Eloping as a Wedding Photographer | The One Where the Elopement Photographer Gets Married

Mar 29

Photo Credit: Caressa Rogers Photography, @caressarogers

GROWING UP, I NEVER EXPECTED TO ELOPE.

I legit referred to my wedding as a production because I'd been obsessed with the theater since I was a child. I had my wedding planned out to a T...and then COVID-19 struck. All my plans, as lovely as they were, had to be pushed aside. We either would have to wait to get married...or elope.

Deciding to elope wasn't a terribly hard decision for me because I already loved the idea of getting married at a gorgeous spot. My original dream growing up was to elope in England or Scotland (Pride & Prejudice was my favorite novel as a teen) with just my immediate family and a few friends present so in a way, that worked out in it's own way (as the mountains around where we got married are rumored to have reminded the Scottish immigrants of their homelands.)

Our family members reacted in different ways. Some were thrilled, knowing how much we loved the outdoors and prioritized photography, and although they were sad they couldn't be there because of precautions, they wished us well. Other family members needed to be calmed down, as the idea of an elopement brought a negative connotation (for future reference, telling grandparents you're having an "adventure" or "intimate" wedding vs "elopement" might go over better.)

I CAN'T LIE, PLANNING AN ELOPEMENT IN 1-2 MONTHS TIME WAS STRESSFUL.

I'm the type of person who goes over the top, so of course I had to come up with a spreadsheet of 14 different Tennessee and North Carolina possible elopement spots with specific information on accessibility, amount of guests allowed, type of permit, cost, etc. My sweet mother and bridesmaids helped me with this list but even still, the stress was real.

Photo Credit: Victory Dawn Photography, @victorydawnphotography

Some wonderful things came out of our elopement. Our wonderful photographer, Caressa Rogers, who we had booked for our original wedding was able to come and photograph our elopement (that first photo as well as the three below are her incredible work.) As my mom says, the moment we saw her smiling face as we arrived, we knew we were in good hands and that everything was going to be amazing. A good friend I had met my freshman year of college was able to come down and video the day because he wasn't traveling oversees at the time, due to COVID-19. Plus, my precious sister-in-law captured all the getting ready parts of the morning so every detail was captured (don't you just love the photo above of me in my dress?)

Additionally, my bridal bouquet and my husband's boutonnière were designed by one of my favorite florists, Linda Doan, who I had discovered months before on Instagram. I fell in love with flowers while I planned my wedding so having a bouquet that I absolutely adored was a dream.

Although our wedding day was filled with things that didn't go according to plan (dust from the Sahara desert decided to make a transatlantic crossing, bridal party members realized last minute they couldn't make it, and insane fog and rain), it was that kind of crazy that you look back upon and laugh. The mountain-side picnic had to be moved to a picnic shelter, but so much love was felt, the "venue" didn't matter. Tears of worry were shed that morning, but the clouds cleared for just a short while during the ceremony to warm everyone as they froze in June as God seemed to smile down on us. We were able to spend the whole day (the whole weekend, actually, as we turned it into a multi-day celebration) with those we loved best of all and have precious photos to share with all the other people in our life we love dearly but who couldn't be there.