Fishing Elopement in the Adirondacks
Yep, you read that right! And in case you are wondering… Yes! The photos are STUNNING! Let me tell you all about what a fishing elopement looks like. And if along the way this helps inspire you to experience your own elopement adventure (with or without the kiddos), then I have done my job 🙂
Will & Faith’s Sunrise Vow Renewal Elopement with their Children
These two beautiful humans are celebrating their 10 year anniversary, and wanted to do something special. Will & Faith wanted to celebrate this milestone with the people most important to them: Their 3 beautiful children.
Their main priority was to have a kid-friendly activity and be in a location where they could get some stunning images. Neither were too thrilled with their original wedding photos, and found this to be the perfect chance to create images they are excited to hang on their walls.
Planning
Planning- If you’re like most of us, that word on its own can cause your blood pressure to go up. The reason most of my clients elope is to avoid the stress and anxiety planning can cause. This is why we take care of this step for you! Let me walk you through how we planned this stunning fishing elopement with the family.
Faith and I worked together on finding the perfect outfits for the whole fam. I knew her favorite color was olive green, and that she preferred a natural color palette. From there we looked at the colors that would be in their environment for photos, and based on that chose to go with burnt orange, greens, beiges, and blues (for the sky). Faith texted me her ideas for clothing, and I helped her narrow it down to the best shirts and pants for each family member. Of course, kids will have their favorite throw-overs, like a bluey sweatshirt and purple flannel, that we just couldn’t deprive them of. After all, those choices show their personality right!? Scroll down to the family photo to see how amazingly they matched their environment, while still standing out!
Eloping with Kids
We LOVE having kiddos join in on such a beautiful part of life…. Just think of the core memories they are building seeing their parents show their love for them and one another through joint activities.
Keeping in mind there would be a 2.5 year old, a 4 year old, and an 8 year old, we made sure all our plans were kid friendly. Our biggest goal was to give the kids a chance to be kids… run around, fish, explore, and spend quality time with their mom and dad. Having an elopement makes this possible, since a lot of the structure and time crunches you find at big weddings is taken away.
Their oldest loved fishing, and was all about it. He spent some time just fishing with dad, while momma cuddled the youngest. The youngest just enjoyed sitting and watching everyone around her, while the middle kiddo took off exploring, lantern in hand! In his words, he was off to build a house, and planned out where each room would be!
These moments of kids being kids are what made the whole experience so special. And the time the kids were doing their own thing gave us an opportunity to capture Will and Faith together.
Location
They knew they wanted to do something in the Adirondacks. From there, they really didn’t have a preference. I knew they loved fishing, so I suggested renewing their vows with a fishing trip to the ADK. It was a hit!
We found a beautiful Airbnb (Black Bear Lodge) in Jay, NY that had everything we needed. It was a short walking distance from a scenic pond, 15 minutes away from Keene Valley, and 20 minutes away from Whiteface Mountain. We wanted to keep travel down to short bursts to minimize the little ones falling asleep in the car between locations.
The area itself provides stunning views of the mountainous area, has wildflower fields, and plenty of water access. Between all the rivers, ponds, and lakes, it is the perfect location for everything outdoor related!
Distance to Jay from major Airports/ Cities:
I know it can be difficult to judge how far this location is if you aren’t familiar with the area. So here are the distances from all the major (and minor) airports and cities around:
Albany (ALB): 2 Hour Drive
Syracuse (SYR): 3 Hour and 45 Minute Drive
Rochester (ROC): 5 Hour Drive
Watertown (ART): 3 Hour Drive
NYC (JFK): 5 Hour Drive
Ottawa, Canada (YOW): 3 Hour and 20 Minute Drive
Montreal, Canada (YAW): 1 Hour and 45 Minute Drive
Why Sunrise?
Outside of fishing being best in the early mornings, we wanted to choose a time that worked around the kid’s napping schedule (tired kiddos make for cranky kiddos, and we wanted to avoid that haha). Sunrise also offers cooler temperatures in the summer, and gives us the opportunity to be all set by noon, so everyone could nap and then enjoy the rest of their day.
