Traverse City Weekend Elopement Experience

Traveling is always an option for couples who book me.

I’ve been lucky enough to shoot elopements across the country in places like Virginia, Arizona, Utah, and Montana. Mallory and Jake, some of my long-time friends from Illinois, asked me to photograph their Traverse City elopement weekend experience in Michigan, and I was so stoked!

They got engaged a couple years ago and started planning their wedding. But we all know what happened a couple years ago… Since it wasn’t safe to have a wedding, plus the addition of their baby girl Emma, they put their plans on hold. Once it was safe again, they decided on a Traverse City elopement. During long distance dating Jake and Mallory would meet up there for fun weekends together, so it holds a super special place in their hearts. It was a no-brainer to say “I do” in Michigan.

The Details

It was very important that both of their parents and Emma were part of their weekend, so they rented a lake house for everyone to stay at
The morning of their elopement, they all woke up and had breakfast together
Jake and Mallory helped each other get ready, then they got Emma dressed. She’s freakin adorable
Before we went to their ceremony, we went downtown for lunch at one of their favorite spots
They shared hand-written vows on the beach, and it could not have been more perfect
Once they said “I do,” we went off alone to take photos around Traverse City
To finish off day one, they shared a dessert together back at the lake house!
The next day, we took photos at some of their special places in town. They booked me for an adventure session that allowed me to capture the whole story of the weekend.
When they would meet up during long distance, they loved hiking, sight-seeing, and paddle boarding. We were super intentional about the locations we shot at, and now they have photos to remember some of their favorite places
We ended the day back at the beach with their parents and Emma to celebrate one hell of a weekend!

Must Knows

The WHOLE weekend was about them. They spent so much time together while also incorporating their parents and Emma
Mallory and Jake chose elements that made their elopement unique to them. They did a first look with their parents, filled a jar with sand from the beach they got married on, and goofed around on scooters at night
If you want me to travel for your elopement, make sure you contact me well in advance. Planning travel can take a little bit longer than a Colorado elopement, so the earlier the better boo!