Photographing this West Texas elopement will be one I will never forget. We started our adventure at 4:15 am and made our way to THE spot I scouted for their first look together. This next part is forever embedded in my brain- the groom is sitting right next to a 100+ foot cliff with a bandana over his eyes and the bride, Rebekah, is right next to me sitting on a rock side. It’s pitch black except for our lights and Rebekah and I both heard (saying that so you don’t think I’m crazy) a deep “HUFF’. Just an exhale of breath as if an animal were letting us know it was there. We jumped up so fast to look, but it was so dark we couldn’t see anything. We heard it… so we moved our butts to the other side lol. That sound is forever embedded in my brain. I reached out to a few people who are extremely familiar with the canyon and she sent me youtube clips of noises from animals out there and none compare. Whatever it was was very large and deep, almost like a bear. ***UPDATE of what animal it was at the end of the post!!!***

Rebekah + David
Palo Duro Canyon
Florist- Parie Designs
Dress- Leanne Marshall from Blue Bridal in Austin Texas
Rings- Adiamor Diamonds, and Manly bands
Tie- DAZI
Groom Suit- John Brourke

We both worked at the same company in Dallas for a couple of years before ever meeting! We met through a mesh of friend groups one year at a Christmas party. He saw a ring on my left hand and stayed away, until he asked someone why my fiancé never came around and they looked at him like he was crazy. It was a purity ring, so then he thought “I’m in!”. We went dancing together, hiking, and on many other dates after that. There were difficult times in life at that moment, but through everything it was clear how much we loved each other and never wanted a life without each other. We’ve packed up our lives and moved to Georgia where we now get to start our lives together. Our original large wedding was canceled/postponed due to Covid, and getting to spend an entire morning with just us and family in an intimate wedding was very fitting for our relationship. Family will always be a special part of our lives.

My favorite part has to be cold calm quiet morning in a Jeep ride down some sketchy paths just to hear what we swear was a mountain lion, all while David was blindfolded and we stared at the stars, just waiting for the sunrise. The peace, the anticipation, the coolness, and the laughs. It’s got to be what the best parts of marriage will feel like.

My best advice to give future brides is to do something out of the ordinary. Wear your rings backward, wear hiking boots, buy a resale dress and get your favorite photographer, or just kick off your shoes and do something that’s totally YOU and makes your wedding day to your husband something that is specifically unique to you two.

We hired Brit Nicole Photography because she’s amazing! What made me trust her was her confidence, her experience, her personality, and her ability to talk to people and calm us down and keep us moving and keep us happy. She knows what she’s doing and as a growing photographer myself, I got to COMPLETELY let go of the reins and just be behind the camera that day, not worrying about lighting or anything. She was 10000% capable, and I felt as though wholly she captured the realness, the emotion, the candidness, and the beauty of the day.

Elopements like this are purely why I do them. It’s not shameful, jumping the gun, a secret thing like our grandparents thought it was. It’s an intentional, authentic way to promise your life to your partner. The experience in how you say your vows to each other matters. Check out my latest blog post by clicking here about “Top 5 Myths about Elopements”

Since writing this blog post I had accidentally come across what we believe is a bear. It would match perfectly with the experience we had in the canyon that morning when it was pitch black out.