giovanna + austin
sunrise elopement in sedona, arizona
i feel like i’ve traveled the world with these two. and i guess that’s because we sort of have.
we first met in washington at mt. rainier national park when these two asked me to come meet them in the gorgeous pacific northwest for their engagement photos. as soon as i pulled up to their airbnb and we gave big hugs i knew we’d be fast friends. they had no problem running around the snow with me, and it became obvious very quickly that these two love to adventure. more importantly, they love to adventure together.
they decided on sedona, arizona for their elopement, and i am SO glad they did. we met early in the morning and hiked up to a beautiful spot for their private vow reading. they held each other close and exchanged their promises to each other just as the sun was starting to rise. i really cannot imagine a more intimate way to wed. we played around and they snuggled up in the sun, eventually hiking down to meet their friends and family for their ceremony.
a few days later we met again, at the same spot, for photos at sunset. i think i loved this time with g + a the best. the hustle and bustle of wedding day was over, and these two could just be themselves in this desert that they love. i could go on and on about how much i adore these two, but i’ll just leave it at this: g + a, if you’re reading this, when are we going to hang out again? i miss you two! xo
p.s. if you’re looking for more sedona inspiration, check out linsay & brendan’s engagement photos.
some words of wisdom about eloping from the newlyweds:
“We wanted something intimate and genuine. If we had something larger we knew we’d be catering to everyone but ourselves. With other large events in our lives, they have been fun, full of love, but always so much going on we can hardly take them in. We wanted to really wanted to experience the day in its fullness and have quality time with each other and our loved ones. Eloping allowed us to do just that. We had so much control over the day and were able to take the pauses we needed to be present in the moment, be in tune with each other’s feelings, and take in others’ excitement and love for us.”
giovanna’s favorite moment from their day:
“Reading our vows to each other and the moments right after were my favorite part of our elopement! We have been together a while and it takes ALOT to make us nervous with each other, however, the vow reading did just that. It was surprisingly hard for us to get through our vows to each other without tears, laughter and an overwhelming feeling of thankfulness. After that whirlwind of emotion, we then got to be each just us two with no more planning stress, no pressure of others, we just got to enjoy the sunrise and share some special Mr.&Mrs. time before joining our loved ones.”
austin’s favorite moment from their day:
“Honestly, its hard to isolate it to one moment because I really enjoyed the whole thing! Being able to actually spend quality time with all of our friends and family that attended was special. Because the guest list consisted of only 15 people, we were able to get an AirBNB and all stay together, which helped the weekend feel more personable and less rushed.”
their advice to couples who are considering planning an elopement:
“1. Pick your top 3 (or 4) and center your focus around that! It is easy to get caught up in the details, so it will be helpful to go back to your priorities list to help you refocus when you start to get off track. If you continue to stuck in the details, try and ask yourself “Will we or anyone else remember this in 3 years?”
2.While most loved ones will be supportive, most likely you will have a few family members (or friends) who do not approve of your decisions, just be prepared to keep it about YOU! do what YOU want and do not cater to others.
3. If you are having others present, plan to set aside a brief time for just you and your spouse. We did this earlier, prior to the ceremony because we knew we wanted lots of time with our loved ones. BUT it was so special to have the first couple of hours to spend with each other in the morning to read our vows, enjoy the beautiful sunrise, while also having fun taking pictures with Emily. Too many times the couple does not get any alone time the day of…when its supposed to be about you too! So even if its only 20minutes, set aside some time for each other that day.
4. While eloping is way more intimate (in our opinion), it can still go by FAST! Be intentional about taking time to soak in every minute of your wonderful day.”
