Your elopement photographer + planner
Don’t be surprised if you see me shedding some happy tears.
Hey, I’m Mel!
Just a girl who fell in love with intimate wedding experiences long before I started planning my own. Blending my passions for photography, the outdoors and love stories (hopeless romantic here!) has given me the best job in the world, truly! Don’t be surprised if you see me shedding happy tears while hiding behind the camera. I might be the only one with you on your elopement day, which is an absolute honor! I could be the one fixing your dress, maybe your hair and make up. I’ll be there when you’re reading your vows and all the little moments in between. Because of this, it’s so important that we vibe, so you can feel more comfortable and relaxed. So jump in, get to know me and what I bring to the table.
Helping you create a day that fills your cup, feels intentional and is all yours.
Your day is so much more than beautiful photos. It’s a celebration of your love story. A time to honor who you two are, what your love looks like and choosing to have an experience that represents that. My photography journey started photographing traditional weddings in Central California. I love the big party and seeing the joy amongst all the friends and family but I also saw the stress of it all, the couple not being able to visit all of their guests, and not having more than 30 minutes along with each other. After seeing so much of this I knew that I wanted something deeper, more intentional, meaningful for myself and I wanted that for my couples as well. After working with a few couples eloping and after planning my own, I knew that these were the couples I wanted to work with – the couples that want experiences over traditions. With being a photographer and planner, I help couples craft a day rooted in adventure and intention in some of the most wildly breathtaking landscapes.
You’ll still get those epic images but if you connect more with the perfectly imperfect, wind in your hair, dirt on the clothes moments – then we will make magic.
Now let’s get close – I’ll go first.
When I’m not adventuring with my couples, I’m out hiking with my pup, singing my way through roadtrips, watching sunsets fade to star filled skies, jeeping new mountain desert roads and trying to convince anyone to tag along for it all.
I married my best friend, Sam and adopted our dog from the same Utah deserts we eloped in. If we aren’t remote camping out under the stars, we love DIY house projects (currently remodeling our 1974 house), Red Rock concerts, gardening, Saturday farmers markets, obsessing over our pup, Jerry and Sunday dinners with our people.
I’ve been where you are, I eloped too!
Three years ago on a spring day, we jumped in a white Jeep, met a handful of our family members at the base of a trailhead in the beautiful Utah desert and said yes to forever.
With being a part of so many weddings, I had an idea of how much work goes into planning a wedding. It was a different story when planning a destination elopement all on our own. Searching for the perfect location, permits, accessibility, vendors, dining options, it was a lot. It was worth every second of research. Our day was exactly what we wanted – feeling connected to the land we were making such a significant commitment on, no obligations, time and more time.
I loved every second of it.
I learned so much from the planning experience, I want to share that with my couples. From location scouting, timeline planning and coordinating, I handle the logistics so you can focus on soaking in every moment.
Again, I’ve been where you are. So when I say I understand, I do.
Kind Words.
Melissa is the absolute best! She was so so easy to work with leading up to the wedding and super flexible with last minute requests to photograph our welcome dinner. Most importantly she made us feel so comfortable and confident during our photo shoots. She made us laugh and executed our vision perfectly. Her energy is infectious and we couldn’t have asked for a better photographer.
Maddy + Charles
Connecting with your elopement photographer is key – and the feeling is mutual. Do you feel like we would be a good match and ready to learn more about the process? The link below will have everything you need to know!
Some of my adventures –
