NH Adventure Elopement | Summer Elopement in New England

The blessing of living and adventuring in the White Mountains is you end up getting couples who feel the exact same way you do. Lily and Charlie reached out months ago to start planning their elopement for June. I wanted to start off with a note from their inquiry.

“The woods will always be home and we couldn’t think of a better place to say I do than the mountains and woods that make us feel at home. We love New England in the summer and after looking at some of your previous work we knew you could capture the intimacy of an elopement and the calm feeling of being out in the mountains together.”

They knew they wanted to create a day that was solely about the two of them. And that’s exactly what we did together. We found a beautiful location for them to say their vows to one another and made the most stress free day possible.

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The stress free elopement day wish

The three of us talked a lot on the hike up about the advice they were given before their wedding day. How many of their friends told them to try to relax and enjoy it. Or try taking in each moment. It’s funny though – when eloping just the two of you, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll be able to do all of that and more. There is no one else to focus on, or anything to stress about. Truly the only thing that may happen is the weather may not be in your favor, and even then, that can’t ruin your day.

A beautiful summer day in the White Mountains of NH

They started with a relaxing morning at their airbnb. Lily had Bridal Artistry by Missy and Haley over to do her hair and makeup. Her hair and makeup ended up being done early, so the two of them were able to relax and get their stuff ready for when I arrived. When I arrived, they were both calm, cool and collected. It’s something that I’m starting to get used to switching from weddings to elopements. Personally, I think that’s how it should be.

We left for their elopement destination then started the hike up. I always try planning for more time just incase, and well… these two crushed it. We stopped a little ways before the summit to do their first look. They each got ready in their own part of the woods then had a beautiful first look. If I wasn’t obsessed with these two already! After the first look and seeing how happy they were together, it was just so special.

When we arrived at the summit, we had plenty of time. So they hung out, took in the views and just spent quality time together before their vows. When they were ready, they grabbed their vow books and started their ceremony.

Since I’m ordained, they opted for me to sign their marriage license. In this case, the two of them run the ceremony themselves. They did such a good job and it was one of my favs. Their vows were meaningful and emotional – AND SECLUDED. There was literally no one else around. They exchanged rings, had a first kiss, and enjoyed their first moments as husband and wife on top of a mountain. Not sure how it could get better than that.

They then had their first dance, explored the different viewpoints, drank a cold beer and took some more polaroids.

PRO TIP: Lily and Charlie were having a family dinner the next day. Since they wouldn’t have all their photos, they wanted to share a little of their day, so they took polaroids! I of course took some fun ones as well. It’s such a fun idea!

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I’m a big fan of sharing reviews from my couples. Here is from Lily and Charlie:

“Kelsey is an absolutely incredible photographer, planning mastermind, and visionary. My husband and I worked with Kelsey to plan our elopement in the White Mountains and were absolutely thrilled with Kelsey’s ability to help us dream up our perfect day while guiding us in selecting trails for hiking, activities, and even recommending local vendors for services that might compliment our wedding experience. She is one of a kind in her ability to bring out the joy in wedding planning and she will make you laugh the entire time too! We absolutely loved working with Kelsey and really, truly believe she is New Hampshires best kept secret. You’ll fall in love with her photography, her ability to let you dream, her knack for making you feel so comfortable, and her spunky self all at once. Kelsey, we will never stop singing your praises!!”

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Vendor team

Photography: me!

Hair & Makeup: Bridal Artistry by Missy and Haley

Florist: Lemon + Tulips

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