Behind the Lens: A Day in the Life of an Alternative Elopement Photographer

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Bueller said it best!!! Capturing micro-weddings, elopements, and love stories isn’t just about freezing moments in time—it’s about making sure you can look back decades from now and still feel everything. The chaos, the love, the laughter, the buzz in the air when two people who were always meant to find each other finally say, “let’s do this.”

But let’s back da fuck up. Ever wonder what it’s like behind the lens? What goes into making those photos feel so damn alive? Let me take you inside my world—messy, fast-paced, fueled by nostalgia, loud music, and a burning passion for capturing love in its most unhinged form.

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Morning: The Calm Before the Creative Storm

Mornings usually start with coffee. Black. No frills. (Okay, okay… I add oat milk when I’m feeling like a little treat, but let’s not make a big deal out of it). If it’s elopement day, I’m checking my gear, going over my shot list (in my head, never on paper because my brain is its own chaotic filing cabinet, DUH!), and vibing to my current music obsessions. Right now? Epic: The Musical and Chappell Roan. A little drama, a little pop, a little edge—kind of like my photography. See what I did there?

I take a minute to soak up the couple’s story, their emails, the weird little notes I’ve jotted down during our calls. Maybe they told me about the bar where they met, their dog who’s definitely making a an appearance on their big day, or the way one of them scrunches their nose when they laugh. Those details? That’s where the magic is, bay-beeee. I don’t just show up and shoot—I show up knowing them, ready to turn their love into art.

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Pre-Ceremony Chaos: The Best Kind of Energy

By midday, I’m either on the road, blasting music with the windows down, or already at the venue scouting the best spots. Springfield, St. Louis, some middle-of-nowhere field in the Midwest—I’ll go anywhere love takes me.

The thing about alternative micro-weddings and elopements is that no two are the same. One weekend, I might be in a tiny backyard with string lights and homemade tacos. The next, a foggy Ozark overlook with just the couple, their vows, and the sound of the wind through the trees. Every setting brings something different, and my job is to make it feel electric.

I get to work shooting details—rings, leather jackets, beer cans, tattoos peeking out from sleeves. These little elements tell as much of the story as the vows do. And while I do that, I’m hyping up my couple, making sure they feel like them and not like they’re trapped in some cookie-cutter wedding magazine nightmare.

“Okay, now act like you’re in a music video.”

“Pretend you’re the hottest people alive. Oh wait, you don’t have to pretend.”

“Trust me, this pose might feel weird, but it’s gonna look so badass.” This one…. a lot.. just TRUST me.

Some poses are planned, some are completely off-the-cuff, and all of them are about making my couples look and feel like absolute icons. “She’s an icon, she’s a legend, and she IS the moment!”

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Go Time: The Ceremony, The Love, The Big Feels

When it’s time for the ceremony, my brain goes into full tunnel-vision mode. I lock the fuck in. Every glance, every shaky hand squeezing another, the way someone’s voice cracks mid-vow—I’m on it. If someone wipes a tear? I got it. If the officiant’s in the back cracking up? Oh, I definitely got it.

And let’s be real—this part? This is why I do this.

Growing up in a town of 700 people, I was the kid who never quite fit. The poor kid, the alternative kid, the one who was always too much or too weird for the small-town status quo. I know what it’s like to stand out, to feel different, to crave a space where you don’t have to perform who you are—you just get to be. That’s why I shoot the way I do. I want my couples to see themselves in their photos, not some stiff, watered-down version of them.

So if you wanna cry? Cry.
If you wanna laugh until champagne comes out of your nose? Let’s go.
If you wanna make out in front of a neon sign while I blast some Epic: The Musical from my phone (joking… unless)? Say the word.

This isn’t just an elopement. It’s your elopement. And my job is to make sure your photos feel just as wild, intimate, and real as the day itself.

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Post-Ceremony: The Party, The Golden Hour Magic, The Unexpected Moments

Once the official part is over, we move into the really fun stuff. That golden-hour glow? The best. Drunken dance moves at your favorite club downtown? Essential. My flash going off while you and your person giggle into each other’s faces like you’re the only two people left in the world? That’s the good shit.

One of my favorite parts of any wedding day is catching the off-kilter, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments:

• The way your best friend tackles you in a bear hug.
• The look of sheer chaos when someone realizes they left the rings in the car.
• The way your partner looks at you when you’re not paying attention—like they still can’t believe they get to spend forever with you.

Those are the shots that hit hardest later. The ones you look at and go, oh yeah, that was us.

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Aftermath: The Late-Night High of Knowing We Just Created Something Incredible

By the time I head home, my feet are wrecked, my memory cards are full, and my heart is so full. But the night isn’t over. Nope. I’m immediately backing up your photos (paranoia in this industry is a virtue), maybe editing a sneak peek or two (or five), and reliving the day in my head.

Because at the end of it all, I know we just made art.

Not just photos, but time machines. You’re gonna look at these images in 10, 20, 50 years and be transported right back to this day, this feeling, this moment.

And that? That’s why I do what I do.

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So, What’s Next?

If you made it this far, first of all, congrats—you have excellent taste. Second, if this sounds like the energy you need for your micro-wedding or elopement, let’s talk. Whether you’re running off to the Ozarks, keeping it low-key in Springfield, or planning something completely out of left field out in Chicago, Milwaukee, Timbuktu, I’m ready to capture it all.

Let’s make some magic. Let’s make some memories. And let’s make sure that when you look back at your photos, you don’t just see the day—you feel it.

Because life moves pretty fast. And if you don’t stop and book a photographer who gets you, you might just miss your chance to have photos that actually look like you.