A Few Favorite Wedding Photography Instagram Posts | @thehearnes | December 2019

Here’s a round up of a few of my favorite instagram posts from our @thehearnes account this month!

December 2, 2019 | Audrey + Peter’s Moab, Utah Elopement

I took my mind off work a lot this past week. There were times that I was distracted by personal things, times that friends pulled me away for good reasons, times I intentionally took off, and times I meant to get stuff done but then gave myself permission to close my computer simply because I felt like it.

I haven’t always had this freedom with my job, and there are still times I just have to grind stuff out and feel overworked, but I have to say...looking back on this week I’m really proud of myself. I’m proud of the business I’ve built that is established enough to take care of itself sometimes. I’m proud of my own mindset shift that has allowed me to let emails sit for a day or two, to not be consumed with to do lists and new tasks, to say no to new ideas (that’s a hard one!!!) and amazing opportunities that seem great on paper, simply because I want more time. More time to play, to stay up until 2am with friends, to watch silly movies and go on 8 mile hikes (and that was just yesterday!).

The thing is, my original goal when I started my photography business was to have a job that allowed me to travel to the places I loved most. There have been moments during these past 5 years that I’ve certainly sacrificed a huge amount of my time to make this work. Moments I’ve taken on too much, been overwhelmed, felt stressed and like I have too many things on my plate. Moments I’ve worked really really hard, wondering if I’d ever see a pay-off for it. But I am so thankful for a week like this one, when I can look back and see that I have genuinely built this thing to be okay when I take a few days off. That the important tasks still get done, that my couples feel loved and happy and well taken care of, that I feel free and light, and I am even more satisfied in my friendships than in my job.

I still have a long way to go, but it feels good to celebrate the victory today. I hope to make even more progress in this direction next year 🖤

December 3, 2019 | Lauren + Adam’s Yosemite National Park Elopement

When your wedding dress matches the pink wildfire sky 🔥

December 4, 2019 | Victoria + Rob’s Moab Elopement

We hiked up here for sunrise on our very first trip to Moab all those years ago. It was pretty mind blowing, I’d never really seen a sandstone arch before that. I remember as the years went on and we explored hundreds more arches, I wondered if this one would still seem as epic as it had that first time.

We went back a few weeks ago with Rob and Victoria for their wedding day first look, also at sunrise (the way to go considering how popular this trail is!), and I am happy to report this arch is still as impressive, if not more, than the first time I saw it. What a bizarre thing, I feel so lucky that it’s relatively brief existence lined up with mine! #HearnesTinyCouples

December 8, 2019 | Keith + Brianna Madia’s Utah Vow Renewal

After our original plans were crushed by a freak late spring hail storm, a sharp drop in temps and flood danger, our back up plan was pretty strung out but we rallied and rappelled and miraculously still made the day happen in an amazing way. Looking at this photo, you might not realize all that went wrong before getting to this moment; these two cuddled in the sand with their two babies, reading new vows to each other while their favorite music echos off the walls from a phone speaker. It took a lot of surprises and disappointments and re-evaluations and melt downs and motivation to get to this moment...but I don’t think anything could possibly be more fitting to the reality of marriage, of 10 years with someone you love.

I really love photographing married couples for anniversary sessions and vow renewals. Celebrating all that you’ve been through and committing to the continued process is so meaningful and special. And the moments like this one are absolutely magic 🖤

December 9, 2019 | Devyn + Adam’s Moab Wedding

Ohhhh man that #HearnesOmbre 😍🏜 One thing I absolutely love about adventure weddings is how our couples throw caution to the wind and embrace the messy, dirty, muddy, dusty environment in their fancy clothes. It’s such a fun thing to watch and be a part of! I often joke about what their dry cleaner is going to think when they bring their clothes in, but then most of our brides say they never want to get their dress cleaned! They love the idea of pulling it out in 20 years and feeling the dirt again, maybe showing their kiddos just how adventurous they were.

