This entire set up seems absolutely perfect for any dreamy Alaskan elopement, right? What if I told you this was free to the couple! An adventure wedding package akin to this will be a part of a yearly give-away! Northern Exposure Photography and I have decided to offer an Alaskan adventure wedding package free of charge each year to one lucky couple. Each year we will change details, vendors and location. However, we always hope to make for a magical day like this. Wether by boat, plane, train, or heli, we will be giving away an adventure, and a day to remember forever. Read more for details of this couple’s perfect day and what was included in their elopement give-away package.
MEET THE COUPLE
Chelsey & Eli, absolutely in-love as you can tell here. They are high school sweethearts and I’ve been photographing her family for what seems like forever. Including Chelsey’s senior pictures when none of us yet knew there was a bustling baby in her belly. Having watched her family grow, it was incredibly special to be a part of their fairy tale wedding. It was also amazing to be able to photograph this special day in one of the most magical places in Alaska.
LUCKY GIRL
When I drew her name in the giveaway I was so happy and honored to do these beautiful elopement photos for her! She was definitely putting in the work, sharing the posts and it was obvious she wanted to win. All of her lucky girl energy paid off in the end! Chelsey was so grateful for the experience and for many beautiful reasons, Eli was emotional throughout the day – tearing up at moments that were so raw and natural to these two lovebirds.
WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THIS GIVE-AWAY
This is just one example of the packages we hope to put together for future wedding or elopement give-aways, but what was included for Chelsey and Eli was: The rental cabin, professional hair and make up, florals from The Teal Door, a thai tea cake from Hana’s House, and dinner. Of course all photos and videos as you see here. The Alaskan adventure wedding part… a helicopter tour hosted by Outbound Heli Tours. Everything you would need for the most picture perfect Alaskan elopement. We hope to offer new but equally as exciting packages each year, so stay tuned!
DREAMY CABIN RENTAL
This A-frame cabin out in Palmer in the Mat-Su Valley was a truly gorgeous rental and a perfect place to get ready with pro hair and make up. It was the ideal spot to stage some wedding detail photos, have a snack, and prepare for a magical autumn day in Alaska to get married. Some of my fun creative images were hanging the dress in that very Alaskan-esque cabin door. I was also able to blend the autumn leaves and daisies with the rings. Everything was laid out so nicely for them to start their dream Alaskan elopement. That included a delicious cake and charcuterie board.
INTIMATE FIRST TOUCH
Our groom in black on black looked modern Bond-level dapper and the bride in her perfectly corseted white gown was a glowing beauty. For the first part of our day she had on some Alaska-appropriate footwear. We did first-look photos outside the cabin in the fallen birch leaves. It was a joy to capture that emotional moment before the big day truly began.
HELI YEAH I DO
After a brief but awe inspiring helicopter ride, and with crampons added to their shoes, the couple was married standing atop Alaska’s iconic Knik Glacier. It was a very small and intimate ceremony. Photos of the family were quick and simple since it was a minimalist event, but that was exactly what the couple wanted. While opposed to a big traditional wedding, this lends itself to more time for photos of just the couple. That is why I adore Alaskan elopement photoshoots. Secondly, when I get to photograph a couple’s shoot atop Knik Glacier, my body tingles. I know the photos will be phenomenal – simply due to the breathtaking backdrop of sheer glacial ice. However, adding in a gorgeous bride and groom is every destination wedding photographer’s dream!
JUST THE TWO OF THEM
Chelsey’s dress matched the pristine glacier-white but stood out against the icy blue glacier pond when positioned just perfectly. They kissed, posed, strutted, and Chelsey did an amazing job navigating the slippery terrain with elegance and grace. Photos with the helicopter nearer, glacier as a second layer and a lightly snowy peak jetting in the background were some of my favorites. Especially when Chelsey pulled her veil and held her red laden bouquet. The vintage muted tones of the autumn sky and Eli’s dark ensemble felt what I would call Alaskan gothic.
HELI OF A PHOTOSHOOT
The helicopter was highlighted in many of the photos. Chelsey and Eli were as excited as I was for this big adventure destination elopement and it was really fun to watch their joy with the experience that we had put together for them. Then off to another location, a bit better for color contrast, from a photographer standpoint the white on white could seem overwhelming
SWIRILING GLACIER
Mixing in the grey stone ground for another pop of neutral color and a different vantage point of the now far off towering precipices with the goliath glacier in between curving and twisting through the valleys. Such beautiful curves indeed, we staged the bride with her rounded lacey train of her white gown to match the natural symmetry of the glacier’s millennial year old twists and turns as if she was an attachment to it. Bridal gown and glacier as one, making for an absolutely perfect glacier elopement photograph.
ALASKA WEDDING PORTRAITS
After that, we moved up the stones even further from the purity of the glacier’s blinding white and were sure to put the bride and groom as the focus of the attention, with portraits of them and the now endless range of rigid autumn peaks in the distance. These close up’s of the couple were more traditional and focused on their love and endearment for one another and a little less about the vastness of Alaska, but we still captured glimpses of the mountain scape peaking out behind absolutely gorgeous couples shots.
BACK TO SOLID GROUND AS HUSBAND AND WIFE
We took some final photos in full-dress back at the adorable A-frame cabin as the sun slowly dipped away. Chelsey then switched to a more comfortable and party-appropriate baby doll dress. You might ask: can elopements really have a reception? We say, absolutely yes! Included in this giveaway package was a private dinner for two, which I stuck around just long enough to capture a few, and leave the couple and their newest baby to reminisce on their perfect Alaskan glacier elopement.
CHELSA JAY | ALASKA WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
Want to learn more about how you can enter to win our yearly Alaskan wedding giveaway? Follow Northern Exposure Photography and I and stay tuned for what type of magical Alaskan adventure elopement package we come up with next! And hopefully this was inspiring for any future lovebirds on what is possible for destination Alaskan weddings and elopements. I would love to be your wingman and capture a day just like this for you. Click here to learn more about me and reach out when you’re ready for the adventure of a lifetime!
