Even though COVID has been looming over everyone’s fall plans, we got to illustrate another beautiful elopement under the pines. This time though, it was just down the road from me on the Big Horn Mountains outside of Sheridan, Wyoming.
First Look
First looks can be incorporated into any wedding or elopement. Becki & Travis did a quick first look together before heading up the mountain for their ceremony and honestly, it was freaking adorable!
Mountaintop Ceremony
Becki & Travis have traveled all over the world together during the last 10 years of dating. Adventure is part of their relationship but when it came down to saying “I Do”, they knew that keeping it simple, intimate, and outdoors was right for them.
They chose a short ceremony with their friend Rick as the officiant and then two of their closest friends to join as witnesses. I honestly adore ceremonies with a close friend as an officiant. It creates such a personal touch to the ceremony, and this particular elopement was sweetened even further when Rick got a little teary eyed and choked up towards the end of their ceremony.
Sunset Wedding Photos
After the ceremony, the small group cracked open some drinks and signed their marriage license before we headed off for some sunset pictures! Getting sunset pictures with the couple is a really meaningful thing to me. With big weddings, it can be the only downtime a couple gets on their big day. But, even during an elopement, this moment lets the couple slow down and celebrate their love with one another as I get to illustrate their story with candid shots and orchestrated moments.
With fires creating a dry year and a smoky environment, I had to keep in mind that we might not get much of a view, and most likely, we wouldn’t get to celebrate over the campfire. But what I did get to focus on was the gorgeous floral installation we created for their ceremony, along with a beautiful table that held some to die for food! We found many things like this to celebrate, despite some of the restrictions.
The Bride’s Attire
Becki chose a two piece by BHLDN that not only was freaking gorgeous and comfortable, but it also HAD POCKETS. I truly expect all wedding dresses to include pockets soon, because bride’s will always need some extra storage.I was OBSESSED with the pockets, and so was Becki!
Becki’s earrings were a custom creation by Stefanie at Artetype Collective, and as always, they were a total show stopper!
Hair was by Heather at Philosophy Hair Studio, and Lezly with Bonita Beauty provided a relaxing and delightful experience with her luxurious facial care and makeup artistry! I am dying to have Lezly do my own makeup and get to experience her mini facials and skin care that she does before creating a natural palette of makeup that always accentuates the bride!
Fall Mountain Florals
Getting to add florals into my elopements this year has been such a dream! I am a big lover of fresh flowers and always have a few bouquets around my house. With fall coming in hot, I knew I wanted to create florals that featured a fall palette, while mixing some more luxury and layered varieties into my floral faves. Becki was excited for burgundy vibes and ranunculus!
Out of all the florals, my favorite piece to pull in was the fern shoots. I was obsessed with the dark brown and intricate detail of the fern along with a longer, wispy air. To add additional layers, we used seven varieties of florals, including some carnations (I will always love carnations) amaranth, ranunculus, local greenery, queen anne’s lace (I adore this delicate piece), scabiosa, and large mums. We wanted fun, big, and wild, which felt so perfect for this bouquet.
Location
I chose an easy location, but made sure it was off the road enough to be private. We wanted our space, but it was also important to have an easy and fun set up! With pines surrounding us and a little bit of the mountain-view peeking in, we had the perfect spot! It was wide open with room for the ceremony, sweet heart table, sweets table, and still space to roam!
Elopement Announcements
Elopements can have beautiful paper announcements too! These intricate, sustainable paper invitations from Lumaca paper are to freaking die for! I am all about quality paper but even more so when the vendors are supporting the environment!
Table for Two
Kacey of House of Perez pulled in a beautiful blue velvet that provided a rich backdrop for our floral garland along the sweetheart table. I found the prettiest enamelware sets from Barebones earlier in the year and felt they would be perfect for this elopement with their fun, outdoors, and sustainable purpose that doesn’t sacrifice beauty or a luxury aesthetic. The copper rims were a great addition to the table and matched with the hanging copper lanterns, that are also from Barebones.
To keep this elopement simple and fun, we created a charcuterie board as a light snack, along with a savory soup. And of course drinks weren’t forgotten, we created a beautiful autumn sangria as a celebratory wedding drink.
Sweets: Bonafide Food Truck
Antonia always knows what to make, and she creates it not only with flavor, but also with tons of detail! She made a cupcake that was so light and fluffy, it melted in our mouth. The pear tartlet was an intricate piece that was a center of attention and also, light, buttery, and melt worthy!
She is officially my favorite wedding vendor to recommend for the Sheridan, WY area!
All of these fall elements combined to create a perfect, dreamy mountainside elopement. I couldn’t have imagined a better day, especially as I was surrounded by all of this amazing company.
