Acadia National Park Elopement

Multi-Day Elopement in Acadia National Park

LOVE, LORRAINE ADVENTURE WEDDING AND ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHERS

Have you ever seen a bride rock climbing in her veil?! Courtney & Jose knew that they wanted to have a unique wedding experience. They also knew that they wanted their family and friends to be present for the more formal parts of their wedding day. A multiple-day elopement was the perfect solution. These two absolutely rocked out on their wedding day. And yes, we mean quite literally, they climbed rock walls!

Courtney & Jose

Courtney and Jose knew they wanted their elopement to take place in Acadia National Park. Having gotten engaged there, they had a very good idea of what they wanted their day to look like. These two had found a love for climbing at their local rock gym and decided what better way to experience their first real rock-climbing adventure than during their wedding weekend in northern Maine! We knew immediately after speaking with these two that their wedding was something we wanted to be a part of. Not only do we love Acadia National Park, and the entire state of Maine, but we had the opportunity to photograph something entirely unique, a rock-climbing session!

For the first look, Courtney and Jose decided to revisit the exact place they got engaged, at the sea wall on the quiet side of the island. Just outside the park boundary, this area provides a beautiful view of the ocean. We are huge advocates for handwriting your vows, and these two went above and beyond, writing each other love notes to share in a moment alone just after their first look. The nice thing about being this far up north in Maine is how quiet it is, even during the peak season. Of course, the exception is the National Park itself. Finding these little gems around the park is one way we love to get our couples to places that are less visited, for privacy and some quality time!

After their first look at the sea wall, we headed to their ceremony where a small group of family and close friends gathered to watch them exchange their vows. They finished the event by topping off a cairn!

With the ceremony completed, Courtney and Jose were eager to head into the park and start exploring some of the beautiful coastline. They had been to Acadia National Park a few times, and our combined experience at this park made for some fun adventures at some epic photo locations.

The next day, we woke up early and headed to town to meet our rock-climbing guide. Acadia National Park is known for its rocky coastlines and beautiful ocean views. It has plenty of great climbing options for all difficulties, and there are numerous climbing companies locally for guided tours. This makes it a great place for a rock-climbing adventure!

Event Rentals: Wallace Events
Event Space: The Causeway Club
Desserts: Celebration Cakes
Florist: Floret
Caterer: Sweet Pea’s Cafe

Huge shoutout to Dick at Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School for being one of the best guides we have ever worked with, no matter the activity. Dick has climbed at Acadia most of his life, and he knew exactly how to give Courtney and Jose everything they wanted, and more! The original plan was to drive around the park and climb at a few different spots, but as things tend to go, plans changed as soon as we got to Otter Cliffs. There are more than 90 climbs available at this location alone. Dick set us up for success as photographers. We have very little climbing experience, but it didn’t matter one bit. Dick got us comfortable with our own anchors and belays, and never hesitated to get us onto the wall wherever we wanted to be. He even helped us stage shots; being so familiar with the wall, he knew where views would be best and which vantage points could provide us with some dramatic photos. Overall, an incredible experience. Courtney and Jose were kind enough to let us try a climb as well!

Check out the epic photos (in this post) that Jose took of us in the Chimney, an iconic climb at Otter Cliffs in Acadia National Park.

After an all-day climbing session at Otter Cliffs, we circled back to the rocky coastline for one last sunset session. Courtney and Jose put their wedding attire on again, and the light absolutely rocked out.

We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend or a better couple. Courtney and Jose had a vision for their wedding, and they made that vision a reality. We love working with couples that have unique ideas to make their wedding day less traditional. Even though this day had sprinkles of a traditional wedding, Courtney and Jose did a great job of aligning their entire wedding weekend with their values.

Why you should consider a multiple day elopement

You may be asking yourself a few things. “Why would I want to have a multiple day elopement? Are multiple elopements really a thing? I’ve never heard of them before?” Today is your lucky day, to learn all about multiple day elopements! Multiple day elopements are as epic as they sound, and if you’ve made it this far down in this post, you can already see that Courtney and Jose made theirs count!

