Our Elopement and Minimoon - September and October 2020
We had sent in the deposit and signed the contract with our venue in May 2019. Invitations went out March 2, 2020. Covid shut us down less than two weeks later. We cancelled our wedding in June 2020.
And we were so relieved.
Even though we were planning a small, intimate destination wedding, we anticipated stress and pressure from family - notably Kevin’s parents, given what they did when his sister got married (called her from a print shop asking for the wedding information because they were going to print and send their own invitations to people who she didn’t want to invite even though they weren’t paying for the wedding, held the money they received as gifts hostage and told them they weren’t responsible enough to have it). In the minutes after we cancelled our wedding, we were sitting in our living room. I was on the floor and Kevin was sitting on the couch. I looked over at him and I didn’t want to admit it, but I told him I felt relieved. He said he did too. It was the right decision for so many reasons, but covid aside, is was the right decision for us.
Eloping has a bad reputation. People think it’s running away to get married spontaneously and/or in secret because your parents don’t approve or something like that. It’s not. Eloping is fully intentional and a more intimate way of celebrating your marriage. What we loved about eloping is that we were able to get married on our terms. We got to do what we wanted to do. We did it for us. So many weddings nowadays are catered to the guests having fun - the bride and groom don’t get to enjoy their meals, they are pulled in so many directions because everyone wants their attention. Don’t get me wrong, I love attending weddings - but I fully encourage everyone to elope.
When we cancelled our wedding, we didn’t know what we were going to do yet, but we still wanted to get married - also, had to get married because my health insurance was going to expire at the end of the calendar year. It was June and things were starting to open up again, at least in New Jersey. I was back to work - limited hours, but working. I looked into going to town hall and having the mayor marry us, but that seemed a little vanilla for me (there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but I dreamed of a little more excitement and adventure for our wedding).
For years, I had been following the Hearnes and the Foxes on Instagram. Both are married couples who are elopement photographers that specialize in adventure elopements. What that means is that you go on adventure when you elope - whether that’s a hike, a helicopter to a glacier, kayaking amongst glaciers, the world is your oyster. I thought that this would be perfect for us. We love being outdoors and adventuring.
Because of covid and travel restrictions, we knew whatever we planned would have to be a road trip of some sort. We weren’t going to risk flying and cancellations and all that unnecessary stress. I remember at one point, I was thinking about a long road trip to the Midwest, like the Dakotas. Ultimately we decided that’s too much. The further the trip, the riskier it would be that we wouldn’t be able to go. Practicality won, and we settled on something in NJ or NY, someplace we knew we would be able to go, and safely.
I found Whitney, Mountainaire Gatherings, on Instagram. She was an adventure elopement photographer based in the Adirondacks (she recently moved to Oregon and is now an adventure elopement photographer in Oregon) and her photos spoke to me. Before I reached out to her, Kevin and I talked about it and slept on the idea a couple nights to make sure we both felt this would be a good choice. I sent Whitney a message through her website in the middle of August, let her know our situation and expressed interest in hiring her. We scheduled a video call - one of her requirements before booking her to make sure we are a good fit for her and that she is a good fit for us - and loved her. She is cool, personable and professional - it felt like we were chatting with a friend we’ve known for years.
We hashed out all the details of our elopement itself with guidance from Whitney. Since she lived in the ADK, she gave us recommendations for trails to look into and helped us decide what would be appropriate for us. She came up with multiple itineraries to choose from. We considered camping/backpacking, but ultimately opted for luxury of a bed instead. She gave us recommendations of AirBNBs and hotels, and guided us which towns to focus on. Her recommendations are also how I found my hair and makeup artist, Kat, owner of Katherine Elizabeth Salons, and florist, Leah, owner of Black Sheep Gardens (now Black Swan Floral Design). Whitney had worked with both Kat and Leah before. One of my concerns, especially with HMU, is that I get really sweaty, and Kat made me look the best I’ve ever looked and it lasted the entire day, up the entire mountain and down again.
As it got closer, we felt comfortable extending our trip another week to go to Maine after our time in the Adirondacks. We drove up to the ADK over the weekend, got married on Monday, had an sunrise session on Tuesday, enjoyed the rest of the week in the ADK and the following week in Maine. As beautiful as it would have been to get married in Hawaii as we had originally planned, we both agree that this plan was better for us.
