Maine Elopement Photographer // Elura & Chris in Acadia

October will forever be the best time to get married (or, dare I say, do anything?) in New England, and Acadia National Park elopements in autumn are truly hard to top. Elura & Christopher drove up from MA with some of their closest family & friends to get married last October, and they could not have had a more beautifully sunny & pleasant fall day. I’m happy to share the beauty with other humans until it gets in the way of my precious couples’ experience! The one glitch on Elura & Chris’ day was that too many people seemed to have the same idea that weekend - heading up to Acadia to enjoy the foliage and gorgeous weather, resulting in us getting stuck in a traffic jam at Jordan Pond for a while. We never were able to park there and get the photos they’d wanted - yikes! I admit I was a bit panicked at that point, although not totally surprised, and thankfully the rest of the park did not disappoint.

By the end of every wedding season, I seem to develop a love/hate relationship with Acadia. In 2020 people were so anxious to get outside that it’s no wonder the park was the busiest I’d ever seen it even in October. I get it and totally support people enjoying Acadia, but this wedding was a good reminder to stick to the lesser-known spots on weekends!

Elura & Chris were so fun and low-key and truly excited to be getting married that day that they rolled with the stress of crowds and parking disasters, and we still had a wonderful time together. I was still recovering from that stress (lol) when I sent their sneak peek photos the next day, and they responded with praise about how much fun they’d had and how easy the whole photography process was.

These two decided to brave the crowds and have a tiny wedding in Acadia because of the park’s unbeatable natural beauty. And I do admit that despite the setbacks, it was totally worth it overall. I mean, look at the joy exuding from these photos. Look at that perfectly sunny sky and the views we enjoyed on Cadillac! It was a magical day. They had an amazing time and were just beaming with joy throughout our 4 hours together. Their goal had been to document as much of the Acadia scenery in their wedding photos as possible, and I think we did a good job, despite not being able to visit one of their requested spots.

We met around noon at Sieur de Monts (there were tons of people there too!), then went to my secret spot at the Blue Hill Overlook on Cadillac Mountain (nobody in our way over there!), and ended at a spot I like on the Ocean Path near Otter Cliff. There we met up with their guests and ended our time together with their sweet, simple ceremony, officiated by Chris’ brother and surrounded by their closest family and friends. 

These sunshiney, perfectly pleasant days in Acadia are a bit rare in my photo work, but this one was perfectly suited to Elura & Chris’ sunny personalities and ability to soak up the beauty of their wedding day. I am forever grateful for couples like this who compel me to keep on keeping on when, by October every year, I am inevitably ready to never shoot in Acadia again. But each couple, like each October, is always so fresh and unique and full of potential. And well, here I am again, drawn back into the always intriguing, incomparably beautiful, and sometimes infuriating wonder that is my life as a Maine (which usually means Acadia) wedding and elopement photographer. I really cannot complain.

Enjoy these highlights from Elura & Chris’ day!

Wild, wonderful bouquet by Floret.

Acadia National Park Elopement // Heather & Jackson

Each year since moving to Maine, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph more elopements in Acadia National Park than the last. I am so excited that in 2019 the majority of my work will be in Acadia! Last weekend kicked of this wedding season with the most amazing couple who traveled up from Kentucky to get married on Otter Cliffs, with stunning views of Maine’s rocky coastline. We were even lucky enough to catch a sunset on Cadillac Mountain! Heather and Jackson’s Acadia adventure set the bar really high for a year full of dreamy, romantic adventures with the sweetest couples. I am endlessly grateful I get to tag along and document moments like these.

And just a note - there are a ton of photos of just Heather here, partly because I had extra time with her while Jackson hiked back to meet the officiant, and partly because, well, women in pretty dresses are just more fun to photograph! Her dress was from BHLDN, jewelry from all sorts of special people and grandmas, and bouquet from Queen Anne’s Flower Shop in Bar Harbor.

Acadia National Park Elopement // Nastassja & Patrick

Nastassja and Patrick were such a fun and lighthearted couple to document for their elopement in Acadia National Park, and it definitely shows in these images. They seemed to be overflowing with happiness on this day last fall!

We explored Sand Beach together first, found a quiet spot down the Gorham Mountain Trail for their ceremony, and then ended on Cadillac Mountain just as a storm was brewing.

I love when couples bring along or wear special handmade details, and Nastassja knit their matching green cape and bowtie!

Acadia National Park Elopement // Britney & Evan

If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know I have a very soft spot for brides in green dresses and the partners who recognize the special magic in these women. It is no surprise then that Britney and Evan’s elopement is one my favorites ever. Because I’m the kind of wildish person who will notice a single strand of coyote hair clinging to moss as I walk through the wood, or see the glint of a broken damselfly wing as it flickers on the leaves, I feel an instant connection with folks who care about the details and feel the spirit in certain carefully crafted objects.

Britney and Evan are two shy, darling souls who met in art school, fell in love, and decided to travel from Ohio to Acadia National Park to get married in a tiny ceremony with just their closest family. They chose an intimate spot to say their vows away from the crowds of tourists, and then we explored the park some more, going slowly, noticing the small things (a cute snake! an inchworm! tiny mushrooms!) and enjoying each other’s company.

As artists they were extra thoughtful about the details of their day. Links to those special items are at the bottom of this post.

