The rain was falling heavily while I was driving through the clouds on Skyline Drive. As I pulled up to Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah National Park, I received a text from Alek, “I think we just want to get drentched in our wedding clothes”…

Alek and Jon’s elopement in Shenandoah National Park was simply magical. We started out the day at Big Meadows Lodge where they had their very special first look and vow exchange in the Spottswood Dining Room. The pouring rain made the day inside Big Meadows Lodge so cozy and the cloudy light made everything dreamy, it was absolutely perfect.

After their vow exchange, we had made plans to go out around locations within Shenandoah to get some portraits but, the rain was steadily coming down.

Fortunately, Alek and Jon made the amazing decision to just embrace the rain. I was ecstatic.

We ran around the park laughing like little kids, feeling the rain on our faces and the mud on our shoes. It was completely unforgettable.

I will always be one for getting completely soaked while running around in the rain, it makes me feel alive. But I know that can be hard to accept when you have visions of a sunlit, rainless elopement.

Alek and Jon’s elopement is a perfect example of why it’s okay to embrace what you’re given on your day. You can’t change it so simply enjoy it. Let go. Be in the moment. You won’t regret that.

And now, Alek has mud stains on the bottom of her dress that will always remind her of the magical time she had with Jon on their elopement in Shenandoah National Park. They both have memories of laughing while chasing each other around a National Park in the pouring rain. They both can hold on to that unrestrained feeling of being present, completely in the moment on a day that means so much to them.

After our adventure in the rain, we stopped in for a drink at the New Market Taproom in the lower lever of Big Meadows Lodge and then we waited in the great room for dinner. The lodge had a fire going in the fireplace and it was so comfortable and cozy after being in the rain. If you’ve ever been to the Big Meadows Lodge, you know that they have puzzles, board games, books, etc. in the great room, completely absent of technology giving you room to breathe. And that’s what we did, we stayed present in the moment. Alek, Jon, and their guests laughed and shared stories while doing puzzles in the cozy light of the cloudy day and fireplace glow.

Soon dinner was ready for us, we made our way into the dining room where Alek and Jon shared a warm meal and drinks with their guests while we watched the lightning and rain continue outside. Alek and Jon ended their night with their version of a cake cutting which included Shenandoah National Park’s famous blackberry pie.

Words cannot begin to convey how much I loved working with Alek and Jon on their elopement. Capturing the smiles, the laughs, the rain, the love, and all the small, beautiful moments was an honor.

They won’t forget it and neither will I.

Are your ready to jump into your own Shenandoah National Park elopement?