Welcome back, everyone!
I'm so happy to be back in the swing of these blog posts again because the more I write them, the more ideas I get, so hopefully you don't get sick of me because that would be unfortunate. Anyway, today we're recapping an elopement session I shot! This is very personal to me because they're close friends of mine but I want to recap this for you because I want to remind people that not every wedding looks the same. Your day isn't any less special if you choose to elope privately, with only a few friends, or if you choose to only have a small ceremony and reception. We'll definitely get into the differences between eloping, micro-weddings, and weddings another time.
Today's post is to talk just about eloping, because not every elopement looks the same! Suzette and Alex decided to go to a studio and shoot their bride and groom portraits there beforehand, followed by exchanging their vows privately, and after we wrapped up at the studio we went to the courthouse for the ceremony where everyone else was in attendance. The night was followed with a private dinner for all their guests which was amazing. They chose for only their portraits, private vows, and ceremony to be captured so that's all I have for you guys today. This was about 2 hours of coverage - an hour in the studio, then an hour at the courthouse (we did the ceremony and then portraits with everyone in attendance), so my standard pricing for something like this that's just all digitals gets you about $500 plus tax, with the film add-on you're probably looking at $600 since I shoot about one roll of film per hour.
So we shot at Light Box Dallas for the studio, it was close to the courthouse, has great natural lighting all around during all hours of the day, and was perfectly neutral for what the couple was wearing. We did some bride and groom portraits against the wall with some wainscoting. We also did some on just the plain white wall with a gorgeous French country style bench, and some against the black rolling backdrop they had. We also did some solo bride and groom portraits, and then we followed up with the private vow exchange between the two of them. Overall it was simple and the most important factor was jus them being comfortable with each other while I worked around them.
Once we wrapped up at the studio, we made our way to the courthouse for the ceremony. The mother of the bride walked her in after all the guests were seated. The ceremony was short and sweet, the judge even had a bubble machine which was hilarious. After the ceremony, we gave all the family and friends in attendance the opportunity to get portraits with the bride and groom. I will say that this looks different for everyone, some people choose to not have anyone there, which is perfectly fine. Some people want only their parents and siblings, some want a few more. As long as your day is suited to you, that's all that matters. Given that it was summer, we did their portraits in a studio, but some people might want theirs outdoors in some greenery or downtown, all of which are perfectly great options (weather permitting, we are in Texas after all).
So this is just a short and sweet little recap and preview into what an elopement with me can look like, again, every elopement looks different. You don't have to get married at the courthouse if you'd rather get your own officiant and go somewhere special for the two of you, you can do that too! Just like how big weddings have their own special details, elopements and micro-weddings can have them too. I offer lots of options for wedding related coverage and I always try to be flexible with my potential clients to cater to your needs so if you're looking to inquire, click here!
