Rachelle & Dane | Sedona Elopement
Rachelle and Dane were honestly the definition of dream clients- absolute sweethearts and from the moment I connected with Rachelle she was such a doll, not just during the preparations and the wedding itself but even up to today where she continues to interact with my social media and keep in touch! Dane is absolutely her perfect match, just truly kind and so intelligent and business-minded its no wonder these two found each other. Rachelle and Dane met while working at a restaurant together, and ever since their relationship has been full of fun, excitement, and twists and turns. They’ve been together for seven years and in that time they’ve started a family, explored new things together, and even got engaged on The Ellen Show!
Currently living in St. Louis, Rachelle and Dane reached out to me with their only plan being to elope on the red rocks in Sedona. The couple had never been to Sedona and though they knew where they wanted to be married they didn’t have a clear idea of what they wanted to fill their wedding day with- which of course is where I come in! They put a lot of trust in me to help them flesh out the plans for their special day.
The couple eloped at Bell Rock in Sedona on a gorgeous spring day. They invited their closest friends and family who all traveled in from out of state. Blind trust was certainly a running theme in the process of making Rachelle and Dane’s elopement a reality- the guests and wedding party didn’t quite know what to expect on the day-of but were certainly full of love for this couple and along for the ride. Rachelle had a vision for her wedding of adventure, having her and Dane’s family by their side, and including her two little boys as much as possible throughout the day- and together we made it happen!
On the day of the wedding, we all met up at Bell Rock and made our way out to the location on a sort of mini-hike up to a gorgeous plateau. The sky was dotted with picturesque clouds and a slight, warm breeze was blowing- gorgeous weather on all counts. Dane and Rachelle made to walk to the location in their own clothes and decided to change into their respective wedding outfits there on the red rocks, so the gorgeous scenery and nature all around them acted as their very own bridal/groom suites. Rachelle was also a barefoot bride just like I was! The couple seemed so happy to be there with all their loved ones and the energy throughout the day was one of pure elation and nonstop joy and laughter from everyone involved.
The ceremony itself was beautiful, intimate, and emotional. Their family lined up on either side of the couple in order to be able to see and hear everything, and Dane’s father was the officiant. He did an amazing job of including Dane and Rachelle’s sons into the ceremony, making sure to include well wishes for them, and really highlighting that this was a day when they and their parents were taking the final steps to truly becoming a family unit rather than Dane and Rachelle simply coming together as a couple. Everyone in attendance was misty-eyed in the best way possible, and the love that everyone felt for this couple was palpable as they watched them have this day that they had been not only deserving of but looking forward to for a long time.
After the ceremony, we jumped right into family photos and since there was an overall energy that day that everyone in attendance was now family in one way or another, we got a lot of really great shots and plenty of combinations of everyone in attendance together and celebrating Rachelle and Dane. Even the wedding videographer was a friend of Dane’s from college and got in on the photos! We had a champagne toast so everyone could take a moment to wish the couple well and have one last hoo-rah before the party moved to the restaurant where dinner was being held.
After the guests had headed to the restaurant, Dane, Rachelle, and their boys stayed back with me for a bit and we took some family shots. It was a really special version of a sweetheart session that was really meant to not only immortalize this special moment for them but to reinforce the fact that this day wasn’t just about Dane and Rachelle finally tying the knot, but it was really the marriage of a family. The boys then went off with their grandma and we took some time to do a more traditional sweetheart session focusing on just the couple, their love for one another, and all it took for them to sustain their relationship and build this beautiful life and family together. Storm clouds began to roll in and we got some moodier shots of the couple, and after how perfectly everything had unfolded that day it felt like I was spending time with friends rather than clients. Dane and Rachelle were totally up for anything and were trusting and willing to take any shot that I suggested to them. The videographer and I worked together to get photos and video clips of everything from them walking together to more artsy shots of the couple where we took advantage of the gorgeous scenery and the ever-darkening sky as it softened and saturated the look of the red rock mountains around them.
This was a day that I look back at fondly and often. Even though I was only with the couple for about two hours total, it felt like much longer in the best possible way. Something that really stood out to me about the couple was how vocal they were with their gratitude and letting me know how thankful they were for my help in making their dream elopement a reality. Voicing my gratitude and letting people know when I appreciate them or something they do is something I’ve been working on a lot in my own life, so experiencing it from them made it feel like meeting this couple was a connection handed to me by the universe. As much as Dane and Rachelle credited me for making the day happen, everything from the weather to getting ready on the red rocks to the ceremony all unfolded so perfectly that I think this is one of those moments where life really just takes care of you and has your back. This was a day that these two parents had to push off and postpone for a long time as they worked hard to build their family, their life, and to support one another, so I think everyone in attendance, as well as the cosmos, acknowledged that they deserved to have the perfect wedding day that they had always dreamed of. And it was!
