+ the honest truth

Wild Hearts & Quiet Vows

12 November | Dysart, QLD

It’s true, I’ve only photographed one big wedding and been on an elopement photography retreat (in Scotland, might I add), but even from those two experiences, I can honestly say that elopements have my heart

It’s not that big weddings aren’t beautiful. They absolutely are. The laughter, the chaos, the energy, it’s electric. But in the quiet of that Scotland retreat, I felt something different. A slower heartbeat. A deeper kind of joy

There were no strict timelines or large crowds watching every move. Just two people, a handful of us tucked between the hills, and the kind of stillness that makes you remember what it’s all about

And that’s what I love about eloping. It lets people be. No performance, no pressure, no pretending. Just a day built around connection, emotion, and the kind of love that doesn’t need an audience to be felt

For me, that’s what it’s always been about, capturing how it felt. And when you strip away everything that doesn’t matter, what’s left is exactly that

Moment of honesty… if I had my time again (to get married), I would choose to elope, and here’s why.

+ what it means to me

When you strip everything back, the seating charts, the timelines, the stress, you start to see people as they really are. Nervous laughter turns into real laughter, and the silence doesn’t feel awkward; it feels intentional

During that retreat, I watched the couple hold hands in the cold and whisper to one another, and it was so quiet you could hear the wind move through the grass. It wasn’t performative. It wasn’t for anyone else. It was them, just being themselves

There’s something about witnessing that kind of love that hits deeper. It reminds you that marriage isn’t about the noise, it’s about the pause between it all

+ behind the camera

As a photographer, I love the freedom that comes with it. There’s time to breathe, to notice the light changing, to let the moment unfold without rushing to the next thing

You can feel the shift. It becomes less about posing and more about being. It’s about connection rather than choreography. I can chase the emotion, not the schedule

It reminds me why I picked up a camera in the first place, to capture the little moments exactly how they felt. It isn’t about how it looked on a timeline, but how it felt when two people realised, this is it, this is us

+ the heart of it

I think that’s why elopements hold such a big piece of my heart. They remind me that love doesn’t have to be loud to be meaningful

So, if you’re dreaming of something small, intentional, and wildly real, do it. Eloping isn’t missing out on a wedding; it’s creating one that’s truly yours

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about how many people are watching, it’s about how honestly you can look at each other and say, this is us

“The kind of love that reminds me why I started doing this in the first place”

+ a few thoughts if you’re dreaming of eloping

• Choose a location that already means something to you, somewhere that feels like home, peace, or freedom

• Don’t over-plan the timeline; leave space for pauses, laughter, and wind in your hair

• Wear what feels like you, whether that’s lace and boots or linen and bare feet

• Bring only the people who make you feel safe and seen

• And if you can, find a photographer who values the same things: the quiet, the raw, the real

Eloping isn’t about skipping the big day; it’s about creating a smaller one that still holds everything you dreamed of