Hunter & Ashlee: A Summer Elopement at Smith Mountain Lake and the Blue Ridge Parkway | Virginia Elopement Photographer
Blue Ridge Parkway | Smith Mountain Lake | Elopement | Virginia Elopement Photographer
You know the saying, “when it rains, it pours”? That’s how I feel right now. So overwhelmingly blessed by the amount of couples who have chosen love over fear. Hunter & Ashlee planned to get married June 6th, 2020 and that’s exactly the way they kept it. Location, guest list and such might have changed but one thing remained the same, their promise to each other. As a Virginia elopement photographer, I’ve seen so many couples choose love over fear these last few months and I just want to give them all a round of applause.
Instead of getting married at their wedding venue with a multitude of guests, they invited their closest friends and family to Hunter’s family lake house. They started their elopement by getting ready in the simplest of ways before their first look down by Smith Mountain Lake. After Ashlee & Hunter said their vows on the lower dock, they shared their first kiss as onlookers cheered from across the cove! But that’s not all we needed to cheer about for the moments to come… To help Ashlee off the dock, Hunter picked her up to stable ground. You can see in their elopement images below Ashlee hysterically laughing as Hunter carries her but we didn’t know until they got off the dock that HUNTER RIPPED HIS PANTS! Yep, a massive rip in his pants and the best part, we needed to head to the Blue Ridge Parkway for their family & couples photos!
For Hunter & Ashlee’s elopement, the saying “when it rains, it pours” doesn’t just apply to metaphorically though, it applies literally! What started as a gorgeous calm day for their elopement at Smith Mountain Lake quickly grew into racing storms and ended with one of the most indescribable sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. Completely mesmerized, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the ever changing weather on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the only thing I could cognitively do was take photos of it. If you know me, the weather is by far one of my favorite details of any elopement or wedding day because it’s the main thing we absolutely cannot control but have to mold to. For Hunter & Ashlee’s summer elopement at Smith Mountain Lake and the Blue Ridge Parkway, their pictures are worth a thousand words and a legacy to live for generations to come! Having their elopement speak volumes such as this, I cannot wait for their big celebration with friends and family August 8th, 2020!
Photography: Anna Bowser Photography
Florals: Creative Occasions Events
Officiant: Jared Walters
Cake: Blush Baking Co.
Makeup & Hair: Herself
Dress: Studio I Do Bridals Roanoke
Dress Alterations: La Di Design
Dress Designer: Stella York
Suit: Macys
Tie: Mens Warehouse
From Smith Mountain Lake to the Blue Ridge Parkway, these two truly had the best elopement! Before long, our sunny weather turned into something I couldn’t describe without pictures. It truly was God gifting us a little piece of heaven on Earth, as we all watched the storms roll in and turn into a secondary sunset. Those rich colors had us all mesmerized as we watched Hunter & Ashlee snuggle & dance as the storms rolled across the Blue Ridge Mountains. And did you notice her veil? Hello gorgeous flying windblown dancing beauty of a detail! If you can’t tell, long veils are a favorite…. Finally, we all made a collective decision to leave together. Remembering the same moment of that gorgeous sunset for years to come.
Fun fact…. as if this night couldn’t have gotten any better. While heading down the mountain, I saw some familiar cars so I circled back to see one of my closest friends taking my brother’s engagement pictures with the exact same glorious sunset behind him & his fiancé! At that moment, my cup had runneth over. Why was I not taking my brother’s engagement pictures you might ask? Because I want to enjoy the process of him getting married beside him, not behind the camera. Melissa not only is my friend but she took my wedding photos as well, so I knew I could enjoy their wedding experience as his sister and not his photographer. And this moment proved it! That sunset with Hunter & Ashlee, followed by a surprise run-in with my friend, my brother & his fiancé - these sentimental moments are the ones I live for and want to create! Congratulations Hunter & Ashlee!!