Mammoth Lakes Elopement Adventure
It’s always so special when “one of our own” gets married.
So when a couple of my friends (and fellow creatives) chose a Mammoth Lakes elopement — I had all the feelings when Kelsey & Matt made that choice in the Eastern Sierras.
I met Matt when we discovered a mutual love for photography. I took his senior portraits about a decade ago, and we kept in touch sharing photography snippets over the years. He is now an accomplished real estate photographer.
Kelsey and I met through working weddings. She is one of our go-to hair and makeup artists and we’ve spent many a wedding morning together (and have done lots of creative projects together too).
As you can imagine, when they announced their engagement I was:
a) secretly hoping they’d reach out about photography.
b) really curious about the kind of wedding day they would have since Kelsey has seen it all.I was so honored when they reached out for photography. We met at our favorite local coffee shop, and started planning their big wedding and reception. We left our meeting with a date on the calendar and a big wedding, with a big guest list on the books.
Fast forward about 6 weeks later and I get a text from Kelsey that says something like, “If we were to elope, what would that look like?”
My heart leapt for joy, but I didn’t want to influence them too much- believing they would choose what was right for them. However, I did whip up a week-long Mammoth Lakes elopement schedule pretty fast, hoping it would help them imagine what an elopement could be like.
Turns out, they were both feeling a lot of pressure about the kind of wedding day they were “supposed” to have.
Especially Kelsey, who knew something wasn’t sitting quite right for her. She said there was a moment when the planner at the winery asked her what color napkins she wanted and it all felt so alien. She didn’t care about that.
And then, these two gave me the best gift- an invitation to photograph their elopement in the Eastern Sierras. They let me plan an adventurous elopement for them in one my most favorite places in the world: Mammoth Lakes.
If you’re planning your own Mammoth Lakes Wedding, be sure to check out my Mammoth Lakes page.
We planned an incredibly adventurous Mammoth Lakes elopement experience that included three days of documented celebrations:
- a pre wedding day 4wd adventure to Crowley Lake Columns.
- a “Just us” Mammoth Lakes wedding ceremony day on the top of a mountain.
- a family ceremony celebration with family & friends, followed by dinner and bowling at Mammoth Rock N Bowl.
Matt & Kelsey will take over from here, sharing in their own words:
What brought you to the decision to elope, specifically what was the “tipping point” where you knew a big wedding wasn’t for you?
Having worked in the wedding industry, a more traditional wedding timeline is somewhat restrictive when it comes to getting time alone as a couple. Everyone wants to be involved with lots of well-meaning advice and celebrate with you as a couple, which is fun but for us- very overwhelming. It was difficult to think in terms of what we really wanted the day to look like and how we wanted to spend our time together without somehow compromising. So we decided to make it a week-long Mammoth Lakes celebration, including both alone time for us as well as family/friend celebration time.
Kelsey, can you comment to sharing the getting ready experience together? (Something that is often done separately on big traditional weddings)
I loved spending the morning together. His energy balances mine and calms me down, so getting ready together was very meditative. I think it really let me see and appreciate everything that makes Matt unique and every reason I fell in love with him.
At some point in the planning process, Kelsey said something like, “I didn’t want my wedding day to be like Disneyland and I was Minnie mouse.” Kelsey can you elaborate?
I’ve noticed that every guest wants to spend their own time congratulating the couple, but as weddings get bigger and bigger and guest lists get larger, brides can get stuck just like Minnie Mouse at Disneyland: trapped behind a velvet rope as a line of well-wishers grows longer. I wanted family time to be something more heartfelt and special for each person and not just a quick photo before cocktails. We wove family time into the week and tried to make it an adventure for everyone to enjoy and make memories.
From the proposal, through the engagement, to wedding planning, to elopement day, did your idea of the “ideal wedding day experience” change at all? In what ways?
We had already been considering an elopement from early in our engagement. We are both more private people and saw our Mammoth Lakes ceremony as less of a big family get together and more of a confirmation of our future together. Our ideal experience became more about slowing down and making intentional moments together at our own speed.
Once we decided on a Mammoth Lakes elopement, so much pressure was taken off our shoulders and we could really enjoy ourselves with less stress and moving parts involved. The morning of our wedding day was so relaxed with no nerves at all.
What is your advice to couples who are on the fence about doing something smaller or different?
DO IT. Seriously though, everyone should take a step back and decide on what it is that THEY want to experience and get out of their own wedding. What would make it special? And what might just be adding extra stress? Do what brings you closer together and brings your life partner to the center of your attention. You don’t need anyone’s permission to do what makes your day special.
Do you have any helpful advice to help other couples tell their family and friends they’re eloping?
This is probably the hardest part to be honest… So much of our culture in America is wrapped up in family expectations and traditions. Be open and honest with your loved ones. Explain that the day is to celebrate you as a couple and eloping would make you the happiest. Your loved ones want to see you happy and making memories with the person you love.
What is a personal touch you included in your day?
We wanted to include our kitties (at home) in the day. We found some cute handmade kitty cake toppers to include our furry family members too!
What was your most memorable moment on your wedding day?
Matt’s most memorable moment was definitely being at the top of the Mammoth Minarets for the vows and picnic.
Kelsey’s most memorable moment was watching the sunset behind Minaret with a slice of ‘za and a first dance under the stars.
How did you include your family?
On the second day, before the (family) ceremony we had a picnic lunch with family at a local park. We all came together and played frisbee, visited and everyone had a chance to get to know each other. We wanted to make sure everyone had a relaxed afternoon in the summer weather, before the ceremony. At our ceremony, we included a family vow and space for family to speak and give advice or tell a story. We had a lovely dinner at the Mammoth Rock N Bowl with some time at the end for a few rounds of bowling with everyone.
Planning a Mammoth Lakes Elopement?
Whether it’s an intimate elopement or a bigger celebration—comes with so many possibilities. If you’re dreaming of an day that’s truly your own, I’d love to help you make it happen here in the Eastern Sierra. Reach out for help from a photographer who is just as enchanted with Mammoth Lakes as you are!
Vendors:
Hair and Makeup Artist- Kelsey, the bride herself!
Kelsey’s wedding cape from Etsy
Florals, Decor & Design (including both a dried and fresh look)
