Fall Elopement in North Carolina

Rainy Fall Elopement in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Emily + Jon

Emily and Jon met while in college, and exactly eight years to the day after meeting, Jon proposed. During those eight years, they moved to Downtown Chicago together, started their careers, and adopted their sweet little pittie mix named Oskee. And we’ll just start by saying that we’re huge fans of Oskee. He is so gentle, sweet, and playful we can’t imagine that anyone wouldn’t love him! When Emily and Jon started thinking about what their wedding day would look like, they knew that they wanted it to be small and intimate, but they also wanted it to be an adventure. After originally considering a spring elopement in Moab, they fell in love with the idea of eloping in the fall in the mountains of North Carolina. They chose to elope on Halloween during peak fall colors, and it all lined up perfectly!

On the morning of their elopement, we met them at a trailhead before sunrise. Like their Adventure Session the day before, it was rainy and foggy. We made our way up a steep trail that was completely surrounded by forest, which gave us some protection from the rain. We neared the top of the bald, which is the area on the top of the mountain that is free of trees, as the sun came up. But because of the thick rain and fog, we couldn’t see the sun or any of the view surrounding us. The top of the trail has incredible views of the surrounding mountains and forest, but we were enveloped in thick fog, which felt fitting for Halloween. Emily and Jon changed into their wedding attire and exchanged their vows privately. They were both trembling from the cold wind and rain, but they toughed it out!

As we hiked back to the trailhead, the fog started to clear and the trees protected us from the wind and rain once again. Emily and Jon had their first dance along the trail, and it looked so beautiful covered in fallen leaves. And by now, the temperatures had warmed up enough for Emily and Jon to dance without shivering too much. We were even able to play with some movement in Emily’s gorgeous Rue de Seine dress. Soon, we returned to the trailhead and parted ways for lunch. Their elopement day was only half-over!

It was important for Emily and Jon to have a morning adventure and then spend the rest of the day with their friends and family. They stayed on a property with modern cabins as well as cozy yurts. After their rainy morning adventure, Emily and Jon dried off and got ready again, this time surrounded by their friends and family (and Oskee, of course). Fortunately, by the afternoon, the rain had stopped and we even got some warm sunshine! Emily and Jon held their ceremony in the backyard of their cabin, and their friends and family gathered around. It was so incredible seeing Emily and Jon surrounded by so much love and support. There was applause, laughter, and even tears. And at some point during the ceremony, Oskee chewed through his leash, because his rawhide wasn’t quite enough of a distraction from the excitement.

After the ceremony, Emily and Jon spent time with their guests and then we all headed out into the road behind the cabin for toasts. And while gathering in the road might sound weird (don’t worry, it was a private road), it was absolutely gorgeous with the yellow leaves. Both Emily and Jon’s parents, Emily’s sister, and two of their friends gave speeches. It was so much fun hearing about Emily and Jon’s relationship from the perspective of those that know them the best! Finally, it was time for dinner. They all gathered around a long table surrounded by trees and lanterns for their catered barbecue meal.

As the sun started to go down, Emily and Jon spent time with their guests around the campfire behind their cabin. It was the perfect end to such an amazing day!

“Wow, where do we even begin! It started several years ago when we came across Lisa and Alex’s wedding video. We were captivated by the way they overlapped footage of epic scenery with audio from their vows. We instantly knew that that was the type of wedding we wanted to have one day. Intimate, adventurous, and memorable with close friends and family. We followed them on social media for years and were the first people we contacted after getting engaged. (Literally, our elopement meeting with them was scheduled only 5 days after getting engaged).

While their photos and videos are out of this world, Lisa and Alex also shine in planning an elopement. The online portal they use to help with the planning process was immensely helpful. Their recommendations led us to finding our locations, officiant, and hair and makeup professionals. They provided suggested deadlines to finish tasks, that made everything extremely easy. We were never stressed at any point of planning our wedding, which is saying something considering we were all traveling out of state and had never been to the location! Without their help, it would have been overwhelming making everything feel monumental, personal, and adventurous all at the same time. We honestly cannot imagine a better day, and it’s all because of their help.

The photos and videos Lisa and Alex provided us will be treasured forever. They really captured the day perfectly and accurately. We were nervous to be in front of the camera at first, but that quickly went away. Lisa and Alex are amazing and kind people, so it quickly felt like we were hanging out with friends rather than being photographed. If you’re reading this, BOOK THEM NOW!! We’re already dreaming of a vow renewal when we can book them again.”

— Emily + Jon

This elopement took place on Cherokee Land.

Photographs

Colorado Elopements

Destination Elopements

Hi There!

We're Lisa + Alex, the goofballs behind Vow of the Wild. We live in Colorado, but we’re passionate about exploring new places. Being elopement photographers + videographers is a dream for us and we can’t imagine doing anything else (other than being professional dog petters).