You’ll have more time.
The best part of multiple-day elopements is the extra time you will have to enjoy your celebration, relax, or even experience an epic adventure as a part of your wedding celebration.
You can spend quality time with loved ones and friends.
If you have multiple days to celebrate, this will allow you plenty of time with the family and friends that you do want present. You can plan a few experiences with them around your wedding day. It can become more of a mini-vacation for them, and a longer celebration for all!
You can plan more experiences and adventures.
For those that want to send it for their wedding celebration and do something epic, having a day or two extra will allow you to add on experiences like hiking, helicopter tours, brewery tours, and anything else you may want to do as a part of your wedding celebration.
You can hit multiple locations of the epic place you have chosen.
With more days, you will have more time to access epic locations. You never want to rush hiking adventures, and you especially don’t want to rush how long you have at a beautiful location. With a 2-day elopement, you can choose to shoot your portraits the day of or even the day after (or both!). Do you want to do portraits in the high alpine wilderness, but also have a dreamy sunset session with the mountain range as a backdrop in mind? When planning a multiple-day elopement, you can get all of that, and a whole lot more!
You can DIY some parts of your Elopement.
DIY isn’t for everyone, but for those that are into it, having multiple days allows you to tackle more projects. You can cut costs too! One thing that Lauren loves to assist with is designing the details, whether it be for a table or for a picnic in the wilderness. Hosting your family and friends for a nice dinner? A solid rental company can provide the table and chairs, and the rest of the decor you can source yourself very easily. If you are hiring a florist for your wedding, they can put together some floral arrangements specific to your dream tablescape, or we can use some leftover flowers from the florist to decorate the table. This is a great example of being more involved in your wedding vision, and a fun, creative way to express yourself!

No matter what level of adventure you are pursuing on your wedding day, you can see that multiple days can help loosen up the need to rush everything. For those looking for a laid-back, mini getaway, chill wedding celebration, go for it with a multiple-day elopement!

Two Day Elopement Example Timeline:

Day One

08:00 am: Arrive at your Airbnb for detailed photos of the property
08:30 am: Begin getting ready, take your time. Enjoy it in a calm environment (people and space). We will capture photos of all of the details as well.
09:30 am: First Look at your Airbnb or at a decided location (extra time may be needed for travel)
10:00am: Ceremony Begins
Post Ceremony: Family & Friend Portraits, Sneak in some lunch!
12:00pm: Couple & Photographers Leave For Adventure and Portraits in Rocky Mountain National Park.
1:00 - 5:00pm: How about a 4x4 Jeep adventure, or an epic hike and an intimate picnic? The options are endless!
5:00pm: Head back to the Airbnb to meet friends and family
6:00pm: Dinner at the Airbnb with a private chef. Storytelling, toasts, and then party time!

Day Two

4:00pm: Meet at trailhead. Double check packs for essentials.
4:30pm: Begin hike to an Alpine Lake.
5:30pm: Summit beers, champagne toast, or a picnic as the sun sets.
6:00pm: Sunset portraits through blue hour.
7:00pm: Hike back down to the car.
8:00pm: Arrive back at the trailhead.

Planning an Adventure as a part of your Wedding or Elopement

Rock climbing isn’t your only option when it comes to planning an adventure for your wedding day. A simple hike allows you quality time to share the outdoors. Feeling a bit extra adventurous? Rent a kayak or canoe and enjoy some time on the lake. If you really want to go full send, get some inflatable paddle boards or boats and hike to an alpine lake, ensuring a completely unique experience all to yourselves!

There are so many epic adventures you can go on during your multiple-day elopement celebration. Here are some quick ideas we love:

Rent ATVs or Snowmobiles and explore the backcountry
Rent a Jeep and go off-roading somewhere remote
Go Mountain Biking, Skiing or Snowboarding
Take a Hike, Go Camping, or Snowshoe during the winter months!
Have a Picnic at the summit of a Mountain
Soak in a natural hot spring (like Dunton Hot Springs)
Horseback Riding, Rock Climbing, and Skydiving
Take a Gondola ride to the top of a mountain
Plan a Local Brewery Tour
Go River Tubing, rent Kayaks or SUPs, or even rent a boat and spend a day on the lake
Rent a camper van and explore multiple locations. This option not only gives you a place to get ready before your elopement and offers epic photos, but it leads right into our next reason why we love multiple-day elopements, multiple locations!

Whatever it is you decide to do for your wedding adventure, we will be here to help you plan and execute it.

Meet Your Acadia National Park Elopement Photographers

We spent three years living on the road full-time, exploring and adventuring throughout the United States. While living in our van, we frequently spent time in Maine during the summer months.

Portland, Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park quickly became some of our favorite places in Maine. We

If you are ready to plan your epic Acadia National Park Elopement, you’ve come to the right place! Inquire with us to start planning your dream Acadia Elopement!