October Sunrise Hiking Elopement in Shenandoah National Park - Renaissance Inspired Wedding

Amber and Ben are both fans of Lord of the Rings and Renaissance Fairs, and their wedding looked straight out of some gorgeous movie - walking through the woods with lanterns as the sun was rising, just to walk out onto a misty mountain top. Amber’s romantic dusty blue wedding dress and fur, and their hand-fasting ceremony only added to the fantastical wedding morning.

This Elopement Included :

• Just Amber, Ben, their officiant (Dave!), and myself.

• A short hike before sunrise to a beautiful foggy view.

• Beautiful lanterns instead of florals.

• Amber had a cape on her blue dress instead of a veil, and a matching blue cloak for when it got chilly.

• A hand-fasting ceremony and hand-written vows at sunrise with an incredible view.

• A short but beautiful photo shoot of just the two of them after their ceremony.

September Sunset Shenandoah National Park Elopement | Cabin Wedding in Virginia | Blue Ridge Mountains Elopement

We started our day at their Airbnb, out in the middle of nowhere. They found a lovely spot in the yard to exchange vows and rings. For extra privacy, I kept my distance during their ceremony. Then we wandered around the cabin, checking out everything it had to offer : the driveway in the tall trees, the porch, the field of ferns, and the waterfall was all within such a short distance. Then we took a drive through rain up onto Shenandoah National Park, but when we got there the rain had stopped and the sun was coming out from behind the clouds in full force with the wind. It felt exactly like Scotland, which was perfect because that’s where they got engaged. They had a toast of Scotch while we enjoyed the quiet, peaceful, breezy sunset.

This Elopement Included :

• Getting ready at their Airbnb tucked away at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains - where they stayed for a whole week.

• A private ceremony in the yard of their Airbnb - I stayed back far enough to get photos but kept their privacy.

• Hand-written vows in their own journals.

• Beautiful floral bouquet and a classic silk wedding dress.

• Exploring around their Airbnb - fern fields and a short hike to a waterfall.

• Driving to Skyline Drive to watch Sunset and drink Scotch.

• Back to their Airbnb for champagne and cake.

Gorgeous bouquet by She Loves Me

Stony Man Summit Elopement in June | Sunrise Hiking Elopement in Shenandoah National Park

This wedding day consisted of :

5am meet up - meaning a 2:30am wake up.

A small hike through the dark woods.

Putting the boutonnière on by flashlight (app).

Getting completely naked to change into wedding clothes on top of a mountain.

Setting up a video to send to family and friends after.

Crying during vows, songs, and poems.

A first dance to a favorite song, all alone.

Reading letters from family.

Laughing and crying.

Taking off the dress shoes.

Hiking through the woods in the fresh daylight.

Finding a forest of giant ferns.

Napping.