“Your dress was only $35!”

I couldn’t believe it! I had to share Amy’s story with others who may be looking for affordable alternatives to a big wedding and all the related expenses that go along with it. I photographed Amy and Mike’s elopement a few weeks ago and in talking to them about their day I discovered they put together an amazing few days here in the White Mountains at an extremely affordable price tag…. but you don’t have to take my word for it…

“I found my dress on Craig’s List for $35. I did not try it on. There was a piece of material that was sown across the top and clearly had been added after the fact. I removed this piece and padded cups that were also sown in. The piece that I used for my halter strap was originally around the waist of the dress. The piece that is now on the dress around my waist was the shawl that came with it. I did have the dress cleaned however it was only $30 because by it not having a train or all that much detail it fell under the prom dress category.

For my veil I bought the tulle at Michael’s for $15. I am a headband girl so I went to Clair’s and bought a s fabric headband with flowers already on the side. I then used the loops on the end of the tulle and slipped the headband through. This way I could remove the veil at anytime and wear again. Which I did on my honeymoon.

My shoes were $10 and came from Debs. They were a size to big but I bought $4 inserts and not only did they fit but they were comfortable.

Mike bought his suit at Walmart and his shirt and tie came as a box set from Burlington Coat Factory. All together it cost a little over $100.

Our two night stay, flowers, cake, champagne, chocolates, rubber duckies, breakfast each morning and a dinner that evening cost us about $1000. Yes it was just us two but the money we saved allowed us to honeymoon in Jamaica for 5 days

My thought process was why spend money that we earned and worked for to pay for a wedding with people that we may never see again,  when we can use that money to enjoy our honeymoon which happens only once :)” – Amy

Thank you for sharing Amy and Mike – here’s to many more years and hopefully a few more visits to The White Mountains.
Elopement Ceremony: Jackson Falls
Elopement Accommodations: The Inn at Ellis River, photos taken on the grounds here after the wedding.
Flowers: Dutch Bloemen Winkel

Click here, or on the image to see more photos of this quintessential cabin in the heart of the White Mountains.

I am also an avid skier, both nordic and downhill. If you want to wed on top of a mountain, mid ski slope, or out by a waterfall on the B+M trail at Bretton Woods Nordic Center, the breathtaking scenery is worth the adventure, and a wedding memory of a lifetime.

Email me if you need ideas or suggestions on fun outdoor locations.

What to do with Elopement Photos? It’s time to start thinking about the holidays, and I’m excited to introduce you to my new vendor for holiday cards and photo gifts: Pinhole Press. I recently started to use Pinhole Press because of the simplicity of their design, beauty of their crafted books, and high quality of their paper and printing.

As a professional photographer, Pinhole Press gives me access to a collection of exclusive products that are not available to all customers. I’d like to share these products with you! In order to access these exclusive photo gifts, you can go to Pinhole Press using my link http://www.pinholepress.com/?prc=NHELOPE.

Pinhole Press just launched their new holiday card and gift guide collections. Now you can take those elopement photos off your computer and include them in a number of gifts that are perfect for the holidays. (Images in the samples are courtesy of Pinhole Press.)

Anne and Phil 10/24/11 – They loved when this classic car just happened to roll through the bridge as we were taking photos!

Quenby and Jason 10/26/11 – Oh my, so many favorites to choose from, and her dress was her something “borrowed” a 1979 wedding gown from a friend!  

It’s so funny how much we love the rain now, if we had the chance to do it all over again, we wouldn’t change one thing! When we hear the rain now it puts a smile on our faces, what a great feeling that is. How does that phrase go, “Things Happen for a Reason?” We’re so glad they did. – Linn, Bride

Flexibility with an elopement is key to a fun experience. They had planned to do the wedding on top of Cathedral Ledge but when torrential rains threatened them all day we knew there was no way to stay dry and tie the knot. The wonderful thing about Jackson, NH is that no matter where you make your “plan B” it’s going to be beautiful. Don at the Inn at Jackson suggested these two wed in the living room with roaring fireplace. Kim The JP is local, so she was flexible in changing location too. It was beautiful and calm, nobody was dodging raindrops or worrying about hair getting wet. The staff was so accommodating to help create this beautiful atmosphere in a moments notice. Even though the rain didn’t let up, we still went out after to take some fun around town shots. Congrats you two!

Photos/Video: NH Elopements
JP: Kim The JP
Location: The Inn at Jackson
Photos After: Jackson Falls, The Covered Bridge

The pictures are INCREDIBLE! We are so pleased! We sent them to our parents last night and they just loved them! :) I can’t wait to look through them more tonight when I get home from work! – Jamie 9/2/10

It was so fun to witness Jamie and Sam’s wedding at the Darby Field Inn in Albany, NH. We headed out for a short drive down the Kancamangus Highway to the Swift River for some romantics afterwards. These two are so cute!