I love shooting big fat weddings, but wild elopements hit different

Jared + Christiana were both born and raised in San Diego, CA. They are avid campers, dog lovers, and van lifers. Some relationship highlights include a road trip in Alaska and zip lining in Costa Rica. They are the definition of adventurers! They met playing soccer together 6 years ago and quickly became best friends after their first date at a taco shop. They got engaged 3 years into dating at Pfeiffer beach in Big Sur. They apparently climbed on top of the giant rock (you know the one) overlooking the sunset right before he proposed. The rest is history!

They originally reached out to me to photograph their camping-style wedding in Joshua Tree national park, but quickly realized they wanted to ditch all the formalities and just do something that felt like “them.”

So they packed their dogs, a dress, a dried wildflower bouquet, into their van and headed up to Mammoth mountain in the eastern Sierras for a private, intimate, and emotional elopement, just the two of them (…and me of course!).

I drove out to Mammoth and met them at a lesser-known trailhead in the middle of winter, where we would hike in to find a beautiful spot in Inyo national forest for them to have their ceremony. There wasn’t an officiant, so they would have to legally get married later, but to them, this was the real deal. They were professing their love and commitment to each other in the most beautiful spot, where it truly was “theirs” and no one else’s. This intimate meadow in between the snow-capped mountains and trees would forever be something special to them.

Christiana wore her dream dress she found on Etsy and Jared wore a wool suit that kept him warm in the Sierra Nevada winter. Her gown was a white lace and light lavender blue chiffon/tulle wedding dress that I personally thought was perfect and super unique. Their dogs came along, tramping through the snow and excitedly leading the way.

We drank beer, talked about Jesus, and discovered beautiful streams, meadows, and overlooks.

After their ceremony, we spent the later part of the afternoon at a hot springs area near Mammoth. The geological activity there was incredible and awe-inspiring. We met some locals who chatted with us as we finished up photos of the two of them.

Finally, just as we thought the evening was coming to a close, the most outrageous sunset I’ve ever seen in my LIFE popped out. I, of course, had to snap some images of it; but to be honest, all the three of us could do was stand in silent with our jaws dropped. We stood there for what felt like an hour, just mesmerized.

I could go on an on about how it lit up the whole sky in every vibrant color of the rainbow from every angle around us, but I’ll just let you scroll down to see the 360º view.

What a special couple, and what a special day I’ll forever cherish this experience with my new friends.

Florals: Etsy

Gown: Etsy

Location: our secret spot in Mammoth