La Jolla Cliffs Elopement. San Diego, CA | Jingxi & Kevin

Jingxi knocked us all dead in her custom made dress, all the way from Shanghai! I’m pretty sure she also kicked off the dreamy resurgence of pearl accents in recent wedding trends! Blooms Design House transformed the La Jolla Cliffs with the dreamiest design of neutrals and cream florals. The modern cream and gold chairs further elevated this inmate day. Shea Givens kept the mood romantic and etherial, playing and singing the soundtrack of their day on guitar. After their first dance, we were all treated to an epic sunset

Elopement, Romantic Oceanside WeddinMadeline BarrFebruary 17, 2022Comment

Enchanted NYC Elopement Tour. NY, NY | Tiff & Matt

We got up before the sun and were treated to a dark and quiet Times Square. It was truly wild to be there in the morning before the city had woken up. Equally as magical was Central Park, only populated by a few early bird runners and dogs who needed to go out. We had so much fun channeling Amy Adams as Giselle.

Elopement, Destination, City Elopement, New York CityMadeline BarrJanuary 23, 2022Comment

Southern California Mountain Top Elopement & In n Out | Melody & Stacy

Thoughts/tips for other couples starting their planning journey?: “My one tip is that, from the beginning process of planning your wedding if you're planning on having a huge wedding and it's complicated whether is family/money or whatever the case is, try to plan it as an elopement and not a big wedding. If you feel immediate relief, Elope. You will not regret it.”

Elopement, Epic Mountaintop Elopemen, Magical Mountain Wedding, Lgbtqia+ WeddingMadeline BarrOctober 21, 2021Comment

Dreamy Joshua Tree Desert Wedding at High Desert Paradise. Yucca Valley, CA | Melissa & Mel

With the plans of a big wedding put on hold because of the pandemic (which they joked was actually a blessing in disguise because an elopement is WAY more their style!), Melissa and Melanie switched gears to have an intimate gathering with their immediate family in Joshua Tree instead. They found High Desert Paradise through air bnb, which provided ALL the incredible desert wedding vibes and an awesome spot for everyone to stay. The huge saguaro and handmade blanket aisle are just some of the highlights. It is the perfect venue for an intimate desert wedding!

Rad & Funky Palm Springs Elopement Tour | Laura & Alex

Elopement does not mean “less epic wedding day”. The day you get married should feel special and exciting regardless of how many folks are in attendance. Laura & Alex planned a fun day of enjoying Palm Springs and hired a 1965 Lincoln Convertible!

3 Magical National Parks to Elope at!

As a lover of National Parks, eloping in one of them sounds like a dream come true. Every National Park I have visited has inspired me in so many ways. There’s truly something magical about them and I love helping couples plan epic experiences at them. All of these spots do require permits and planning ahead, as well as a promise to leave no trace!I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph at some amazing spots, so I thought I’d share some of my favorites!

Backyard Boho Persian Elopement. Laguna Nigel, CA | Anita & Rooz

We were largely inspired by Anita’s love for antiques and her stunning wedding gown’s lace skirt. She wanted every detail of their wedding to have a classy vintage vibe and we created a unique colorful vintage inspired and charming “Sofreh Aghd” and Cake table that would make you want to get lost in an intimate romantic vintage boho Persian Wedding.

ElopementMadeline BarrFebruary 26, 20212020, persian elopement, persian wedding, laguna nigel elopementComment

Luscomb's Point Elopement. San Diego, CA | Cassandra & Ryan

Cassandra and Ryan escaped the cold months back home and adventured to San Diego to elope! With the amazing Always Flawless coordinating and Moonllit Floral on Flowers, they had the sweetest, dreamiest day. Sunset Cliffs is always a dream and after their ceremony they watched the sunset with gluten free cupcakes.

ElopementMadeline BarrFebruary 22, 20212020, elopement, sunset cliffsComment

Epic Mountain Top Elopement. San Diego, CA | Jessica & David

Thoughts/tips for other couples planning during Covid?

I think just being flexible and being not afraid to get a little creative is the best advice I can offer! Taking the time to figure out what meant the most to us, and then planning our day around that, really helped to put all our elements into perspective. All the extra elements (fun charcuterie board, champagne toast, themed playlists) helped make the day so fun, but if we weren’t able to make those work for any reason, the day would have still been just as magical!

Point Loma Cliff Elopement. San Diego, CA | Emily & Kevin

We'd suggest for couples to really think about what's important to them for their wedding day. We both agreed on the style of the wedding, what we'd wear, and what we'd eat and went from there. It was definitely nontraditional but will always be remembered as a perfect day. Biggest takeaway is that photos are most important for your day! They are how you'll remember the day for the rest of your life and we are beyond glad we booked with Maddie!

ElopementMadeline BarrJanuary 26, 20212020Comment

California Mountaintop Elopement with a Full Moon and a Bride in all black! San Diego, CA | Sarah& Onai

Mt Laguna is such a great elopement spot and it totally showed off this day. Officiated by Your Wedding Belles, Sarah and Onai shared their vows in front of an amazing view of the Cleveland National Forest with family. There was a perfect breeze and the sunset showed up in the most incredible way. It was SO cool to see a full moon and the sunset at the same time. It made the occasion extra magical.

ElopementMadeline BarrJanuary 11, 20212020, bride in black wedding dress, black wedding dress, black wedding veilComment

Elopements in Yosemite National Park

We were supposed to get married in 2020, but again, pandemic. Who knows when we’ll be able to have our actual wedding, but doing a photo session with Maddie to celebrate when we were *supposed* to get married was absolutely perfect. I got to wear a dress I adored in this beautiful setting and take a much needed little Airbnb trip with Matt just for us.

ElopementMadeline BarrJanuary 8, 20212020, yosemite national park, national park elopement, national park weddingComment

Coronado Beach Elopement. Coronado, CA | Jess & Matt

J & M have spent a lot of time together in Coronado and thought it would be the perfect spot for their elopement. While the beaches themselves are gorgeous, it is also home to the iconic Hotel del Coronado. This iconic hotel opened back in 1888 and is even considered to be haunted. It also makes for the perfect backdrop for photos!While weddings in front of the Del require a permit and working with the hotel, beach weddings away from the hotel don’t need a permit if they are under 25 people!

ElopementMadeline BarrNovember 5, 20202020Comment

Modern Malibu Elopement | Alyssa & Andy

Alyssa and Andy had a huge party at one of San Diego’s most popular wedding venues planned. Friends and family were going to fly in from all over to celebrate. As it continues do do, Covid made them completely reconsider their plans. Out of concern of saftey, Alyssa and Andy ultimately made the tough decision to rethink all of their plans. After multiple change of plans, they finally decided to elope.

ElopementMadeline BarrSeptember 20, 20202020, Covid Wedding Planing Comment

Colorful Pixar Themed Elopement in Southern California Mountains. Idyllwild, CA | Sarah & Joe

Sarah and Joe, along with a few close family members and friends, all gathered at the Airbnb on a totally perfect day in the mountains of Souther California. Amazing little details were worked into every corner of the day. The show stopping piece was a replica of the house from Pixar’s “Up” adorned with flowers and TONS of color. Just as important were all the small details, from the chairs adorning the top of the cake (again from “Up”, to the guitar from Pixar’s “Coco” that Sarah gave Joe on their originally planned wedding day