Colorful Winter Elopement in Stillwater

I’ve been holding off on sharing this colorful winter elopement in Stillwater for a whole entire year! These two really did the elopement thing, with just the bride’s parents and the judge invited (well, and me), and didn’t tell a soul until they got married a year later.

Sebastein and Alison were set to get married in 2020, but of course we all know that didn’t go according to plan. They postponed their wedding date for 2021, but it was postponed AGAIN due to a resurgence in restrictions that winter. So, while they postponed their full fete for January of 2022, they decided to get married anyway in secret. I had met these two at the end of 2021, and was immediately obsessed with their style, so I was beyond thrilled when they asked me to photograph their elopement in Stillwater!

Due to more Covid rules, the judge couldn’t marry them indoors. I helped them choose Square Lake Park as their location due to its privacy in the winter and stunning, tall pine tree backdrop. And while we knew it would be cold (because it’s January in Minnesota), their elopement day ended up falling on one of the absolute coldest days of the year – we’re talking negative temperatures before wind chill. It. was. COLD. But we all knew it would still be worth it, so we bundled up and committed.

If you’re looking for permission to wear whatever the hell you want on your wedding day, here it is! Alison looked absolutely freaking phenomenal in her pink, heart patterned Betsey Johnson dress, faux fur jacket, and white Doc Martens. And Sebastein’s sage green velvet bow tie?! The bright pink bouquet and boutonniere were really just the icing on the cake.

The ceremony

There are so many things I love about tiny elopements. The intimacy to witness such a small, personal ceremony is one of the best parts of this work. These two didn’t want to wait any longer to get married, so they just did the thing! The fact that we couldn’t feel our fingers or toes was quickly forgotten. The love between everyone in the space was so warm and inviting.

Elopement portraits at Square Lake Park

Pockets full of hand warmers, we trekked into the snow for a few couples photos right after the ceremony.

Time for the champagne

Did you even have champagne at your elopement if you don’t open the bottle with a sword? Apparently it has to be super cold for this to work (luckily we had plenty of that). I had never seen anyone do this before, and it was really cool! Alison was really excited when she got to open hers! And don’t worry, all bottle debris was tracked down and disposed of, and no champagne was wasted!

do whatever you want on your elopement day!

Whether you want to wear a pink dress and open a bottle of champagne with a sword, or you want to fly away to Vegas and get married by an Elvis impersonator, the biggest piece of advice I can give to any couple getting married is: Do whatever the hell makes you happy! I hope this colorful winter elopement in Stillwater gives you the inspiration you need to do just that.