Let’s be honest. Most weddings don’t feel like you.

They feel like a performance or a Pinterest board come to life. A day that somehow becomes more about expectations and timelines than it is about you and your person.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

You can design a wedding day that feels real, raw, cinematic, meaningful, playful, and true. A day that feels like an extension of who you are. A piece of living art. A memory that feels like a movie — unscripted, emotional, unforgettable.

And if you don’t quite know what that looks like yet? That’s 100% okay.

Maybe you just know you don’t want a ballroom. You don’t want a hundred eyes on you. You don’t want to spend the day pretending.

You want something honest. Something beautiful. Something that feels like home.

Here’s how to make that happen.

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1. Start with what matters to you

Not to your parents. Not to a checklist. Not to whatever some influencer is doing in Iceland. Just you two.

Ask yourselves:

• What do we want this day to feel like?
• What do we want to remember 10, 20, 50 years from now?
• What are the moments we’ll want to hold onto?

Picture this: It’s just the two of you, wrapped in a blanket at sunrise, coffee in hand, the air still and quiet. You read your vows with shaky voices and full hearts. No audience. No pressure. Just you.

That kind of moment only happens when you design your day from the inside out.

Maybe it’s slow. Maybe it’s weird. Maybe it’s quiet or loud or sentimental or sexy or all of the above.

The more honest you are here, the more your day will feel like yours.

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2. Let go of the rules

Say it after me – goodbye, rules!

You don’t need a bouquet. You don’t need matching robes or a timeline packed to the brim. You don’t need a reception playlist or a getting ready checklist. And you definitely don’t need to follow anyone else’s idea of what a wedding “should” be.

The freedom of eloping is that you get to throw out everything that doesn’t resonate and keep only what does — and build something beautiful and deeply intentional in its place.

I’ve worked with couples who got ready side by side in their VRBO, toasted mimosas in their pajamas, and wandered down a foggy trail to read vows at sunrise. Others spent the day exploring the coastline with just a loose plan — just music, laughter, and a car full of snacks and love notes.

This is your invitation to:

• Wake up slowly in a room that feels like you
• Read vows in a foggy forest or under a desert sunset
• Wear something bold and embrace own self-expression
• Bring your favorite records, your pets, or your best friends
• Cry, laugh, dance, make pancakes — whatever makes the day feel full and alive

This isn’t about rejecting beauty or romance. It’s about redefining it on your own terms.

There is no wrong way to do this — as long as it feels like you.

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3. Build your day around emotion, not just logistics

This one is big.

Instead of asking, “What do we need to get done?” ask:

• What moments do we want to feel?
• Where do we want to be when we feel them?
• What pace lets us be present, not rushed?

The goal is not to check off every box. It’s to give yourselves space to be fully in it. To laugh, to cry, to dance barefoot on a cliff or nap in the sun together.

Create intentional slowness. Let the day breathe.

Because when there’s room to just be, that’s when the real magic happens.

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4. Work with people who see you

You deserve a team that makes you feel safe, seen, and celebrated — not managed.

Your photographer shouldn’t just be good at taking photos. They should be someone who gets your vibe, your quirks, your chemistry. Someone who knows when to step in and when to step back.

That’s what I do.

I’m not here to direct a production. I’m here to help you live the hell out of this day. To co-create something honest and artful. To be your witness, your grounding presence, and your creative partner.

I’ve photographed couples dancing under desert stars, cuddled up in Airbnbs, or crying quietly during their vows in a foggy forest. And every time, I’m reminded: This is sacred. This is art. This is what weddings can be when you let go of the script. And it’s fucking beautiful.

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5. Let your story shape the aesthetic — not the other way around

Vibe matters. But it should come from you, not from trends.

What are the colors of your love story? What textures, songs, places, or objects feel like your relationship?

That could mean:

• Film-inspired tones and vintage motel signs
• A mix of boho and goth and desert minimalism
• Earthy, foggy, candlelit mornings in an A-frame
• A road-trip across the Southwest desert
• Getting matching tattoos
• Indie records and hand-picked wildflowers

Let those sensory cues guide the mood and trust that the aesthetic will follow.

The best photos aren’t built on trends, they’re built on truth.

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6. Remember: your love is the art

At the end of the day, it’s not about the location or the outfits or the weather.

It’s about the way you look at each other.

The way your hands find each other without thinking.

The way you cry through your vows or whisper something that makes you both laugh.

That’s the good stuff. That’s the story worth telling.

And that’s what I’m here to capture — in a way that feels like a memory and a movie all at once.

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Ready to create something honest and unforgettable?

Whether you’re dreaming of the misty coasts of the Pacific Northwest, a candlelit soak in the desert, or a slow morning in bed followed by stargazing in a hot tub, your day should feel like you.

Let’s make it art. Let’s make it real. Let’s make it yours.