I really believe your favorite clothes are meant to be worn and enjoyed, and your wedding dress/suit should be no different. Not to mention how much cooler they look with some custom ombré that perfectly matches the landscape 😉

December 10, 2019 | Jess + Barry’s Seward, Alaska Wedding Weekend

Some people rent a fancy vintage car for their wedding day...and some people ride a sled pulled by dogs training for the Iditarod 🐶

December 12, 2019 | Our 5 year anniversary in Moab

Today we’re celebrating 5 years of marriage! These past five years have been pretty wild, with some amazing highs and difficult lows, but I truly can’t imagine spending them with anyone else. From Patagonia to Alaska and everywhere in between, I love the life we’ve built here! Let’s keep going and see where it takes us for the next 500 years 💞

December 13, 2019 | Keith + Brianna Madia’s Utah Vow Renewal

When I was in high school, I was really focused on fitting in, so much so that when I look back, I think I was quite square. I colored within the lines in just about every way possible, if you will. My Aunt Linda lived nearby and we would go spend time with her often...and she was quite the opposite. She was a hippy, she dressed like the 60s and listened to Grateful Dead and decorated her home with wild colors and patterns. I loved her so much, and loved spending time with her even though our fashion and music and basically everything about us was opposite. She had a little dog named Lucy that was her saving grace, the love of her life...her child in every way, and I remember one day she got a tattoo of Lucy on her heart, and I have to confess, I was so shocked. I couldn’t imagine why someone would get a tattoo of their dog (forgive me, I was young!). Anyway...I could go on with this story, but I was just looking through photos and came across this one and remembered Aunt Linda, her dog tattoo, and I’ve just now realized my best friend Bri reminds me a lot of her.

Aunt Linda died a few years after that tattoo, after a 10+ year battle with scleroderma. I learned a lot from her...I still do. Losing people is a strange thing, and I’m convinced the more it happens the less it makes sense. But I know for me personally, little random reminders like this tell me a person is never fully gone if you keep on talking about them. I am pretty sure I’m a little less square than I was when I was 15, and I am certain I’d love and understand Aunt Linda even more now if I had the chance. One thing I know for sure, if people that we’ve lost can watch over us now, Aunt Linda is probably wildly in love with Bri, singing along to all the old songs in the van and laughing at how naive I am not knowing a single one of them 😬 And she’ll certainly be thrilled when I get a tattoo of my dog one day soon.

December 14, 2019 | Britt + Justin’s Intimate Elopement in Yosemite National Park

I did a little Q&A in my stories the other day (saves in my highlights if you missed it) and someone asked me “Why weddings?” I wanted to share my answer here, too.

Honestly, I know I don’t seem like the most sappy person but I tear up at every wedding we witness. There is something so sacred about watching two flawed humans promise to love and support each other until death. It’s absolutely wild. The commitment of marriage is huge. It’s a choice, the day you get married and every single day after that. At times it may seem impossible, but getting to watch people make that commitment, hearing their private vows to each other, learning their stories and watching their pure intentions and hopes come to fruition...it’s truly the most fulfilling job I could imagine. I love photography, but so much more so I love giving people the gift of photos that will mean the world to them for the rest of their lives.

December 17, 2019 | Chris + Tash’s Canyonlands National Park Elopement

A last minute December elopement? Yes please! These two decided they didn’t want to wait another day, so they came out to Moab to hang with us and we had so much fun, even if it took a few hours to feel our fingers and toes again 😉❄️

December 18, 2019 | Kate + Tyler’s Zion National Park Wedding

These two. We all partied into the night after their intimate desert wedding with their closest friends and family, and then they rallied and woke up at 4am so we could hike out to this spot for sunrise. It was such a dream! One day I’ll start blogging again and end this unintentional 4 month break 😅 and I can’t wait to share Kate + Ty’s wedding weekend when I do!

December 19, 2019 | Kaitlyn + Jimmy’s Yosemite Elopement

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about elopements is the idea that you have to leave your family (or close friends) out of it. At least half of the adventure weddings we shoot include guests — they just invite way fewer than a traditional wedding! This more intentional guest list actually means more time with their loved ones than a bigger wedding, and it makes for some amazing memories. You’d be surprised what our couples have been able to convince their families to do...like when Kaitlyn and Jimmy’s family hiked through mud and snow, even across a creek on a narrow long, to sit on the edge of a cliff with them for their ceremony! And in formal clothes!

They certainly had some pushback when they first presented the idea to everyone (I don’t know if any of our couples haven’t), but once we were all out there, and everyone saw the spot that meant so much to these two, and saw the sunset that followed...they got it. They always do 🖤

December 26, 2019 | Erin + Duncan’s Banff Elopement

One of our favorite things about adventure elopements is how un-planned they are. When we’re working with a couple before their wedding, our emails are less about exact planning and more about ideas and options, giving them the freedom to create an ultimate adventure day. The timeline conversations aren’t traditional (“ok, at exactly 4:37 you must be finished with portraits and walking to the bridal suite you’ll be able to eat four bites of food at 4:52-4:56pm...”), but more like “the sun will hit the mountains at 6:45, so let’s do your first look a few minutes before that so you can watch the alpenglow over the lake together.” And then we typically have big blocks of time on their schedule like “7:30-9:30 Portraits/Adventuring around the lake” and while that open-ended amount of time might stress out some people, we know the potential for that “free time” and what it can mean to an adventurous couple on their elopement day.

