An Idaho Wedding Adventure With Epic Alpine Lakes

This Idaho wedding was a day full of adventure, laughter, happy tears, and epic views of the Sawtooth mountains! If you are looking for inspiration for your elopement adventure then you are in the right place.

A Pre-Dawn First Look

Rachel and Ben had their first look in the pre-dawn light of a brisk August morning. I was Rachel’s ride to their first look location and so we met at their Air BnB in Stanley at 6 AM. When I arrived Rachel was getting ready in the backroom and Ben was in the living room sipping coffee. When Rachel was finished, she yelled for Ben to hide in the kitchen and she ran for my car. Ben followed behind us in their car and we headed for Stanley Lake.

The Sawtooth Mountains have a pinkish glow just before sunrise and we wanted to use that in the background of their first look. Rachel and Ben stood back to back on the beach before their first look and then turned around to see each other. It was an emotional, heartfelt experience when they finally turned to face each other. The start of the rising sun seemed to represent the beginning of their journey together.

Ben and Rachel stood hugging for a few minutes, enjoying each other and watching the fog dance on the top of the lake. We then snapped a few couple pictures and moved into their ceremony.

Pro Tip for your Idaho Wedding: Sunrise and sunset are the prettiest times for photos. You can utilize both of these times by splitting your wedding day into two parts; a morning sunrise adventure and an afternoon adventure.

Their Idaho Wedding Sunrise Ceremony

We had initially planned to have Ben and Rachel’s ceremony at sunrise because the mountains and rising sun reflect in Stanley Lake at sunrise. On this day we were particularly lucky; the lake was perfectly still, the sun cast a beautiful glow on the mountains, and a blanket of fog moved over the surface of the water. This dynamic display of light and dark, fog and sun, is one of the reasons I love to photograph Idaho elopements at sunrise. You never know what you are going to get, but more often than not, it’s going to be something that exceeds your expectations.

Ben and Rachel had the whole beach and lake to themselves for their ceremony (a bonus to getting up early). The only attendees present were a few Sandhill Cranes. Their ceremony began by acknowledging loved ones who weren’t in attendance, and those who had passed on. Their officiant then read letters from their parents and shared a few thoughts Ben and Rachal had written about marriage and commitment. Their ceremony closed with sharing handwritten vows, an exchange of rings, and a first kiss.

Eloping allows you to create your own ceremony script and share traditions that are important to you. For Ben and Rachel recognizing their families and sharing handwritten vows was integral to their ceremony. As their ceremony came to a close, we all shivered in the chilly twenty-seven-degree morning and decided it was time for a warmup! We piled into the car and cranked the heat until the sunshine reached the beach and then Ben and Rachel shared coffee and donuts.

Their After Party Sunset Hike

We took a midmorning break after their elopement ceremony, and then prepared ourselves for an 8-mile, roundtrip hike to an alpine lake. The beautiful thing about adventure eloping is your wedding experience doesn’t end with your ceremony! With sandwiches and their wedding attire in tow, we hiked a beautiful trail that traveled through pine trees, traversed sheer mountain cliffs, and ended at a beautiful alpine lake.

The wind picked up as we reached the lake and brought with it the perfect cloud cover. Rachel and Ben changed into their wedding attire and we spent about 2 hours adventuring around the lake. We then hit the trail home and took sunset photos at an overlook with jagged mountain peaks. (This particular range is where the Sawtooth Mountains got their name. The mountains look like the teeth of a saw!)

With our adventure completed, and headlamps in place, we began to make our way down the mountain. We were kept company by toads on the trail and a stunning view of the Milky Way.

The Beautiful Intimacy of an Idaho Wedding

Ben, Rachel, and I spent 12 hours together that August day. We hiked mountains, took selfies, paddled around on a packraft, laughed, and cried together. Not many people have the chance to witness love in the raw beauty of nature, but when you do, it is something that stays with you. Rachel and Ben trusted me to help them plan their Idaho elopement and adventured with me on their wedding day. I simply have the best job ever and am so thankful for couples like B & R that choose to adventure on their wedding day.

We are so happy we found Autumn!!! Our elopement was absolutely perfect, and it would not have happened without her. She worked with us to plan all aspects of the day. Our photos are INCREDIBLE. It was surreal seeing ourselves in such stunning professional images. I cannot give her a high enough recommendation — THANK YOU, AUTUMN!!

Rachel & Ben – Atlanta, GA