You’ve seen their Jackson Hole proposal and their Grand Teton National Park engagements, but today you get to see their destination elopement at Cache Creek! Back in August, Jacob contacted me about photographing his proposal to Shelby. They’ve been together for about six years so he was pretty dang confident she’d say yes. We planned a morning proposal and evening engagements for the same day. But there was even more to the surprise!

Destination Elopement in the Mountains

Just a couple weeks before the proposal was supposed to happen, Jacob asked me if I was available to photograph their elopement the next day as well. A big wedding was not something either of them wanted. So, he wanted to be prepared in case she said, “Let’s go to the courthouse tomorrow and get married!”. Wedding licenses don’t have a waiting period in Jackson Hole, but you have to hire a private officiant. I gave him a list of officiants, and with Pastor Ray on board, the waiting game began. Of course, Shelby said “Yes!” when Jacob proposed. And then she said “Yes!” to eloping the next day! I think this has made the top of the list for spontaneous destination elopements!

Cache Creek Ceremony

Because we had already used Wedding Tree for the proposal and Taggart Lake Trailhead for the engagement session, I really hoped to find something else that would offer them variety for their photos.  Cache Creek was mentioned by a client of mine, so my family went and scoped it out. It was the perfect choice since we couldn’t see the Tetons due to overcast weather. Cache Creek is right outside of town and boasts rolling hills, pines and aspens, and packed trails. The snow packed trails were a huge advantage, allowing us to move around without going in snow that was too deep. We were also some of the only people on the trail, with only one or two passerby’s. This was my first time taking clients to Cache Creek and it made for an intimate, private wedding ceremony! Pastor Ray is a favorite of mine when it comes to prayer and scripture filled Christian wedding ceremonies!