With this trip, we got so lucky. The week before, temperatures were in the 30’s! Being in the mountains, you never know what you’re going to get, but I panicked and made a photogenic blanket/shawl just in case. Luckily, we didn’t need it. The day we got married, it was rainy in the morning. When I left the salon, Kat walked me to the car with an umbrella, and packed me a shower cap to protect my hair from the rain. The rain cleared by the time we met up with Whitney, but it was a little misty. We had perfect weather and peak foliage (in fact, the day of our sunrise shoot was windy and rainy and all the pretty leaves came down). It felt like things were just falling into place for us.
Itinerary:
Day 1: The Drive
We packed the car, threw our bikes on the bike rack, and set out on the biggest adventure yet! It’s a five and a half hour drive to the High Peaks region of the ADK, where we were headed. We stopped at Lake George on the way - a little over four hours from home - to stretch the legs, grab a bite to eat and just see the lake (I’d never been there before but Kevin had).
We rented an AirBNB for the week - a cabin with a fireplace, full kitchen, fire pit in the front yard, a porch, trails in the backyard. It was so cute and I hope to be able to stay there again some day.
When were talking with Whitney about possible trails for our elopement, one of the candidates was Cascade Mountain for sunrise. If we’re being honest, we didn’t know if we could do it. Whitney had told us that there are no switchbacks - meaning, you just climb straight up, instead of weaving through a gentle incline. We decided to do a trial run our first day to see if it was possible for our actual wedding day.
Day 2: Cascade and Porter
I think our alarm went off at 3AM or 4AM. We set out early - it was a trial run after all for if we were to do a sunrise hike - and we were hiking in the dark for a little while, but not as long as I had expected. I remember stopped to put our headlamps away relatively early on the trail, shortly after the trail register (like a sign in, sign out sheet to make sure no one gets lost). I remember stopping mid-way up a very steep section to have a Clif Bar.
Most people hike Cascade and Porter together because they share a trail until the end, and are supposedly some of the "easiest” of the 46 High Peaks of the Adirondacks. We took the detour to Porter first (before going to Cascade) which has an elevation of 4.058 feet (#38). We were at the summit of Porter at about 8AM.
Cascade Mountain (#36) has an elevation of 4,098 feet. It is a 2.5 mile hike to the summit (if you go directly from the trailhead), but once you reach it, you’re rewarded with panoramic views. Because we had started early, there were only a few other groups at the summit, but because it’s one of the “easiest” High Peaks, it’s very popular and usually very crowded. This morning, it was very windy. The summit is pretty much entirely exposed. It sure is beautiful, though, any way you turn.
Once we made our way down and back to the car, we drove to Cascade Pass which was right down the road. There is a small downhill road to a parking lot, and an easy, picturesque view of the pass.
After our morning adventure, we went to Hannaford and bought some groceries. We spent the afternoon at the cabin. We made chimichurri for dinner and ate sitting around the fire pit.
Day 3: Wedding Day!
My appointment with Kat was at 9AM. She is fantastic. I’ve never really had my hair and makeup done by anyone other than friends, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I know I didn’t want to look all doll-ed up. I wanted to still look like me. Kat is the best. So personable and easy going, it felt like a friend was doing my makeup. My hair doesn’t hold a curl, and I was worried about sweating causing make up to run or smudge, but it was great. As I mentioned earlier, Kat walked me to the car with an umbrella to protect my hair, and sent me on my way with a shower cap, extra pins, touch up lip color.
We went back to our cabin to eat a little something and to get dressed (into our hiking attire, not our wedding attire - hate to break it to you, but we did not hike up an entire mountain in a wedding dress and suit). We were meeting Whitney at the trailhead at 2PM. When we got there, there was only one other car in the lot, but no one got out when we arrived. We weren’t sure we were in the right place, even though the sign said Catamount. A couple minutes later, Whitney came from the trail - she was scouting some more! We got everything ready and in our packs, including my bouquet that Whitney had picked up for me, and started on our way.
A little ways beyond the trail register, Whitney pulled us to the side of the trail to our “dressing rooms” so we could get changed for our First Look. My dressing room was a tree in a small field of low growing plants. Getting into my gown was no big deal, but taking out all the pins in my hair and releasing the curls for the first time, without a mirror - that was a little tricky.
We did our First Look and took “mantle portraits” (as Whitney calls them) and other photos in this area. There was a bigger open field, and because of the mist and clouds, was the perfect moody vibe.
