Happy Valentine’s Day Friends!
This is an extra special Valentine’s Day this year. This will be my first Valentine’s Day as a wife, and I couldn’t be more excited. Are we doing anything special? Haha no. We actually don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day because we have regular date nights throughout the year. We know our favorite restaurants are probably going to be crowded so we stay home and get takeout. This year we agreed to get Chinese takeout. We love getting Chinese- it’s our favorite at-home date night dinner and it’s not something we get often. Our in-home date nights are usually accompanied with funny Youtube videos or playing a game together. This time of year, I can’t help but decorate our house in all the reds & pinks. It just brings a little extra cheeriness to this chilly weather since Christmas is over.
Elopement Shoot in Grand Rapids
At the end of January I attended a styled shoot with a focus on Valentine’s Day. Styled shoots are a great opportunity for creatives in this industry to network and just try new things we may not try at weddings. I specifically try to attend ones that have unique ideas or if it’s a venue that I’ve wanted to work at for a while. This session gave me the opportunity to explore Grand Rapids a bit because it was my first time there! I would love to go back and work a wedding in Grand Rapids- there’s so much there!
This shoot was divided up three ways, but today I’m writing exclusively about the Valentine’s elopement session. As much as I love weddings, I don’t want to limit myself to large weddings and nothing else. I think it’s important as an artist to continue pushing yourself and to try new things and experiences. How else are we going to grow? I was also very limited in where we could go for this which pushed me to work with what small space was available. Usually on a wedding day, we have the freedom to go different places for portraits, but here I was limited to a corner of a photography studio. Being limited isn’t always a bad thing. I’ve learned how to make anything work and still get gorgeous work from the simplest things! On these styled shoot days, there are usually multiple photographers. You are split up into smaller groups, but you’re still working around other people trying to get the best angle. I’ve really learned this year how to get different angles and make it work.
Elopements are wonderfully intimate and I would love to work with a couple on theirs. Elopements don’t always require as much planning as a large scale wedding which means you could elope anywhere! My dream elopement destinations are Glacier National Park, The Smokies in Tennessee, and the Salt Flats in Utah. Someday I’ll get to photograph elopements in those areas! My favorite part of elopements are how truly focused it is on the couple. It’s just them plus an officiant, no one else is there. It gives couples the chance to be really vulnerable with each other, especially when you have private vows. I’ve found on wedding days that couples are most nervous to say their vows in front of a crowd- so my best advice is that if the thought of a large crowd makes you anxious, consider eloping and throwing a reception after!
While working with Hailey and Chris, I couldn’t help but think of The Princess Bride. Hailey’s red gown reminded me of Buttercup’s, and Chris was truly up for anything just like Westley. They were such a sweet couple to work with! Overall, I worked with the best vendors on this day. Hailey’s gown was a rental from a small business in Indianapolis. Indy Couture Gowns rents gowns out for all sorts of occasions- maternity sessions, senior sessions, flying gowns, etc. I think this red gown was absolutely stunning and was perfect for a Valentine’s elopement. The picnic setup was equally stunning. So many details put into a small picnic for two. It was so luxurious and it would be perfect for any elopement.
My new favorite trend for 2024 are champagne towers. Champagne towers just bring an air of luxury, elegance, and sophistication to every event. It’s fun to watch couples pour champagne together, and it’s different. Everyone cuts into a cake, but not everyone pours champagne. I think it’s a unique touch to your event, regardless if it’s a large wedding or elopement! I hope to see this done more at weddings this year.
Session Vendors
Venue: WestEndGR located in Grand Rapids Michigan; Gown: Indy Couture Gowns located in Indianapolis Indiana; Tuxedo: Dunhill Tuxedo located in Kentwood Michigan; Cake: Violet Flour Bakes located in Grand Rapids Michigan; Picnic Setup: Simply Picnics located in west Michigan; Florals: Mary’s Bouquet LLC located in west Michigan.
