This year, the peak of Fall Color in the Blue Ridge Mountains along Swift Run Gap fell on the Weekend of October 20, 2012. The Blue Ridge Mountains are a beautiful place for an Intimate Wedding Ceremony or Elopement and Fall is even more special. You can see in the photo above that some trees have started to lose their foliage in the higher elevations of the foreground, but you still see a wide variety of colors including green, yellow, orange, red, and bronze. In one week, all of this will have changed. I shot this Skyline Drive Elopement for the Golden Horseshoe Inn, here on this day and then headed back to the Venue to shoot a wedding. These are some of my favorite shots from the Elopement.
The World as your Wedding Chapel. I love shooting this location and you will see the symbolism in each of the following shots of the elements Land and Sky, Heaven and Earth.
Suitable shoes are required to get to this location, although once you're there, you can change into what you like. This bride's shoes coordinated with a lovely rose bouquet.
An exchange of rings.
The Wind was pretty strong at times and the shadows of clouds were rolling along the landscape like waves.
A couple at the edge of a new life together.
This was a fun variation on a color photo converted to black and white. I just wanted to accentuate the shoes and bouquet as the were a simple but important part of their ceremony.
A colorful shot of the bride. Notice the wide range of blues in the sky. I was able to turn the bride toward the sun, shooting North for this shot capturing her skin tone and the pure colors of the background.
A profile shot of the Groom in black and white.
Posing in wide open spaces can be a challenge especially with no cover. Here, I had the groom face away from the sun to avoid direct light into his eyes.
This was a nice seated portrait. The clouds were beginning to soften the light. I wanted to leave a little negative space to the bride's left to allow you to still see the landscape.
The timing for this Elopement couldn't have been more perfect for this particular day. The variety of color and the angle of Sunlight were about the best you could ask for. It was the perfect mix of Cloud and Sky. I highly recommend this Experience if you are considering an elopement. It is so much more intimate and personal than a courthouse or small chapel ceremony. The Golden Horseshoe Inn
offers many alternatives to a traditional wedding and is well worth checking out.
offers many alternatives to a traditional wedding and is well worth checking out.