We changed back into our hiking clothes and continued our way up the mountain. Because we had done Cascade the day prior, our legs were a little sore (if you ask Kevin, he’d tell you that hiking Cascade was a mistake). Somehow, I was able to keep pace with Whitney, a seasoned ADK hiker, while holding conversation with her - I’m awfully proud of myself for that.
This trail has a little chimney climb - those are always fun! - and big flat rock face that leads to a false summit. We changed again at the false summit for more photo opportunities.
We made it to the true summit at about 17:45. We had time to rest and cool off before changing once more. Plenty of time. In the golden hour light, we said our vows and celebrated our marriage. We spent an hour at the summit. We had cake - I had made us a little cake and hiked it up - and Coronas - because coronavirus, duh. We took photos with the moon. We had initially talked about staying at the summit for astro, which would have been epic, but we would have had to wait a bit longer, and we still had a hike down and an adventure planned for morning!
Whitney stayed with us in our cabin this night - it was a two bedroom. We made steaks and had dinner together.
Day 4: Sunrise Session
Well, not a true sunrise session, because it was like 7AM. Whitney had given us a bunch of options for where to shoot for our sunrise shoot, and we chose the Flume Trails, which are right in Wilmington (where we were staying) along the Ausable River. We did some rock hopping in the river, explored the beautifully wooded areas and a waterfall - one of us may have fallen into the river at one point, and no, unfortunately, Whitney did not catch that on camera - she was too worried if said person was okay. Spoiler alert: it was me, I was okay, and slightly disappointed that we don’t have photo evidence of me falling in the river.
After spending a couple hours at the Flume Trails, we went back to the cabin and Whitney took some pictures of us at the cabin. As I mentioned, we were there for perfect fall foliage, and she captured some wholesome autumn memories.
Our time with Whitney was up. If you’re ever in need of a photographer for couples photos (engagements, weddings, pregnancy, for the heck of it), I highly recommend Whitney and she will travel!
I think we took a nap - after a couple early mornings and late nights we were tired, and our bodies were still angry at us from hiking Cascade that first day. Then, according to my Timeline, we drove around Keene and Lake Placid and Wilmington. It was an easy, relaxing day. I remember as we were driving, all the pretty leaves falling because of the wind and rain. We made it just in time for peak foliage.
Day 5: Roaring Brook and Indian Head
We had a leisurely morning, enjoyed coffee at our fireplace.
We did a short hike to Roaring Brook Falls to the top of the falls. Kevin slipped and sliced open his thumb. This trail was short and fairly easy, about 1.5 miles.
We hiked Indian Head - one of the iconic ADK vistas. This was a long one, but not difficult. It is about 11 miles but mostly on a flat carriage road. There is some climbing toward the end as you approach the vista. We made it with a little time before sunset. It was a cloudy day and had rained and was threatening to rain more. We didn’t stay until sunset because climbing down in the dark, with wet leaves on the trail seemed like a recipe for disaster - after all, I did fall in the river the day prior. Plus, it was very windy and cold, and not so peaceful. Beautiful, but not peaceful. It was a long hike back, and we hiked the carriage road in the dark. It felt like it went on forever, because you couldn’t see what was ahead of you.
Day 6: Mount Jo
Another leisurely morning - that’s our style.
We hiked Mount Jo from the Adirondack Loj, a nice, easy two-miler without a ton of elevation gain. At the summit, people had brought chairs and were just chilling at the top. I remember there was a family there and a little kid had his pet ferret, Walter, in a clear backpack. On our way down, we walked around Heart Lake.
One of the days, we biked the trails on the property of our cabin. I feel like it might have been this day because we had relatively good weather.
For dinner this night, we went to Pourman’s Taphouse, which was recommended to us by Kat. The food was good! We had loaded tater tots that were amazing. Hadn’t had tots like that since! Kat had also recommended a deli for sandwiches that is inside a gas station, and we went there twice to pick up lunch, and they were really good! But I don’t remember what it was called or when we went, but it was in Jay or Wilmington.
Day 7: Whiteface
One of the most famous mountains in the ADK is Whiteface Mountain, at 4,867 feet above sea level. Luckily, you can drive it - so that’s what we did! Unfortunately, it was raining (it rained most of the week, we got really lucky with weather on our wedding day), but luckily, we had some real moody vibes. At this point, Fmegatron (Kevin’s car) was still pretty new and we did a Fmegatron photo shoot since there were like no other cars on the road. At the top of Whiteface, we found Catamount, and got to see what felt like miles and miles of the ADK, or would have been if it weren’t for the clouds.
