Eleven Mile State Park Summer Elopement
dogs walked them in, vows at sunset, smash burgers by the fire
Okay so this day with Jess and Kelli was really special.
It was the two of them, their dogs, and Eleven Mile State Park doing its thing, and some loved ones that swung by for some of the ceremonial intimate moments. They got ready outside of their newly renovated trailer that they’d worked their asses off on, dogs sprawled everywhere, zero nerves, just excited energy buzzing around.
Once dressed, we headed down to the shoreline and their dogs literally walked them in. No aisle, no drama, just wagging tails and the best kind of chaos. And they said their vows with the sun dropping low, everything glowing.
One of my favorite moments was the surprise flowers and moment of words for a mother in-law that was present. Just this sweet, grounding reminder that eloping doesn’t mean leaving family out, it just means doing it your way.
Afterwards we wandered the shoreline while the sky turned soft pink, signed their marriage license with their dogs as witnesses (as it should be), and then crushed smash burgers under the stars. As in, they cooked me dinner and we sat around the campfire bringing the night to a close. Like… elite wedding dinner energy.
We wrapped up and everyone headed to bed, them in the trailer, me in my Suburban. Full (just kidding I could have had 10 more of those smashburgers), tired, and very aware that this is exactly how that day was supposed to feel.
