Travel Elopement Inspiration in Nashville

November 20, 2015

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Thomas and I headed to Nashville for our engagement photos with High Five For Love. I’m a big believer in making the most out of a weekend (I mean, who needs to just relax?). Once we booked our flights (just a few weeks before our trip) I reached out my friend, Morgan, from high school. I was hoping she and her husband, Brad, would model for us. You may remember that I begged them to do this once before, just when I was first learning to shoot film.

Once she had excitedly agreed, I started to brainstorm the shoot. I knew I wanted it to be pretty low key and not too stressful, so I was hoping to find a beautiful dress, a gorgeous bouquet, and a great hair and makeup artist and call it a day. I managed to accomplish that, but it still didn’t seem like enough.

Meanwhile, on facebook, I had come across this group called The Rising Tide Society. It was a group created by two creative entrepreneurs that had had enough of working alone and independently. They started to get together to talk shop and discuss the highlights and low lights of being an entrepreneur. They believed in empowering entrepreneurs to come together in community, rather than struggle with competition. What a beautiful thought! Within this group, many new members were introducing themselves, and one image caught my eye. Abby posted a photo of a map, and I instantly recognized it, being that this map hangs above my bed. I commented on the thread and added Abby on facebook – telling her excitedly that we loved her maps and had even gifted them to others!

A few more days go by. I continue to think about the shoot in Nashville. I wanted it to represent more than just a bride and groom. I wanted a storyline. So I started to think of Morgan and Brad. I knew how they met, and I knew that they had a close group of friends. And then I remembered that they loved to travel. And somehow, everything clicked in that moment.

Weddings are not cheap. And numerous times I’ve heard people say, “What if we had just saved that money and…put a down payment on a house…paid off my loans…put it towards a car…or just traveled.” So that is what this shoot became.

This shoot represented a couple that eloped because they wanted an adventure. They wanted to explore the world more than they wanted candelabras, or embroidered clutches, or velvet ring boxes, or designer shoes. Instead, they focused their efforts on where they would go explore. They pinned their map with adventures on their bucket list. They exchanged vows from their travel journals. And at the end of the day, they still got married. She still wore a beautiful dress (not the one we had rented for the shoot – but fortunately the dress from my engagement session worked quiet well!! There is always some speedbump with these shoots!), had a killer bouquet, and married the love of her life.

Thank you to everyone that helped me pull this off in less than a month! I am so grateful for all of your support and the fact that you came together to pull this vision off. Also, super thankful that Style Me Pretty featured this inspiration as well! 

Travel Map & Inspiration Pieces: Wayfaren Co // Bouquet: Elizabeth Earnest Florals //  Hair and Makeup: Nicole Pechonis // Hair Piece: RomanticARTLife // Vintage Rentals: Ever After Vintage Weddings // Ribbon & Fabric: Silk & Willow // Dress: Watters for BHLDN // Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab

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