The scenes change but the story remains the same; big wedding plans are getting scrapped and people are coming to the mountains to get it done in the best way possible.
Laura and Andrew’s Los Angeles party this spring was another casualty of Covid-19 so they landed on a Mammoth elopement and it was the perfect contingency.
Like Alexandra & Eric a few weeks prior, we started with a quick and breezy ceremony on the beach at Convict Lake. It was the absolute ideal time to do this, as the summer crowds hadn’t showed up to Mammoth yet and the beach was mostly our own.
Local officiant Jill Orozco brought her unique brand of good mountain vibes to the ceremony and kept it light and fun.
We wrapped up on the beach with a big finale as some nearby fisherman applauded. Then, in true hilarious Mammoth fashion, Jill’s husband Ron took a break from fishing to sign the document and make it official (in his tie-die shirt and with a fishing pole in his other hand).
Next we hit up a few of my favorite vistas around the lake and then headed back towards Mammoth to catch last light on a few of my favorite high points around town. The roads to higher elevations hadn’t yet opened so we had to be creative to get up high enough but we found some excellent last light in some cool golden foliage looking across to Mammoth Mountain.
We finished and then Laura and Andrew departed for their Eastern Sierra backpacking mini honeymoon for a few days. Again it wasn’t what they expected it to be six months ago–not even close–but it gave them a chance to get married in the spot they met on a college trip several years earlier. That wasn’t in the cards when they had to plan around the whole family and I was so stoked to be there with them.
We’ve continued to work with this summer’s couples to either delay until 2021 or switch it up to a small celebration like this and it’s been a great start to the summer despite all the altered plans. Check back soon for shots from Brittany and Jeff’s similar elopement above Mammoth Lakes from last weekend, as well as wherever else this unexpected summer takes us. Thanks so much.
