My Elopement Weekend!

When I say that this is a special blog, I can’t quite express it enough. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for a man like my husband (!!!). So it’s only natural to share all about our perfect wedding day. As a wedding and elopement photographer, I’ve had the honor of capturing so many special days for couples. It was such a surreal feeling to experience it for myself. So without further ado, I’m so excited to bring you my elopement weekend on Catalina Island. 

Josh and I (ahem, my husband) got married in early March on Catalina Island in front of our closest circle. When I say that the day was everything we’ve ever dreamt of, I mean it. While I will definitely have a blog at some point chatting through things I wish we did different from traditional weddingson our day, I want this one to just be about our story + everything we loved. 

Elopement Weekend Day 1

Josh and I knew from the beginning of our engagement that we were wanting to have a really intimate wedding. However, we also wanted to find a way to celebrate with our people. That’s when we decided to opt for an elopement weekend – and it was thebest thing everrrr. For day one, Josh and I got ready together in at the Zane Grey Hotel in Avalon on Catalina Island. Not only were we able to wake up together, eat breakfast together, and get ready together, but we were able to spend intentional time praying over our marriage. Our morning was also spent writing our vows, which really solidified “holy moly, we are getting MARRIED”. 

While we decided to have a first look, neither one of us knew what the other was wearing! And I absolutely loved the anticipation of seeing my handsome man in the suit that he picked out. Josh even had the most special detail sewn into his suit jacket – “I got married in this” with our wedding date. Our first look took place on the rooftop overlooking the bluest skies, water, and the beauty of Catalina. After taking some romantics, it was time to head to a different spot on the Island for our ceremony. 

Our Ceremony

If you know Josh and me, you know that we have a love of the ocean and boats. So it was only natural that one of our friends shuttled us in a boat from Avalon to Two Harbors. I couldn’t even imagine a more special journey into our ceremony. Despite the rough waters earlier in the week, this day was perfectly calm and gorgeous. We were able to just sit with one another and soak up the moments just before we said “I do”. I think it was during our time on the boat that it really set in that nothing else would matter for the rest of our weekend. It would be okay if my hair was messed up on the boat. It would be okay if I didn’t have my nails done. We wanted our elopement to be carefree and relaxed – and I think we achieved exactly that.

Once we got to the dock in Two Harbors, our families were waiting for us.It was really special seeing them + them seeing us for the first time. As we were preparing for the ceremony, we saw a bison overlooking us on a hill. There is nothing more ‘Catalina’ than a bison being present during the ceremony. 

When it was time to walk down the “aisle” towards Josh at our ceremony, I felt so much peace. There was no pressure surrounding us as we stood under the trees with our officiant. There was really just Josh, me, and God. One of my favorite things that we decided to do was have our officiant step out of the way during our vows. Because Josh and I wrote our own vows, we wanted to have an intimate moment of exchanging them. 10/10 recommend. Before we knew it, we were officially Mr. and Mrs. Burns – and I was (and still am) stoked.

End of Elopement Weekend Day 1

The rest of day one of our elopement weekend was spent taking a few photos with our families and some more romantics down on the beach. In hiring our wedding vendors, we were veryyy picky about who we chose. We couldn’t possibly be more thankful for our vendor team because they made everything run so smoothly and they were all so much fun. As much as we wanted to ensure we took photos with all of our people, we also didn’t want to spend a ton of time doing so. Our photographer(s) and videographer were absolute champs and got the most magical photos in 15 minutes. Talk about a dream. We knew that we wanted to be able to enjoy the rest of our day on Catalina, just the two of us. Ugh, my heart is so full looking back on our elopement day. 

Elopement Weekend Day 2

Day two of our elopement weekend started in the late afternoon, early evening. Like I mentioned in the beginning, we wanted to celebrate with our friends and family. We all gathered at place that holds such a special place in our hearts for our reception – Newport Beach. Before we all gathered for cocktail hour, Josh and my sweet pup, Beaufort was able to get in some photos with us — which I will treasure for a lifetime. I was so happy that we took all of the formal photos the day before so we were really able to enjoy our evening with our people.

The Reception 

During cocktail hour, we had live music performed by Matt Akiona. Having him perform was such an honor; we’ve gotten to know him over the years as he’s performed at one of our favorite bars. It truly was a full circle moment. After cocktail hour and emotional speeches, I surprised Josh with a song I wrote for him. Not to be a cheeseball, but I had actually been writing the song since I met him. While it’s not done yet, it was so special being able to sing it for him. 

And then… it was time for dancing. Josh and I of course had our first dance as husband and wife, which was such an emotional moment. But the father-daughter dance was also something that I had been dreaming about for so long. The bond between my dad and I is just something that I can’t explain. 

Halfway through the reception I decided to change into a white cocktail dress – and I regret nothing. It was just such a blast dancing the night away with our people. We truly had the best DJ (‘DJ AUSTO!!’), and I can’t imagine anyone else hyping up our crowd. 

Josh and I shared a last dance to Mai Tais by Train, surrounded by our sweet crowd. We then ran through a sparkler exitand jumped right into the harbor! (What, I told you we really loved the ocean 😉) It was the absolute best way to end our elopement weekend. 

THANK YOU

You know how I said I didn’t want to be a cheeseball? Well, I’m going to be for just a little bit longer. I can’t give a huge enough shout out to our incredible vendor team for making our day as perfect as it was. As I’m looking back through these photos, I know none of it would’ve been the same without you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

To our friends and family, thank you for your support, love, and prayers that you’ve showered us with over these last few years. We love you more than words could ever express. 

Holy crap, I’m married. ‘Nuff said. I hope you enjoy these photos (almost) as much as I do. 🥹

Vendor Dream Team:

Photographer: Sarah Yates Photo
2nd Shooters: Sydney Breann Photography + Jay Alisabeth Photo
Videography: Chear Media
DJ: DJ Austo
Planner: Tying the Knot
Florals: Bloom and Boom Florals
Catering: The Lime Truck
Charcuterie: Josh’s family
Dessert: Josh’s amazing sister
Live Music: Matt Akiona w/Tropical Blue