Mairi and Jude | Rainy Backyard Wedding in Chicago

“You two are just… so weird.” Said their priest during the Mass.

Their wedding day felt like a wedding day. It was all the right emotions - excitement, wonder, nerves, and pure happiness.

But boy, was it different.

Bridesmaids making their own bouquets, a (wild) party trolley, Irish dancing, tacos, a seemingly endless bar, pizzas made to order, the funniest faces I’ve ever seen, feet drenched in mud, fireworks.

Mhm.

If you’re looking for a stunning wedding day full to the brim of gorgeous details - but also looking for weird, wild, and quirky? Mairi and Jude got you covered.

Her wedding dress was part of her mother’s. She made the invitations herself. They had about 400 guests in their back yard. It stormed and poured all day. Their bridal portraits were taken after dark, with no rhyme or reason (just muddy feet).

It was the most fun, and absolutely perfect wedding day. All right here.

April Sunrise Intimate Wedding in Shenandoah National Park | Blue Ridge Mountains Adventure Elopement

Paula and Andrew reached out to me a few months ago saying they wanted to get married on Shenandoah National Park! Their families would be traveling in from Spain and Florida, and so they found a large cabin for everyone to stay in over the weekend. They were planning from a bit of a distance, so I sent them a bunch of location ideas along Skyline Drive and helped them plan out the day a bit.

We met up very, very early - and it was incredibly cold. But I have a big basket of blankets for such times, so everyone got to bundle up a bit. After their beautiful ceremony, we went driving along the Blue Ridge and made some stops for photos. Then we went back to their cabin where coffee, cake, and champagne was waiting and they played a game of pool.

So after 7 years of a long-distance relationship between Florida and Spain, they got married in the Virginia mountains. It was a beautiful, peaceful morning with such fun, incredible, and welcoming people.

I absolutely love, love, love helping couples plan their adventurous weddings in Shenandoah National Park! It’s such an incredible experience that turns into a week or weekend getaway that includes more than just the simple wedding-day festivities.

Let me know if you’d like help planning yours (:

Hi! I’m Gabrielle and I am an adventurous wedding, elopement, couple, family, and portrait photographer. If you’re interested in visiting the Shenandoah Valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, or Shenandoah National Park, I’d love to help you plan your visit as well as a photo shoot of your time here.

I have helped couples plan their elopements and small weddings in Shenandoah National Park - with suggestions of places to go, things to do, and awesome spots for food and drink to make your wedding day into a wedding getaway in the awesome local small towns.

Interested in a shoot and a few days away in the Virginia mountains? Reach out! I’d love to chat.

Intimate Shenandoah National Park Wedding in April | Blue Ridge Mountain Elopement Photographer

“Have you ever been to a wedding like this?”
Grandmama : “No, I never have.. after all these years there’s not much I can say I haven’t done, but I’ve never done this.”

Emma & Jeddah planned an incredible and intimate wedding day for themselves. They booked the entire Hotel Laurance in Luray where their families stayed over the weekend - with plans to explore the town and the mountains for the rest of the weekend. The day of their wedding, they got ready in the hotel casually with the kids and dogs running around the hotel. When I showed up, Emma and Jeddah and a few others were sitting outside on the deck having a drink. Emma already had her hair and makeup done, but wasn’t in her dress yet.

Eventually they parted ways to get ready and Emma got into her dress while Jeddah went on up to Skyline Drive. Emma rode with both their families together on a bus to bring them all up to their ceremony spot on Shenandoah National Park. It was a remarkably quiet day up there, even though the weather was perfect and it was a Saturday. Once we got there, we chose their ceremony spot and everyone gathered around. They said their vows when the time seemed right and then took family photos before everyone (except Emma, Jeddah, their dogs and I) went back to Hotel Laurance for cocktail hour. We explored the overlook where they had their ceremony and took their photos together before heading back down to join everyone for drinks and an amazing dinner.

Their dinner was wonderfully relaxed. They had a few dances, but mostly it was speeches and toasts and stories told by whoever felt so inclined.

The entire day was relaxed and flowed gloriously with almost no timeline in place (except when dinner would be served). I left them shortly after their big dance party to “Love Shack” by the B52’s,

Hi! I’m Gabrielle and I am an adventurous wedding, elopement, couple, family, and portrait photographer. If you’re interested in visiting the Shenandoah Valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, or Shenandoah National Park, I’d love to help you plan your visit as well as a photo shoot of your time here.

I have helped couples plan their elopements and small weddings in Shenandoah National Park - with suggestions of places to go, things to do, and awesome spots for food and drink to make your wedding day into a wedding getaway in the awesome local small towns.

Interested in a shoot and a few days away in the Virginia mountains? Reach out! I’d love to chat.