Their Elopement: Harriman State Park, Sloatsburg, New York

Although their original plans had to change, Kelsey and Dan totally made the most of their epic elopement adventure at Harriman State Park! Originally, they were going to split their celebration into 3 different events: a restaurant with their families in Ottowa, a cottage weekend with friends in Toronto, and lunch in their home in New York so that they could spend more time with everyone and have a laid back vibe. Since all of that is postponed until who knows when (thanks, Covid!), they just wanted to do something simple and just for themselves!

I absolutely love that these two chose an intimate elopement with an officiant marrying them over a Zoom call and myself as their witness! They chose such a gorgeous hike out in New York that was full of beautiful nature for us to explore together. They had an emotional first look, a powerful and romantic ceremony that left them both in tears, and then plenty of time for them to just soak in their marriage! They privately said their vows up the hill before having their first dance in a gorgeous bed of ferns! Seriously, this elopement day was unbelievable and so emotional from minute one!

They were SUCH troopers as they had some rental car malfunctions on their way to their elopement, so they had to call a cab and change plans a bit. What I loved is how laid back and relaxed their day was, so we didn’t have to stress about getting off time a bit or changing our plans. Everything worked out so beautifully!

Their Love Story

Kelsey and Dan met in their first year at the University in Toronto in math class – they were both math majors! They’ve been dating for 11 years, and many of those years were spent long-distance from New York to Toronto and New York to Baltimore! Although they had a lot of fun getting to explore so many cities together, they love and appreciate how nice it is finally living in the same place!

They got engaged early last year after going to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, The Nomad! Dan proposed once they got back home!

When I asked they two what they like to do for date nights, Kelsey said, “I like dragging Dan on adventures that I usually find by staring at Google Maps for a long time, looking for biking or hiking trails. Once we are able to get back on NJ Transit again, we are most looking forward to taking our bikes to the rails-to-trails bike path along the coast to Sandy Hook!” Love how adventurous these two are, and they tied that love of nature into their intimate elopement day so perfectly!

Kelsey and Dan,

Thank you for choosing me to document your love story and the start of your forever together! I am honored that I got to be your witness, capture your emotional elopement, and celebrate your love on such a beautiful hike! Wishing you two endless happiness and love as you continue to take on life together as a married couple! Congratulations!! <3