Adventure elopements have become a new wedding craze and it’s easy to see why. They typically consist of a super chill couple, zero to 20 guests, and getting married / taking portraits in an epic setting. Some locations are very well known and very well photographed, like Taft Point in Yosemite; others are a little more off the beaten path. To find such places, in can take a very dedicated couple, as was the case with Alison and Martin. Being avid hikers, they knew they wanted to commemorate their day with a hike to a mountaintop and of course epic photographs to remember it all.
We spoke on the phone and after hearing a bit about their wedding plans, I gave Martin a “hell yeah we’re down!” (though not in those exact words) and then crossed my fingers. I’ve been telling Maurice for months how badly I wanted to photograph an adventure elopement; it just aligns with things we love, including being similar to how we arranged our own wedding.
Now, when Martin told me there was a six mile hike involved, I happily agreed (ummm, YES epic photos please!!) and said it was no problem. We’ve done six mile hikes. We like hiking. But it was on this very day, with this lovely newlywed couple, that we learned the difference between people who like hiking and people who are actual hikers. The hike was a biiiit more advanced than we were prepared for (read: we both wore our Doc Marten boots), but did we make it to the top? Heck yes we did. Did we make it back down? Obviously. Did we both imagine different scenarios which ultimately lead to us not making it down the mountain, because the way down was possibly even harder than the way up? Oooh yeah. We laughed about it as we drove back to our cabin that night.
Their ceremony was held in front of a peaceful lake in the Western Sierras, with twelve family members and four very close friends, all of whom showed up early to help set up for the celebration.
On the occasion of it being a November mountain wedding (we got lucky with the weather!), Alison’s mom made three different soups and cornbread, which was just awesome.
MY FAVORITE “GETTING READY” PHOTOS!!! Can’t beat the scenery…
Ok, also my favorite “tying the shoe” shot… Hahaha it’s soooo good!!! The hiking shoes! Her dress! The trees!
The above photo is what happens when you ask a couple to Eskimo kiss on a cold mountaintop… the snot must be wiped away. Hahaha… whoops!
Ahhh soooooo sweet.
Everything about the day was perfect… even the hike! Even the freaking cold, windy mountaintop (thank you, wind, for the epic hair and dress movement). And thank you sunset! And of course, than you Alison and Martin for being super chill, super sweet, and super in love.
We all beamed that day for finding each other and for everything working out so well. They needed photographers that could hike (determination and dedication will get you far! At least 6 miles and 2000 feet) and photographs that weren’t blown out. We needed to take some well-exposed photos of some rad people on a mountaintop. I’ll never forget their first look and the tears that rolled down his face, and we surely will never forget that hike. But let me say, bring on the next adventure!