I was delighted to be chosen to capture a spontaneous elopement in the gorgeous, seaside community of Seward Alaska, a couple hours from my hometown of Soldotna. The more I spoke with Kieffer, the groom, the more excited I became, knowing that he and his bride, Josefin, would be a perfect fit for me to work with! They were young and adventurous, but most importantly, deliriously in love.
We met at the courthouse for a simple first look before the ceremony.
The ceremony was sweet and intimate, with only the groom's parents present. The most beautiful moment happened when, during her vows, Josefin referenced a song from their first date. She couldn't remember all the words, but it was a song that held a lot of meaning for her. Then, as soon as she finished her vows, Kieffer pulled from his pocket a piece of paper with his own - and in his vows he had written down the words to that exact song!
Once the vows had been said and the papers signed, we headed outside. The rain that had been pouring down all morning slowed to a drizzle, so as the clouds loomed above us we took a walk through the streets of downtown Seward.
That morning Kieffer had scouted a gorgeous location, so we piled into my car and drove down the road to the beach. The fog had moved in and the rain had returned by then, but the excitement of the moment couldn't be diminished by something as ordinary as unfavorable weather. Soon the umbrella was forgotten, and the dress shoes exchanged for Xtratufs.
Kieffer and Josefin met at college in Colorado and now live in Alaska, but her family still resides in her small hometown outside of Stockholm Sweden, so incorporating a piece of home on her wedding day was important to her.
Exploring the beach was too exciting an adventure to deny, so off we went!
On our walk back to the car I asked them to dance for me, and not only did we get great shots of them dancing together, I also learned that they're quite athletic!
By the time we had finished shooting, we were all dripping wet and soaked to the bone, though the exquisite memories that were made that day were more than worth it!