Intimate Fall Morning Elopement | Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho
From the first time we spoke, S & L (names withheld for privacy) made it clear that they wanted a simple and intimate elopement. And while they knew they wanted to get married somewhere in North Idaho, they were unsure of the exact location or what time of day they wanted to have their ceremony. After listening to their ideas and vision I made some location suggestions and talked them through the pros and cons of different timing possibilities; and eventually, they decided to get married early in the morning on the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille!
With their elopement planned for mid-October, we were all prepared for it possibly being quite cold and even rainy, but instead we were blessed with the last sunny, warm fall day of the year! We started the day off meeting up in a parking lot where we got prepped and L changed into her dress in their vehicle. After she was all ready and looking beautiful they had a sweet first look just off of the parking lot before we headed down to the lake for them to pick out their ceremony spot. I took some bridals of L while we waited for their officiant and parents to arrive, and she was glowing and clearly so excited to be marrying S. Both of them voiced how glad they were to be getting married this way instead of hosting a large wedding, and you could tell they were in their element with pine trees, lake, and mountains all around.
Their ceremony was short and sweet, and officiated by one of their good friends. Afterwards we spent a few minutes taking some group photos and S & L were presented with a wedding gift of a family Bible from their officiant. Such a great idea as a wedding gift! After everyone else left, we set about capturing their wedding photos and exploring the area some more. I showed them some of my favorite spots in the area and we had so much fun hanging out, talking, and of course getting gorgeous photos! Because it was such a beautiful day we saw many sail boats out on the lake - for probably the last time of the year. With it being first thing in the morning we only saw a handful of people throughout our time there.
When we parted ways it felt like saying goodbye to old friends, and I felt so grateful to have been able to meet them and help them bring their elopement dreams to life!
Maria is a North Idaho wedding and elopement photographer, based near Coeur d’Alene. Her speciality is authentically capturing couples through vibrant + emotion filled images while also showcasing the beauty of nature. When she isn’t serving her amazing couples you’ll find her spending time outdoors with her family, growing plants, or creating something yummy to eat!
