Intimate Elopement at Little Sahara Sand Dunes + Bear Lake, Utah | Keeley + Dylan
wedding photography
This wedding. This couple. Both are so special in so many ways.
Keeley + Dylan chose the intimate wedding way (before COVID-19 made it cool!). From a pre-wedding session at the Little Sahara Sand Dunes to getting married on the blue shores of Bear Lake with just their family present, these two truly did their day THEIR way. Featuring two stunning bouquets from the incredible The Potted Pansy and two unreal BHLDN wedding gowns (and a CAPE!!) as well as some of the most touching moments I’ve ever had the privilege of being a part of as a wedding photographer.
In the words of the bride:
“From the beginning, we knew we would either have to have an elopement or a 500-person wedding. I knew I wanted it small: I wanted to be able to actually celebrate that day fully with the people we chose to include and Dylan – bless his heart – let me have our tiny wedding. Just our parents, siblings, nephew, and our officiant and his wife. And Gus! All people (and one pup) who mean the world to us.
We chose to “Marie Kondo” our wedding: if an idea didn’t immediately light us up, it didn’t make the final cut. The things that did bring us joy? The people we love and adventure. We stripped our vendors down to two: a photographer who immediately felt like a best friend (really: I begged her to stay for dinner after her time was up just so we could hang out) and a florist who went above and beyond in understanding what I wanted (without any help from me) and created two completely different and perfect bouquets beyond my wildest dreams. We also stripped our day down to the bare minimum: we did a bridal session a couple days prior so that our time on our wedding day wouldn’t be dictated by a photo schedule and we could just enjoy it. Best decision ever. We spent the day of our wedding paddle boarding and everyone got ready about 30 minutes before our short ceremony. It was perfect.
In a testament to the notion that God gives and takes, my father died suddenly just 6 weeks after our wedding. That event reframed how I viewed our wedding day. Aside from actually becoming Dylan’s wife, my favorite moment – hands down – was our impromptu receiving line AS we walked hand in hand (with Gus) down our makeshift “aisle.” We had no plan for how the ceremony would go, but as Dylan and I walked towards our family and officiant, I saw my dad smiling at me and I instinctively stopped to hug him, which set off an entire line of hugs to start our ceremony. Unconventional, but real and for us, a perfect way to start.
These photos are my absolute favorite from our wedding day and affirmed for me that the day is not about the details: it’s about family, however you define it. And the day isn’t about the photos: the photos are about the day and there are no words to describe how grateful I am to have these real and beautiful photos of our whole Immediate family, together for the first and last time.”
Scroll on to see the incredible images from Keeley and Dylan’s pre-wedding session at the dunes and the moments they shared with their family on the lakeshore.
Utah is full of amazing location possibilities for elopements. Click here to read this article from Looks Like Film on how to have an amazing Utah elopement (featuring work from yours truly!)
Love it when your car is your getting-ready suite! Keeley is also an incredibly talented photographer (see her work here)
One of my favorite things about Keeley and Dylan is how much FUN they have together. They love being together and it’s so apparent in their photos!
Their day in Bear Lake began with paddleboarding and getting ready + having their first look together in their Airbnb!
Their invitation suite is a forever favorite of mine- with hidden personalized touches throughout (like Gus, their bulldog!), its the perfect example of having beautiful invites even for an elopement!
Keeley’s letter and gift to Dylan had him trying to hold back tears.
We picked out their ceremony spot by driving along the lakeshore until we found a place we liked and screamed ‘THIS IS IT!’
Keeley and Dylan’s impromptu walk down the aisle, turned into an impromptu receiving line, was one of their most cherished memories from their day.
After the ceremony, we all headed to a pavilion along the lakeshore to end their night with family, food, and a fantastic sunset.
In loving memory of Keeley’s father, Mac.
LOOKING FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER READY TO CAPTURE EVERY MEANINGFUL MOMENT FROM YOUR DAY?
I WOULD LOVE TO CHAT WITH YOU- WE ARE ALREADY A GREAT FIT.
