paradise that they could, but part of being in mother nature’s house means... she isn’t always in a good mood. 😅

They encountered some rain during their canyon hike, but they were TOTAL troopers about it, laughing, taking it in stride, and donning matching rain jackets. Honestly, you wouldn’t have even known it was raining—they were having too much fun.

But still, when the sun was out by the time they hit the beach, it was like the magical, ‘oh heck yeah’ moment.

They had a beautiful ceremony by the sea led by a local officiant, who led them through a sand-blending unity activity that really centered and grounded this incredible moment.

Golden hour hit while they were exploring the beach together and dipping their toes in the water. I’ve photographed a lot of couples, but these two were so tuned in to each other it was like nothing else existed. You could feel how present they were, and it was so perfect.

They spent the rest of their elopement day lounging together and watching the view—first from the exceptionally beautiful sunset and then eventually the stars as the Milky Way popped out.

I really loved Libby & Kate’s energy and felt like they just *got* so much of what eloping is about. I always say that your wedding day should feel like the best day of your honeymoon. Totally out of the ordinary, totally core memory creating, but also totally *you.*

This was exactly that.

If you could do anything today, what would you do?

xx Maddie Mae

📩 Save this list for later California: Leg

📩 Save this list for later

California:
Legalized same-sex domestic partnerships as early as 1999, home to huge pride hubs like West Hollywood in LA and the Castro in San Francisco, and has passed transgender sanctuary city laws amongst other protections.

New Mexico:
Great LGBTQ+ cultural hub in Santa Fe, has had laws against hate crimes in place since 2003, and has no prohibitions on adoption or parental rights for LGBTQ couples.

No matter who you are or where you’re getting married, you deserve to not only feel safe on your wedding day, but to feel *affirmed.* To feel like you belong and are loved—while also being 100% yourself. To be at ease during your wedding to the love of your life.

These are a few of my top spots, but I make sure to vet the places I’m taking my LGBTQ+ couples beforehand! I always care about your safety and wellbeing and will tell you any and all information you need to know while we plan.

Ready to find some beautiful places to celebrate your love?

xx Maddie Mae
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#lgbtqiawedding
#lgbtqelopement
#intimatewedding
#lgbtqcouples
#weddingday

I LOVE living in Colorado. But even more, I love f

I LOVE living in Colorado. But even more, I love finding the most beautiful locations here for eloping couples. I promise you, these Colorado locations will NOT disappoint.

San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Maroon Bells / Aspen, Colorado

Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado

Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado

Which one of these locations would you elope?
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#coloradoelopementlocations
#momentsovermountains
#elopementinspiration
#intimateweddingideas
#outdoorweddinglocations

If you’re a space lover who actually DOES like s

If you’re a space lover who actually DOES like sand (yes, that is a Star Wars joke), there’s no better place than the Great Sand Dunes.

Sam & Pete told me on the first call we had that they really wanted to get married on the autumnal equinox. They’re huge space fans and loved the idea of complete equality on their wedding day and really wanted to incorporate stargazing into their elopement.

When I told them that the Great Sand Dunes could give them no crowds, no light pollution, and background mountain views, they were totally sold.

Designing this elopement was a blast because Sam & Pete were so sweet and down for anything—they just wanted to have a great adventure together that their pup, Leeloo, could also enjoy!

While we kicked off their day by getting ready at a geometric AirBnB I’d found for them and doing a waterfall hike, some of the most memorable photos of the day came from the dunes.

They hiked out across the dunes with sand boards and Leeloo in tow to coordinates I had picked out ahead of time and climbed up onto this huge ridge that they had to themselves.

Sam & Pete took some time to throw on sunglasses and just play—sledding down, racing over the hill, just having an absolute BLAST.

As the sun went down, they picked up their flowers (including a flowered collar for their canine officiant) they had an emotional vow exchange in the hills, and Pete actually wrote down the next steps in his notes for the ceremony. They were:

(yes)
(kiss)
(celebrate)
(beer)

They followed through on all four 😂

While we were waiting for it to get fully dark so the stars could be at their brightest, they had a picnic with some snacks, cards, and gifts from loved ones.

Then the stars... I’m not joking when I saw these were some of the most incredible views of the Milky Way. Sam & Pete donned headlamps and roamed around a bit, staring up at the full clear sky together and really soaking it all in.

It was the perfect spot to spend a day dedicated to an even split of darkness and light. The sand dunes are one of those magic locations where the beauty doesn’t stop when the sun goes down—it just changes forms.

xx Maddie Mae

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Adventure Instead – Elopement Photographer – Maddie Mae
155 W Harvard St. Fort Collins, CO U.S.A. 719-287-6005

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