Why I do elopements

Ever since I was a little girl, the idea of a big traditional wedding with hundreds of people didn’t make me dream — it terrified me. I remember being five or six years old and already thinking that I could never share something as private and intimate as a first kiss in front of a crowd of people I barely knew. It felt overwhelming, unnatural — and that stuck with me.

That fear was so strong that I decided then and there: I would never get married.

As I got older, nothing changed. During my teenage years, I attended a number of traditional weddings — relatives, friends, friends of friends — and they all felt the same. Unauthentic.

The bride and groom always looked so stressed, so worn out. It felt more like a performance or an obligation than a celebration of love. I couldn’t relate to any of it.

Then I discovered elopements — and everything changed.

I remember stumbling across photos of couples getting married on picturesque cliffs, quiet beaches, boats, or even underwater. Sometimes they were alone, sometimes with just a handful of loved ones. I was blown away as it felt so bold and unorthodox. It felt different. Real. These weddings weren’t about pleasing others — they were about the couple. That was the first time I thought:

If I ever do get married, this is the only kind of wedding I’d want.

Years later, I picked up a camera. What started as a hobby quickly turned into a career. I began working with small businesses, creating visual content for brands: restaurants, small businesses and big companies. I loved photography — but something was missing. The images were short-lived — used in ads, then forgotten. I craved depth. Emotion. Meaning. The images I took felt fleeting. I didn’t want to do fast food photography: created, consumed, discarded. That’s when it clicked.

I didn’t want to take photos that were useful. I wanted to take photos that were meaningful.

Photos that would last. Photos that people would cherish for the rest of their lives. My love for photography and lifelong fascination with elopements finally found each other — and I knew I’d found my calling.