Jess + Barry's Destination Cruise, Dog Sledding Tour + Resort Wedding in Alaska | Adventure Wedding Weekend
Seward, Alaska | Alyeska Resort, Alaska
the hearnes » adventure elopement photographers
Adventure Destination Elopement in Alaska | Cruise to Anchorage, Boat Tour in Seward, Helicopter Dog Sledding Tour | Alyeska Resort Wedding + Reception at Seven Glaciers
When Jessica and Barry first reached out to us about photographing their adventure elopement, they were extremely open to ideas for their location! Jess mentioned that she was from Colorado and loved mountains and snow, but their ideal timeframe was during summer. While this could have seemed like a conflicting dilemma, I immediately knew just the place: Alaska! Alaska is such an epic location to get married, and while I truly believe it could be beautiful for elopements year-round, July/August are pretty hard to beat. One really fun thing is that Jessica and Barry live in Austin, where I’m from and my parents still live. She happened to reach out to me around the holidays when I was home visiting, so we got to go grab coffee together and meet in person! Something I used to do with all of my brides when I lived and shot in one state, but now pretty much never gets to happen.
Jess and I met up and hit it off immediately, we started talking about Alaska and she loved everything I suggested! Because they were thinking they’d take a cruise up there with some friends (such a fun way to start your wedding week!), we decided to meet in Seward and then do their wedding ceremony in Girdwood at the top of the Alyeska Ski Resort (which was beautifully green and covered in fireweed flowers in the summer!). They decided to book two days with us because while they were still having an intimate wedding, it was a few more than 25 guests which is when we reccomend booking two days to allow for a full experience with both your guests and with each other! They loved the idea, especially considering they were all coming ALL the way to Alaska, and we started coming up with a dream wedding plan for them!
Day One - A private boat charter, helicopter tour, dog sledding on a glacier, and a rehearsal dinner cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park
On day one, which we dubbed “Adventure Day,” Jessica wore a gorgeous Chantel Lauren dress that had a beautiful flowy skirt with handpainted icy blue streaks on it — absolutely perfect for the glacier adventures to come! We met up early in the morning and started the day with a private boat charter out of Seward to a little beach across the bay that we had all to ourselves! The trip over there was gorgeous, the water was the color or Jess’s dress and the clouds swirled around the mountains beautifully. We hopped out and explored the beach a little bit, venturing into the woods and just enjoying the quiet, calm area. It was such an awesome way to kick off their wedding weekend — just the two of them on a beach all to themselves, soaking in the beauty of Alaska and focusing on what really mattered, and why they were there. After our boat ride, we arrived back in Seward and had a little bit of time “off” before the next activity. We grabbed breakfast at a local cafe with some of their family members and then some of the kiddos went to the aquarium next door!
Our next adventure was a helicopter ride up to a glacier across the bay, but it wasn’t just any helicopter ride! We landed on the glacier at a dog camp, where they house and trail dogs for the famous Iditarod Trail, and we got to meet some of the future dog racing puppies and then go on a training run with some of the current pups!! It was amazing. We almost didn’t get to go because of low clouds — they had even cancelled the tour, but then the clouds lifted *just in time* and our plans were on!! Jess and Barry knew this adventure would be super fun for their nieces and some close family members, so we ended up shuttling helicopters to bring 12 people up to the dog camp with them, it was such a party!! The ride up was beautiful, and when we landed you could hear all the dogs getting so stoked - their trainers later explained they’ve come to love the sound of a helicopter because they know that means they’ll get to run soon! We hopped out and got to go straight to the puppies while we waited for everyone else to arrive. This was probably a highlight of my life. Barry specifically chose this adventure, and you could tell he was SO stoked on the adorable puppies. They looked like tiny wolves, complete with a few high-pitched howls here and there.