Also, sunrises are just STUNNING to experience. The world around you is just waking up. You can hear the birds chirping, the bugs haven’t come out yet, and the water has a serene stillness to it. Sunrises are also less busy in regards to other people, so 90% of the time you will have your location all to yourself even if it’s a public spot. Just as we were leaving the first people showed up!
Timeline
For adventure elopements, we come up with a rough timeline of how we want the day to go, however we leave lots of wiggle room and are super flexible with it. We never want the day to feel rushed or stressful. Since there are so few of us, we are able to pivot and adjust the day as we see fit to capture everything you are looking for; yet keep it fun, relaxing, and leave space for spontaneity. Here is a timeline of how our day went, including a few pivots and unplanned stops:
4:30 am: Getting ready
5:20 am: Leave Airbnb and head to the pond
5:30 am: Start fishing on the dock, while we document the moments
6:01 am: Official Sunrise time
7:00 am: Leave pond and head to Diner
7:15 am: Have a relaxing meal at a local diner
8:30 am: Head to Keene Valley
8:45 am: Arrive at Keene Valley. Kiddos took a nap while Will & Faith renewed their vows in a wildflower field, with the backdrop of all the mountains
9:30 am: Headed to Whiteface mountain for photos
9:50 am: Arrived at Whiteface. The weather took a turn for the worst and the summit had to be closed. We ended up checking out a few views on the way down instead
10:30 am: We spotted a local thrift store, something Faith loves to do! We made a stop there before heading back to the Airbnb. And yes, we found some treasures!!
All done by 11:30 am!
Is an Adventure Elopement right for you?
Let’s start with the biggest question first… is this type of an elopement right for you and your fiancé? Here are a couple of things to consider:
- Are you adventurous OR Adventurous-at-heart? – If you love the idea of eloping like this, that’s all you need to know for it to be a yes! You don’t need to be able to hike miles or do outdoorsy activities on a regular basis to be able to elope outdoors. Sometimes we are more adventurous-at-heart than in real life, but that in no way should stop us from experiencing the beauty of nature- especially when marrying our partners.
- Is there an outdoor activity you enjoy together? As long as it’s something you and your partner enjoy.. That’s all that matters; even if you don’t do it regularly. Some ideas outside of fishing: hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, snowmobiling, picnicking, etc..!
- Do you want an Experience when you elope? – I strongly believe that eloping does NOT mean tying the knot should be minimized or be less important than a wedding. And because of this, I am all about making elopements a full experience that is tailored to you and your partner. For me it is super important that your elopement is set up in a way that elicits a strong emotional connection between you and your partner. Having an experience that you share strengthens your connection, and adds an extra element of togetherness to your elopement.
If this sounds like something you’d like to experience, an adventure elopement is for you!
Takeaways
After each elopement, I like to take a moment and reflect on the day, the connections I had the privilege of capturing, and the experience we all had together. Will and Faith’s vow renewal elopement was exactly what my soul needed. These two embodied everything we love about not just photography, but about life in general: Family, Love, Experiences, and Human Connection.
The experience was WHO THEY ARE through and through, and it’s all I could ask for. Their vows were full of love, laughter, and the Taco Bell menu; their kids got to be authentically themselves and their personalities shine through in the images; and most importantly- they had the opportunity to spend a breathtaking morning together as a family building memories they can all cherish for the rest of their lives.
I want every single one of my clients to look at their photos and be in awe of seeing their connection, being able to feel it through the photos, and laugh at how well the photos represent who they are as a couple and as a family <3
And in case anyone is wondering what Whiteface Mountain looks like as a storm rolls in…. this is it! The elevator was under maintenance when we got there so the only way up with the kids was the rocks and stairs. With the high winds and rain coming in, this was not a safe option. Before we could even make it to the top, the rangers were ushering everyone back down for safety, so this is all we were able to get in terms of photos without it being unsafe.
