everything you need to know about planning a
Getting hitched abroad? wanna travel together?
Well, me too! Let’s make a plan.
Wondering why you should bring a photographer along?! I’ll tell ya.
There are a lot of options out there for traveling wedding and elopement photographers, and I’m sure there are a lot of options for local photographers wherever you decide to say your “I do’s” so maybe you’re wondering why the heck you would bring your own photographer? There are a lot of reasons!
Bringing your own photographer along for your destination wedding means bringing along someone you can trust.
Planning a destination wedding or elopement is not a walk in the park (unless you literally plan to go walk in a park) so having someone trustworthy alongside you through the planning and prepping can make all the difference. As a traveling wedding and elopement photographer, I don’t just point and shoot. I’m there to guide you through whatever you need along the way. Let’s talk about it.
By the way: Hi, I’m Courtney
Oregonain, travel enthusiast, appreciator and practicer of analog photography
Here’s all you need to know about planning a destination wedding or elopement (and hiring a traveling photographer to tag along)
What constitutes a destination wedding or elopement?In my mind, a destination wedding or elopement is planning any sort of wedding shindig in a place that isn’t local to you. For some, destination wedding might mean flying somewhere exotic, using it as an excuse to travel to foreign countries or tropical states, and for others it might just mean driving one state over and saying vows in a National Park. Destination is kinda subjective — it just means going somewhere else! I’ve photographed destination weddings in Scotland, and I’ve also photographed destination weddings in Oregon, so it just depends where you’re from and where you wanna go!
What are the perks of planning a destination wedding?THERE ARE SO MANY. Planning a destination wedding or elopement means you get to do whatever the hell you want. Truly! You can invite whoever you want, plan whatever activities you want while you’re in said destination, plan a honeymoon right after for the same area, etc. Usually it means a smaller guest list, it can even mean a smaller budget. Choosing to have a destination wedding or elopement means you get to call all the shots, and it’s genuinely just for you + your partner.
what should i be wary of?With every wedding there will be elements of planning stress and a destination wedding is no exception. Flights might change. Baggage might get lost. Family might get pissed off at you. There are plenty of things to consider, and I could go on about them for days but I won’t. I will just say this - your wedding is YOUR wedding. That is my biggest piece of advice to all couples getting married but I want to really drive it home for all my destination wedding and elopement cuties. Decide what you and your partner want to do and embrace the rest of the crazy! It might not seem like it, but the planning process will fly by and the best thing you can do to make the absolute most out of it is choosing to do your wedding your way. So you wanna have a destination wedding? Let’s f*king GO, baby.
GET A SPECIAL OFFER IF YOU BOOK ANY OF MY BUCKET LIST LOCATIONS:
ITALY
ICELAND
GREECE
AMSTERDAM
ALASKA
TULUM, MEXICO
ARCHES NP
Analog Wedding Photography abroad
Hold On To What Matters
Your job is to get married however the hell you want. Mine is to document it as honestly and authentically as possible.
analog photography is the ultimate travel must-have. There is something so nostalgic about flipping through grainy, light leaked, candid travel film photography. Now combined that nostalgic feeling with your destination wedding documentation? Unmatched.
Why add analog to your travel wedding?
Film captures landscapes in a way that digital can’t replicate, making it perfect for outdoor travel destinations.
Traveling to a more urban region? Imagine the grain and grit of film on a beautiful old city. Timeless.
All your film scans get digitized and added your wedding gallery, giving it a nostalgic, vintage flare.
Imagine having polaroids like those to show your kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews?!
When all is said and done, it’s the photographs and the memories we keep. Analog is forever.
Want to learn more about my film offerings for your Portland wedding?! Click the button below to read all about film, analog, Super8 video, and more.
Don’t just take it from me - “When my wife and I thought of a photographer for our destination wedding, we didn’t just want to choose from a pool of local artists. We wanted someone that so perfectly would capture the essence of us no matter how far away we’d find them. We happened to stumble upon Courtney’s work on Instagram and fell in love with her unique style. After traveling to Portland for an engagement shoot, we knew she was the perfect person to capture our Puerto Rico wedding. Courtney was amazing at capturing every single detail of our wedding and making us laugh through the process. She traveled thousands of miles to simply make sure that our day was everything we hoped for and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. Thank you for giving us memories we’ll never ever forget!”
- Amaris + Cortnie, married in Puerto Rico, July 2020
View Amaris + Cortnie’s wedding here!
upcoming TRAVEL DATES:denver, colorado
March 1st - april 23rd
rocky mountain area
Mammoth lakes / Yosemite
June 25th - july 2nd 2023
northern california
new york
october 2023
exact dates tbd
mexico
November 2023
exact dates tbd
if you are interested in booking an elopement or a session in any of these locations during these dates, shoot me an email - I’ll waive the travel fees.