We went into Lake Placid and walked around town, popped into some shops, had coffee at a coffeeshop on the lake.
Day 8: Roadtrip to Maine
We packed up and hit the road across New England to Maine for the second leg of our trip. We got to our hotel in Bar Harbor late. We checked in and went to dinner in town at Testa’s.
Day 9: The Beehive and Gorham Mountain
I had been to Acadia once before and I remember that the Beehive was so much fun, with ladders and rails, and great views of the water. This was the first hike we tackled. We also hiked Gorham Mountain, which is much less technical.
We explored the area on the south of Mount Desert Island, such as Otter Cliffs and Thunder Hole. We had dinner at Geddy’s. While in Maine, we pretty much were on a mission to find the best lobster roll, so naturally, had lobster rolls as often as possible.
Day 10: Schoodic Peninsula
We had breakfast at Jordan’s Restaurant, outside of the park but in Bar Harbor. There was a long wait and it was very busy, but it was pretty good food. I had pancakes (probably blueberry).
We spent the day on the Schoodic Peninsula. Acadia is divided into the “main area” on Mount Desert Island, adjacent to Bar Harbor, and the Schoodic Peninsula to the east. There is also an area to the southwest called Isle au Haut, which is more remote.
The Schoodic Peninsula had a more relaxed vibe and I quite preferred it. There were fewer people, it was quieter and serene. We brought our bikes and biked the bike trails, we drove the loop, making stops every now and then. It was a leisurely day. On our way back to Bar Harbor, we stopped at a little store on the side of the road - there wasn’t a lot around it - called The Dunbar Store. We got lobster rolls here and enjoyed them overlooking the water, just behind the building.
Day 11: Precipice and Eagle Lake
For breakfast, we stopped at a small store in Bar Harbor called Choco Latte. I feel like it was one of the only places open early enough that wasn’t a sit down restaurant. We got an early start on the Precipice Trail - similar to the Beehive, but said to be a little more strenuous and technical. We didn’t think it was too bad, but we were also behind a group that was kind of slow, so we had plenty time to rest. On these trails, because of the ladders, you can’t really pass people, and have to wait your turn. Thankfully, as you wait, the cliff edges are quite wide and you have great views. After our hike, we biked around Eagle Lake - a six mile carriage road around the lake. We were back in town before sunset and got a table on the dock of Stewman’s. As we were sitting there waiting for our food, we decided we would see if there were any permits available for Cadillac Mountain or Sand Beach Entrance - because of covid and the influx of people exploring the National Parks, the NPS started a permitting program to regulate traffic in the highly populated areas of the park. We were able to get a permit for a couple days later for Cadillac in the morning.
Day 12: Jordan Pond and the Bubbles
We had breakfast in downtown Bar Harbor at Great Maine - more blueberry pancakes. We sat at a little table outside in like, an alleyway outside of the restaurant. We biked the eight mile loop around Jordan Pond, tried to get popovers, but they were closed. We hiked The Bubbles (north and south). For dinner, we had dinner at the Stadium, which is upstairs of a souvenir shop.
Day 13: Cadillac and the West Side
One of the most popular things to do in Acadia is to see the sunrise at Cadillac Mountain, because it is the highest point on the eastern seaboard and therefore the first point to see the sunrise in the US.
After sunrise, we hiked around the area a little to find the true summit. We explored the west side (Seawall, Ship Harbor). I wanted to photograph the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, but the road was closed.
We ate at the Travelin’ Lobster, a kind of trailer on the side of the road. The line was long but this was the best lobster roll we had all trip. There’s an outdoor seating area and a pretty large parking lot. Would definitely recommend this place!
For dinner, we went to the Bar Harbor Lobster Company, which, at the time, had a tent for outdoor seating.
Day 14: The Journey Home
On the journey home, we stopped for one more lobster roll in Maine, in Portland. My SIL and BIL rave about Luke’s Lobster even though it’s a chain. It wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t great, especially compared to some of the others we had had earlier in the week.
Even though our wedding didn’t look like what we had initially planned, we are so happy that things worked out for us the way they did. We were still able to get married and did it doing things we enjoy, without the stress or pressure of familial expectations. We are grateful we were able to explore more of the northeast, and to do so safely. We are grateful that we had great weather on our wedding day and for most of our trip, and that we made it just in time for peak foliage too.