Finding the Perfect Adventure Elopement Photographer
If you’re on the hunt for more than just an elopement photographer and are looking for the ultimate wedding experience and breathtaking photos, this article will help you find the perfect adventure elopement photographer. It’s about finding the right fit for a stress free day in the great outdoors. You want your elopement photographer to make you feel comfortable and at ease while helping you plan the perfect way to celebrate your adventure wedding.
I’m going to talk about how to sort through all of the elopement photographers to find the perfect fit. I’ll include some tips for what to look for so that you end up with the right photographer for your vision. We’ll also talk about the photos because while you might think you want your photographer to be your best friend you might actually just want them to be really good at their job!
Finding the perfect elopement photographer is probably more important than one for a wedding. Because you’re going to be with this person all day, sometimes instead of your family. And how often do you have a day in your life significant enough that you want professional photos?
What Makes the Perfect Adventure Elopement Photographer?
The Right Vibe
If you’ve decided on an adventure elopement rather than a big traditional wedding, you probably have your reasons. You want your wedding day and the entire planning process to be stress free. Or maybe you want incredible memories in epic landscapes surrounded only by the mountains or perhaps a few best friends.
Value Match
If you can identify your reasons for eloping, they will help you identify what to look for in your elopement photographer. You want to feel comfortable and inspired every step of the way from the vows to the little moments that make up the perfect day. The ideal elopement photographer will help you have your best day, whatever that means to you.
The Right Fit
Whether you want high adventure, lots of direction, or just to relax in a beautiful location, you can find a photographer that is the right fit for your journey. Look for both a personality fit and photos that inspire you, what you see in the photos will give you an idea of what to expect.
Experienced and Knowledgable
Your wedding day is a one-time thing, but elopement photography is something that your photographer does numerous times a year. You can rely on their knowledge and experience with elopement planning. Whether it’s vendor recommendations or ideas for accommodations, an experience elopement photographer does more than just photography.
Beautiful Photography
Maybe this goes without saying but when looking for elopement photography the photos matter too. You want to have a great experience and feel comfortable with your vendors, but you also want amazing photos. Your vendors might feel like friends, and that’s great, but they should also be professional and great at what they do.
What to Look for in Elopement Photos
Landscape Elopement Photography
When you’re looking through elopement photos on a photographer’s website, you want to look for a few different things. A good elopement photographer will know a variety of places to elope so you should be able to spot various beautiful landscapes in their world. The mountains, waterfalls, or wildflowers (or beaches depending on where you are in the world) should also feel like the photographer captured them in an intentional way.
Storytelling Moments
An adventure wedding is about love and adventure. You want to see the adventure moments but you also want to see the intimate moment and expression of love that happens during the vows. Photography is a craft, it’s about storytelling and the story of your special day is one of a kind.
Variety of Locations, Images, and Moments
In our years as wedding photographers, we’ve helped create custom adventure elopements for each of our clients. From giving them suggestions of places to elope to helping them find the right level of adventure, we absolutely love helping each couple have a journey that’s both fun and memorable. In our photos, we showcase the mountains but also the promise, the commitment, and the love that shows when you get married.
Style of Imagery and Editing
Another thing to look for is style and make sure that the style of the photos is how you want to view your wedding day both now and a decade from now. Elopement photography is a popular genre and there are a lot of photographers with a variety of styles from airy to timeless to edgy. Look for elopement photography that matches your life and your vibe.
Adventure Elopements Should Be Fun
Just because you’re not planning a big wedding, doesn’t mean this isn’t a big day. We usually spend a half day with our couples making sure that they feel incredibly comfortable so that they are too busy focused on the moment to notice the camera. As elopement photographers, we love to lean on the beauty of your relationship rather than fancy posing or elaborate lighting.
We don’t just craft photos, we craft a memorable big day filled with fun and adventure. The best wedding photos come from the best wedding experience. That’s why during the planning process, we want to know your definition of fun and your definition of adventure.
Adventure elopements also rely on the beauty of the great outdoors. Location is truly everything as not only will it determine the look and feel of your photography but it will be the setting for your wedding. When you get married, the setting will help trigger your memories, your photography will be a reminder not only of how things looked but also of how they felt.
A Wedding Day Outdoors
Adventure elopements are generally outdoors at some amazing location where the couple has chosen to get married. Getting married outdoors has its own set of challenges that photographers have to be prepared for. If you view life in a way that says anything can happen, an adventure elopement day might be your kind of day.
When anything can happen, it’s important o be able to handle the twists and turns in the journey. That means the crazy moose that crashed the ceremony should be captured and the photography should showcase the ups and downs of the climb. Again, photography tells a story and nature is full of stories to tell often humbling us or leaving us in awe.
During your elopement planning stage try to remember that eloping is less about planning than the big wedding. With intimate weddings and elopements, you can leave room for spontaneity and surprise. Intimate weddings, whether it’s an elopement or an adventure wedding with a few friends, can be more about going with the flow and seeing where life takes us.
Final Adventure Wedding Tips
Let me share some final adventure wedding tips for your elopement day. From the planning stages to what you actually get after the day is over, these tips will help you with the hardest part: decision-making. If you know me, you know I’m always telling you to make sure that your values are reflected in your plan for your wedding so if you haven’t already download our free Wedding Planning Guide on how to prioritize your planning!
Elopement Planning
Don’t try to squeeze too much into a short timeline, you don’t want to feel rushed. When finding vendors, look for someone that understands what you’re doing, for example, a hairstylist that will help you choose a hairstyle that will stay in the wind. You will also be forever grateful if you consider planning around sunrise or sunset with the light is beautiful as it makes for stunning elopement photography.
Elopement Packages
Look for elopement packages that include something tangible, what do you actually have that you can touch at the end of the elopement day? Elopement packages might include travel or they might not, they might include permits or you might need to take care of that yourself. More time is not always better but too little time and you might not get what you’re looking for so ask your elopement photographer how they usually work.
Location Based Advice
As a Colorado elopement photographer, I have a few extra tips if you’re planning a Colorado elopement. Consider weekdays when trailheads are less crowded and consider less popular locations if you want something more intimate for your Colorado elopement. While we travel all over the world for elopements, local knowledge really does help when it comes to Colorado because it’s such a popular destination. If you’re planning a Colorado elopement, shoot me a note!
Be Prepared
One of the most important things is to make sure you’re prepared for the weather, altitude, wind, rain, snow, rocks, mud, dirt, mileage, or whatever else you have planned for your wedding day. Wear practical shoes when possible so that you can get where you want to go and bring water, snacks, warm layers, or anything else you might need. Your photographer can help you so ask them if there’s anything you might need to be aware of.
Try to Have Fun
Why did you choose to elope again? For the memories, moments, and intimate connection with your partner surrounded by the beauty of nature. So try to relax and remember that throughout the whole process, be present and live in the moment.
About the author: I am Brenda Bergreen, one half of a husband and wife photography team specializing in Colorado wedding photography and videography and outdoor photography. Be sure to reach out if you’re looking for an elopement photographer or two! We also offer video add-ons.
As a Colorado elopement photographer, I’d love to help you plan the perfect Colorado elopement or meet you somewhere else in this beautiful world. Check your date and let’s get to planning your perfect colorado elopement photography.
Download our free Wedding Planning Guide on how to prioritize your planning! Don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know how we can help!
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