I really couldn’t have imagined a more perfect, sweet, intimate, nature-filled October elopement than this.

Flowers - Chickadee Hill

Britney’s Ring - Kate Cardner

Evan’s Ring - Nate Casavir

Britney’s Headpiece - Amy Boulle, Tryst Studios

Porcupine Quill Necklace - Kelli Fisher, Lynne and Lucille

Leather Ring Pouch - Baquette

Vow book - handmade by Britney

Acadia National Park Wedding // Jamie & Steve

It’s not often I get to photograph a gorgeously sunny day in Acadia National Park, and most of the time I prefer not to - overcast days are easier to shoot! Jamie & Steve’s wedding was an incredible exception though. They got married at midday in the bright, warm sun, and it was so perfectly fitting for their warm, sunny personalities, their bright smiles, and the fun they had together exploring the park. While many of my elopements exude a darker, misty romance, this day was all smiles and sunshine. It was an honor to witness Jamie and Steve get married in Acadia surrounded by their closest family and friends.

Stunning florals by Chickadee Hill.

Ceremony was at Little Hunter’s Beach. We also visited the Cadillac Mountain summit and Blue Hill Overlook and the Jesup Path.

Acadia National Park Elopement // Bridget & Jeremey

Bridget and Jeremey traveled to Maine to share their vows in the forest of Acadia National Park. They saw a deer, had a picnic on a quiet beach, and affirmed (like all adventurous, eloping couples do) that I have the best job ever. 

Looking forward to photographing many more elopements in Acadia, especially if it's anything like capturing these two!

Maine Elopement Photographer // Cai & Jeremy

Working for another photographer is always such an honor, and even though Cai and Jeremy were getting married outside of Maine, I could not resist the invite to photograph their sweet occasion in Hingham, MA earlier this month. 

Their ceremony was at the Old Ship Church, the oldest church building in continuous use in the United States, which is cool on its own but more meaningful because Cai and Jeremy are part of that congregation. They got ready with their son in the parish house. And then we explored World’s End before sunset. It was a beautifully simple, movingly meaningful day. 

Acadia National Park Elopement // Ellie & Colin

If I could shoot elopements in Acadia National Park every weekend, I would. Couples deciding to get married in Acadia's wild landscape are definitely my kinda people, and these two are no exception!

Ellie and Colin fell in love during art school and now live in Detroit with their three pups. All five of them drove out to Maine to tie the knot and explore somewhere they'd never been. And I was lucky enough to tag along. 

Acadia National Park Elopement // Brianna & Troy

Brianna & Troy's elopement in Acadia National Park was one of the sweetest ceremonies I've witnessed. And their Wendell Berry reading had me in tears (I'm such a sucker for that poet/farmer/sage). 

If you're considering eloping and forgoing the craziness and expense of the average wedding celebration, their sweet Acadia adventure will convince you that simple, intimate, and close to nature is the way to go.

Monhegan Island Elopement // Jen & Frank

This little wedding on Monhegan Island in Maine was one of the sweetest I've witnessed. Jen & Frank and their son Henry arrived at the island with the open plan to get married in a beautiful spot and then explore with me for some photos. 

When I arrived, it was such a lovely surprise to find that the residents of the tiny town had come together to contribute to their special day in the most generous ways. One woman hand-picked a bouquet for Jen, another took care of their marriage license. Someone offered rides on their golf cart and at the last minute played guitar and sang beautifully for their ceremony. And a couple who'd been visiting Monhegan since the 1960s to celebrate their anniversary acted as the witnesses to Jen & Frank's ceremony. 

The world needs more weddings like this, and more wonderful folks like these three. And if you haven't visited Monhegan yet, you definitely should!

Maine Elopement Photographer // Styled Shoot

I've never been one for styled shoots, because I'm mostly interested in people and relationships and interactions and moments, rather than in table settings and cakes and dresses. 

So this year I'm starting my own kinda styled shoot, well actually "un-styled" shoots - which are more about a couple's relationship and showing a way to get married without the stress and hype of a typical wedding day. I find cozy, intimate, private elopements so much more sincere and romantic, especially for the more introverted among us.

Huge thanks to Hillary and Kenny, who participated in my first un-styled shoot recently, and to the amazing Andrea of Honeysuckle Way for the florals. Because plants always, always win, styled or not. Her happy arrangements were perfect for this colorful, spring-like, pretty shoot!

Here's to elopements and makeshift outfits and sweet, intimate moments in the middle of nowhere. I would photograph elopements like this in the Maine woods all the time if I could!

Maine Elopement Photographer

What an amazing start to my 2016 wedding season. Shamus & Chelsea came to Maine from North Carolina, where they work as a filmmaker and creative director, and raise their ridiculously cute son Quest (that name!). Shamus' family is from Maine, so it was really special that they came up here for their little last-minute wedding celebration. 

I loved that Chelsea's dress was one that her grandmother made by hand many years ago. I loved that their day was no fuss. I loved that they helped each other get ready. Their sweet ceremony was officiated through facetime (hence the phones chilling nearby - their officiant was sick!), and then we explored the beautiful rocky coast at Ocean Point in Boothbay Harbor. 

It's a funny thing that happens when I'm at a wedding only two hours and end up with way more photos to blog than I usually do for a full wedding. I tried to narrow these down, I really did.