Secret Location | Utah Desert

the hearnes » adventure wedding photographers

Rue de Seine Elopement Inspiration :: Durable, Beautiful, Desert-Ready Dresses

Ever since I photographed my first Rue de Seine elopement gown, I’ve felt that they have all the makings of a perfect adventure wedding dress! The way these dresses flow in the desert wind, pick up just the right amount of orange #HearnesOmbre on their trains, the way they flatter so many different body types…I just absolutely love these dresses. I started messaging with Rue de Seine on Instagram years ago, and when my friend Brianna and I had an idea for an elopement-style shoot in the desert, I knew we had to work with Rue de Seine! I was really excited to work with a close friend, and someone I knew could embrace the elements no matter what the weather threw our way, and Brianna was so psyched to run around the desert sand in these stunning bohemian dream dresses!

We chose a few different locations and activities because we really wanted to showcase what is possible when you elope out here in the Utah desert. All of the locations are within a day trip from Moab, which is super fun for us now that we live here full time and most of our wedding bookings are for the Moab area! My hope is that these photos would inspire couples to plan an elopement day that feels like a real adventure together, and that seeing how well these dresses handled everything we threw at them would motivate brides to consider a Rue de Seine dress for their wedding :)

In these photos, Brianna Madia is wearing Rue De Seine’s West Gown. The West Gown is the perfect wedding dress for a bohemian bride that wants to make a statement (those tassels are a STUNNING detail) but keep it classic with a white lace wedding dress. The gown itself is more fitted than some of the other dresses in Rue De Seine’s Wild Heart Collection, but the tassels and the intricate lacework still give it a very flowy, boho vibe. Another favorite thing about this dress — the tassels are a separate piece, so the bride can easily take them off for certain events. I could see a bride wearing a long veil for her ceremony and then switching to the tassels for hiking and dancing! The train on every Rue De Seine dress is absolutely stunning and The West gown was no exception! We had so much fun playing with the train and watching it flow in the wind as the storm blew in.

ELOPEMENT DRESS INSPIRATION WITH BRIANNA MADIA, PART 2 (RUE DE SEINE’S NAHLA GOWN)

ELOPEMENT DRESS INSPIRATION WITH BRIANNA MADIA, PART 3 (RUE DE SEINE’S AEGEAN GOWN)

If you need an intro to who Brianna Madia IS, you can find her in some of our previous blog posts:

An interview with Brianna Madia

A follow-up interview with Brianna Madia (a year later)

or, Follow Brianna Madia on Instagram

Our good friend Val of Tellurian Events also made a bouquet for Brianna. She jumped at the opportunity to be creative with our difficult request — we needed an elopement-style bouquet that would photograph well (obviously), be durable and withstand high winds, hiking and traveling in the van down bumpy dirt roads. Val came through (as always) with a beautiful bouquet made of dried flowers and desert plants that perfectly matched the vibe we wanted. She even when above and beyond making a little flower wreath for Bucket and a collar with some wheat for Dagwood. We recommend Val to all of our Utah elopement and wedding couples because of how creative she is with the bouquets she makes! She always gets to know the couple and incorporates little details that have to do with them, and uses native Utah plants whenever possible so their wedding destination is represented as well!

On this day, we were driving from Zion National Park after Kristin + Jimmy’s honeymoon session (and had been in Bryce Canyon National Park for Courtney + Winslows session the night before) and we trusted Brianna to pick the spot since she spends her whole life out on these dirt roads. Side note — it was a little wild to work with people who knew Utah better than us considering we’re typically the experts with our couples!! Brianna sent me a pin on Google Maps and told me there were tons of wildflowers, so I knew I’d love it! Brianna changed into her dress in Bertha (her big orange van). Bri put on some make up in the side mirror while the dogs ran circles around us and the wind blew little blasts of sand — something that might bum a “normal” model out, but just made Bri feel right at home. We spent the early afternoon exploring around, feeling like the only people on earth as the sand blew through and the storm clouds got closer. The Rue De Seine dress was beautiful in the bright desert landscape.

Photographers: The Hearnes Adventure Photography

Bride’s Dress: The West Gown from Rue De Seine’s Wild Heart Collection

Bride’s Bouquet: Tellurian Events

Bride: Brianna Madia (@briannamadia)

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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. They live on the road as full-time nomads, allowing them to serve a large portion of the western US. You can typically find them in Moab, Utah or Yosemite National Park, California, with side-quests to Patagonia and Alaska. They believe love is the greatest adventure and strive to create photos that are epic, romantic, true, and timeless.

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