We took some photos with and without puppies (I think I know my favorite wedding accessory now…), and then once everyone arrived we started our lap around the glacier with the racing dogs in training! I rode with Jess and Barry, it was such a fun and unique experience! We each got to take turns giving commands, and it was amazing to see how responsive these dogs were to the slightest changes. It was truly an amazing thing to get to do, and I love that these two chose to do this for their wedding! Once we got back, they had one more adventure planned — a rehearsal dinner boat cruise to the face of Aialik Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park! This was such a unique and amazing way to welcome all of their guests to Alaska and show them a taste of what it’s all about. People got to hold little icebergs, see some calving, and see a bunch of wildlife on the way there and back! After the boat tour, everyone made their way from Seward to Girdwood because the next day was their Alyeska wedding day! This “day one” was such an epic way to kick off Jess and Barry’s wedding weekend, and it was a perfect example of why we reccomend two day bookings to anyone who wants more time to adventure in the destination they’ve chose for their wedding, especially if they have more than 25 guests!
Day Two — Alyeska Ski Resort Wedding and Reception dinner at the Seven Glaciers
It was really important to Jessica that their wedding day be really relaxing and not have a super packed timeline, which is why we had such a rad adventure day the day before! On their wedding day, they woke up in Girdwood and had a relaxing morning, meeting up with their closest guests in the afternoon to start getting ready. One fun thing about getting married in Alaska in the summer is how long the days are!! Sunset on their wedding day was at 10pm, so they didn’t need to start festivities until well into the afternoon. We met up with them in the hotel at the bottom of the lift and then rode up the tram together to their ceremony site. They had the sweetest ceremony overlooking Girdwood, with mountains and glaciers in every direction — and even a view of the bay below!! Alaska literally has it all.
After their ceremony, everyone walked over to the Seven Glaciers Restaurant for their reception. This place is one of the most gorgeous restaurants I’ve ever been to — you either hike 2 miles straight up or ride the tram to get to it, and it’s surrounded in windows so you can see all the epic mountain views while you eat! The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed the views while giving sweet toasts and talking about their plans in Alaska. One fun thing for us was looking around the room and realizing all of these people were getting to experience a vacation in Alaska for Jess and Barry’s wedding. Its something we love about intimate destination weddings — especially because while the idea might initially sound like a lot to ask of guests, and sometimes our couples get some push-back when they first mention their wedding will require travel, but without fail, once the guests arrive to the place and see *why* the couple chose it, they’re always so stoked! And all of these people got to experience Alaska! So amazing!
After dinner, we stole Jess and Barry away for a little sunset hike around the mountain. It was super nice doing their wedding and reception up there because we had amazing views without having to go too far! They were able to step away from their reception for 30 minutes and have photos from a mountain top, surrounded by wildflowers, mountains, and glaciers!! It was absolutely incredible, and such a fitting way to end the most epic two-day elopement. We had so much fun with these two, it was honestly really sad when their time came to an end, but we were so thankful for everything we got to do with them over the course of two days!! Alaska is such an amazing place to elope, and the options are truly endless with the adventures you could do.
We especially love Seward for it’s access to gorgeous views straight from town, the hiking in Kenai Fjords National Park nearby, the ice climbing on Exit Glacier, and the helicopter tours to glaciers, iceberg lagoons, mountain tops, and everything in between!! It’s such a mecca for adventure, as is Girdwood/Alyeska, and they’re both so conveniently close to Anchorage! We are headed back to Alaska this summer and have a few dates available in August — the same month of Jessica and Barry’s wedding! If you’re interested in eloping with us, contact us here and we can start planning!
Seward Helicopter Tour Company: Seward Helicopters
Rehearsal Dinner Boat Cruise: Kenai Fjords Tours
Ceremony Location: Alyeska Resort
Reception Dinner: Seven Glaciers Restaurant
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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. Unless stated otherwise, all blog and social media posts are written from the perspective of Abbi! Our photography style is adventurous, full of stoke, and centered around telling a true story. We are nomadic wedding photographers living on the road, which allows us to photograph your adventures anywhere in the world. We especially love the sierra mountains in California, southwestern desert in Utah, and the glacial landscape of Alaska. We have updated passports and are willing to travel anywhere in the world.
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