Erin and Duncan’s ceremony was later in the afternoon, so their sunrise first look and morning adventure time was really low pressure and all focused on the two of them enjoying Banff together. Our only “plan” was their first look and some portraits as the sun came up. They’d mentioned they had a kayak in their van, and we had our two packrafts on hand always ready to go. This lake is really popular for canoeing, but the canoe rentals start at 9am and are pretty pricey, so we decided to inflate our three boats and go out on the water before the rentals. We had the lake to ourselves, far away from the sunrise photography crowds, and these two got to experience a bucket-list adventure the morning of their wedding with two buddies taking epic photos of them! After we got back to shore, Erin decided to go for a swim in the glacial melt water! She has a personal tradition of always swimming in alpine lakes, and they both had different outfits for their afternoon ceremony, so they took a chilly dip in their fancy clothes, much to the concern of a few on-looking tourists 😝

It was such a fun morning and we got some epic photos, but the best part was that it was completely true to them! We believe that’s how any wedding day should be.

December 27, 2019 | Keith + Brianna Madia’s Vow Renewal + Others

BEST OF 2019 🥳 My favorite blog post of the year is up! A portfolio review of 2019, including photos from every single couple we worked with! This year has been so freaking fun, inspiring, challenging, and incredible for us and our 58 amazing couples (29 adventure sessions and 29 elopement weddings, total coincidence!). We went hiking in the Alps and canyoneering in Utah and rock climbing in Yosemite and ice climbing in Alaska and hot tubbing in Iceland and glacial exploring in Canada, and so much more...we are still reeling from it all.

Head the the link in my bio or story to see the post, I highly recommend viewing this one on your big computer screen (you can email the link to yourself if you want to remember to look later!), pour a cup of coffee and kick back...I hope you love it! I’ve included some fun stats, our favorite photos, and my goals for 2020. Let me know what you think!

Also I want to say, truly every single comment, DM, IG share, text to your friend, word of mouth, all of it means SO much to us. We’re just two people with a huge passion for the outdoors and helping couples have the most epic wedding day they can imagine. We aren’t a big team or big corporation, and what we do is so fulfilling because of who we get to work with. Considering a huge majority of our couples find us on this little app, it’s safe to say your support truly has an impact on us, our couples, and our lives. So thank you! If you feel inspired by this post, remember you can easily pin our website photos on Pinterest, or save our IG posts for future reference. And if you want to share the love, we appreciate every single IG story mention, link share on Facebook, and DM to your adventurous friend that just got engaged and you know for a fact won’t feel “at home” in a ballroom 😉 and lastly, FYI, we are not booking more than 30 elopements in 2020 and we’re already over halfway full. If you’re considering working with us, fill out the contact form on our website and let’s get this ball rollin 😎

December 29, 2019 | Audrey + Peter’s Moab Elopement + Others

A few more favorites from our 2019 In Review blog post! If you missed the blog post this weekend head to the link in our bio to see! Thank you SO much to everyone who commented and shared about it. I’ve re-scrolled through the post myself probably 10 times now, it just makes me so happy to remember all the incredible adventures we did with couples this year 🥰

We’re getting excited for 2020 and all the amazing things we have in store! I want to work harder toward sticking with our values and goals even more so, and saying “no” to anything that doesn’t align, even if it’s a good thing. This year, we really want to focus on the big things that matter to us: • Giving each couple we work with an incredible experience and photo gallery that exceeds all expectations • Taking time for ourselves to foster our passions and try new ones • Taking time to enjoy and love our community of friends and family • Setting an example of outdoor and allyship advocacy with our actions as well as our voices.

These are the things that matter deeply to us! We always expect to grow and change, but these core values are so important and we hope to weigh our business decisions against them, every time. When you work for yourself, it can be so easy to say yes yes yes to every new opportunity and idea, but as my friend @indiaearl says, “every yes is a no to something else” and this year, I want to avoid saying no to the points above. I am excited to continue to share with you all how we stick with these goals in 2020 🖤

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@thehearnes | @abbihearne | @callenhearne