Windswept Mountain Elopement – Kelly & Patrick 11.5.19

Preparing the Golden Horseshoe Inn for an elopement day in the autumn is one of my favorite things! I love the everyday tasks, like lighting the fire so the fireplace sparkles with a warm glow when the couple first crosses our threshold. Turning on the lights in the dressing suites, and giving everything a final once over…fresh towels, a robe ready for the bride to use, her bouquet waiting for her in the window. The smell of coffee brewing, and the shelves laden with wedding props greet me as I enter the kitchen. Setting up a sweethearts table is always so much fun. Sometimes it is hard to envision exactly what might make the perfect backdrop for a couples wedding day, but when our bride Kelly explained to me that she and her groom Patrick dreamed of buying land one day and living in a farmhouse, that brought everything into focus! A lace tablecloth, an antique window, some homemade wooden cakestands, and a rustic wedding cake as the crowning glory. This was a beautiful day spent with two wonderful people! “I’m not sure about the wrap” Kelly confided in the dressing suite, as Monique and I watched her try a few different folds of the beautiful white fabric. We made a fateful decision to leave it loose and flowing, and the magic that this loose and flowy scarf would later create in her Skyline Drive mountain wedding portraits was simply beautiful! Elopement days are often like that, unfolding in the most perfect and unexpected ways…with no one feeling rushed or hurried, or dealing with a lot of outside opinions. It is a day to simply “be” and enjoy the beautiful moments as one flows into the other. I think my mushy-romantic side might be showing, but there is certainly something very special, and hard to put into words, that happens during a simple wedding day that revolves only around the couple. I had the special honor of not only photographing this lovely day, but officiating it as well. (Many thanks to our second shooter Stephen for the ceremony photos!) When the ceremony was complete, we enjoyed every moment of the golden November light for some of the most beautiful photos of the year. I love the way Kelly and Patrick laugh together, never taking themselves too seriously! They are truly genuine, and I can see that they have so much fun together! They were so much fun to spend time with, and I am so excited for them and the journey they have embarked on! Without further ado, let me share some of my favorite moments from their simple, beautiful and elegant elopement…