Wedding Inspiration // Mt. Hood Anishinaabe Winter Elopement

Wedding Inspiration // Mt. Hood Anishinaabe Winter Elopement

Jeremy and I thoroughly enjoyed our Native American themed photo shoot because we were able to incorporate our culture into the details. Both being Native, we have family heirlooms, traditional beadwork, and items that are important to us. I was very clear up front that the only way this photo shoot would work is if I had approval capabilities throughout the process. I did not want anything stereotypical or anything Jeremy and I wouldn't really have at our real wedding. Our culture is very important to us, so we wanted our heritage to be portrayed in an accurate fashion. Yes, Jeremy and I are a real engaged couple! It was important for me to wear my grandmother's turquoise bracelet and for Jeremy, his grandfathers bolo tie. I am a professional beadwork artist; therefore I wanted elements of my work incorporated into the shoot as well. Modern Native Americans get married in all types of ways. Some have very traditional weddings, others your average American wedding, but for us, we always wanted to mix elements of both. We get to throw our own Native wedding this September. It was fun to do this photo shoot and practice for the real thing!

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Real Couples // A Bavarian Elopement: Melanie + Farhang

Real Couples // A Bavarian Elopement: Melanie + Farhang

"After spending a couple years embroiled in the process of wedding planning for a larger affair, we have decided to throw the big event out the window and take off to Bavaria to elope. We are flexible with the specific day, but we are shooting for sometime during the two weeks of folk festivals that take place around mid-August in Garmisch-Partenkirchen to maximize the braids/lederhosen/dirndl/beer swilling good times! Do you have any availability to be flown out to capture the day and drink some german brews with us?”

That’s how it all started. My reply was almost instantaneous with a “Yes, please! I will gladly document your wedding and drink some German brews with you!” Over the next few months, Melanie and I talked back and forth to discuss logistics to make it happen. Serena was brought on as the official photographer, as I concentrated on making a memorable film of the day. Serena and I both adore intimate elopements and what could be more romantic than eloping in Bavaria, the land of Grimms’ fairy tales? 

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Real Couples // Virginia is for Lovers: Hana + Kaity

Real Couples // Virginia is for Lovers: Hana + Kaity

Sometimes I dream about the kinds of wedding I’d love to shoot. Those in distant places, like Africa or Asia, with simple details and big landscapes. I often think it would make me a better photographer, to have a portfolio with these weddings. But I’ve come to realize the kinds of weddings I want to shoot are the ones like this. 

We met Hana and Kaity a little over a year ago and quickly became friends. Their wedding day was full of genuine, real love. They asked to have their closest friends and family present for their first look. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but afterwards I looked around and saw that we were all crying. It was my favorite part of the day.

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Real Couples // From the Beach to the Mountains: Ty + Jarred

Real Couples // From the Beach to the Mountains: Ty + Jarred

These two decided to elope and have a simple ceremony that included just the two of them. For their official wedding photos they wanted photos to reflect their time spent together in Utah. They met by fate one night outside of a club and have not been apart since. They loved to take drives out to the flats and watch the sun set over the city. We spent the day adventuring together doing just that. 

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Real Couples // Downtown Denver Engagement: Lauren + Adrian

Real Couples // Downtown Denver Engagement: Lauren + Adrian

Lauren and Adrian met at her brother’s wedding and even walked down the aisle together as part of the bridal party!  They hit it off right away in all their quirky glory.  Adrian proposed in Paris on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower with a gorgeous ring he had specially-made for the Disney-loving Lauren (can you see the hidden Mickey Mouse?). 

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Real Couples // A Mountain Engagement: Jay + Colin

Real Couples // A Mountain Engagement: Jay + Colin

In my time with these two, it was immediately clear they were operating so outside of the expectations of the wedding world. A lot of life still has to happen before they begin to plan the wedding (medical school, jobs, etc.), and during this shoot they were solely focused on enjoying the time they had together rather than stress about a self-imposed wedding deadline. They had a ton of fun showing me up and down the trails, and it was like hanging out with old friends while taking some photos.

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Real Couples // Foggy West Virginia Overlook Love Portraits: Rachel + Jeff

Real Couples // Foggy West Virginia Overlook Love Portraits: Rachel + Jeff

Rachel and Jeff have forged their love for one another in the mountains. The two met at a friend’s barbecue in Charleston, West Virginia, last summer and have been roaming the woods together ever since. Neither Jeff nor Rachel are West Virginia natives. The two both found themselves settling there when their families relocated from the south—Jeff’s from Louisiana, Rachel’s from Texas. But their spirits are entwined in the state’s mountains and rivers. It seemed like fate when Cassie, a longtime friend of Rachel, woke up one morning to text her about a dream photoshoot at a magical, plateau campground. The two decided to make Cassie’s dream come true the following weekend with a spontaneous photo session in West Virginia’s New River Gorge—home to some of the most beautiful vistas on the East Coast. It has been easy for Rachel and Jeff to begin their journey together in the place they’ve come to call home. We are obsessed with the earnest, not-overly-styled quality of these photos, and how clear their love for each other and their environment is.

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