This Marrakech elopement inspiration designed and photographed by Fotomagoria proves why Morocco is the perfect wedding day backdrop for adventurous couples! The pre-wedding photo shoot showed off the romantic, winding alleyways of the medinas, traditional dress designed by Ekaterina Kukhareva, and the grandeur of Moroccan interior design at Riad Dar Darma. For the actual wedding day, the team traveled by camel into the Agafay Desert where sand dunes and a tent with beautiful textiles were all that was needed to create an unforgettable elopement.
For backpackers Courtney and Rian, the epic views and sentimentality of Yosemite National Park made choosing Glacier Point Amphitheater and Yosemite Valley Lodge for their wedding a no-brainer! In fact, before choosing anything else for their wedding, this adventure-seeking couple chose the locations that spoke to their soul, and then let everything else fall into place. From the bride’s simple yet elegant dress from Wear Your Love XO to the earthy color palette down to the trail mix favors for the guests, every detail complemented the mountain aesthetic and the natural hues that make it one of the most beautiful locations in the US. Thankfully, Alysha Miller Photography was there to capture every moment of this intimate and wildly romantic day!
When we started planning our wedding, the most important thing we wanted was for our wedding to be meaningful and intentional. Whatever we chose, it had to be special to us, even if that meant going against the wedding industry’s “norms”. For us, that meant saying our vows in a place that was special to us and our relationship.
As backpackers, we’ve hiked many miles in Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevadas. In fact, Rian proposed on the 6th and final day of backpacking the High Sierra Trail in Sequoia National Park, on the top of Mt. Whitney, at sunrise (let that sink in). The mountains and specifically Yosemite National Park is a place that we keep coming back to and a place where our relationship has blossomed into what it is today. We essentially chose Yosemite National Park, which led us to choose Glacier Point, before we decided on any other aspect of the wedding. All other decisions after that, including the guest list, were made in order to make it happen. We really took care and time creating a day that would have meaning to us, and a day that would feel special to our guests. We were excited to share such a magical place with our loved ones, many of whom had never been there before.
Our officiant was a family friend. We exchanged phone calls and emails to talk about how we met, our first date, what drew us to wanting to pursue a relationship, and other details of our relationship. From there she crafted such a personal and moving ceremony that blew us away! We wrote our own vows and reciting those vows to one another was incredibly touching. One symbolic item that we chose to include was the sequoia tree. Relative to their size and height, sequoias have a shallow root system. You will often see them growing in pairs because they intertwine their roots, offering support to each other. And they need fire to thrive and reproduce. The heat of fire opens up the seed pods, burns away brush on the forest floor, and provides necessary nutrients to the soil for young sequoias to grow. The comparison of the sequoia tree to human relationships really spoke to us.
The inspiration for our wedding day attire was the sky and granite cliffs of Yosemite National Park. I wanted to compliment the natural surroundings, not compete with it. I wanted our wedding party to dress up but feel comfortable. I also wanted to look cohesive without being too matchy. Our wedding party wore various shades of blue and I found several floral ties on Etsy that complimented one another.
I know this has been said a ton, but it is so true: you have to stay true to you, your fiance, and your budget when planning a wedding! There will be so many opinions and unsolicited advice coming your way. Some of it will be helpful but a lot of it can get you off track if you let it. Take the opinions and advice with grace, smile politely, and, at the end of the day, know that you cannot please everyone. Those who can come will come and those who can’t will be missed. Additionally, Excel and Google Docs are a life saver for staying organized!
Rian‘s mom makes a batch of granola for us every time we go on a backpacking trip. It sort of became a tradition that she’d send us off with a fresh batch each time. She even made some for us to take on our honeymoon! So for our wedding favors, she made several batches that we then packaged into small bags for our guests.
The ’70s wedding vibes are going strong, and the retro color palette in Ariana and Morgan’s Hill Country wedding at The Greenhouse at Driftwood is our new obsession! A mix of marigold, goldenrod, and red-orange florals designed by Sweetwater Stems popped brilliantly against their boho decor and brought the greenhouse space to life in the most vibrant way. The bride’s custom Elizabeth Leese Bridal gown and the bridesmaids mismatched, floral print dresses were the cherries on top of such an epic design. Every detail, down to the illustrated fans made by Shay MacMorran Art and cornhole set made by the groom, had a bold, slightly tropical, totally retro feel! Luckily for us, The Teagues were on hand to capture every incredible element of this Hill Country summer wedding!
Morgan and I grew up in the Hill Country, but we knew we did not want to get married in our hometown of Fredericksburg. We decided to check out the Driftwood area right outside of Austin since it is still apart of the Hill Country and we stumbled upon The Greenhouse at Driftwood. The venue is truly one of kind and gives off the feeling that you’re in the Arizona desert or Joshua Tree, but without actually having to travel to those destinations.
The most important thing to us was that everyone had the night of their lives, which means everyone would have to get their groove on. We decided we really wanted to have a band for our reception and that was by far the best decision we could have made. The Love & Happiness band kept our guests on the dance floor all night. (I think I even saw my Dad on the dance floor at one point, which was shocking!) All in all, we had the best time being surrounded by friends and family and seeing everyone having a good time together it will forever be a highlight.
I think my favorite thing about the entire wedding planning process was getting to work with Elizabeth Leese on my very own custom wedding gown. I knew that I wanted a custom gown pretty early on in the planning process because it would be something that was 110% percent me. From the choosing the design, color, and fabric, the entire process was so fun to be a part of. Having my very own Elizabeth Leese custom gown is something I will always hold dear to my heart.
The Teagues are the most bomb photographer duo on the planet. We were lucky enough to travel with them to Marfa, Texas for our engagement photos and so, by the time the wedding rolled around, we had spent plenty of time together getting to know each other. They truly captured the essence of our day and us as a couple. They ensured that we were never away from our guests or the fun for too long and produced photos that I will truly cherish forever.
There are few things more miserable than the Texas heat so we had custom fans made. Shay MacMorran of Shay MacMorran Art drew this incredible illustration of Morgan, me, and our 3-year-old pup, Ruby. We had the illustration printed onto cardstock and made into fans so that our guests could use them during the ceremony and also take them home as a keepsake. We were also fortunate enough to have Morgan‘s sister bake hundreds of sugar cookies that were cactus shaped (to tie into the greenhouse theme) and also gave those away to guests. They were so beautifully made that one almost felt too guilty to eat them.
Morgan made these incredible cornhole boards so that our guests could have a lawn game to play throughout the evening. The coolest part was that instead of painting a design on the front we decided to use a wallpaper adhesive with banana leaves to tie in with our incredible greenhouse venue.
There were so many amazing memories from the day, but if I had to choose just one then it would be our dance to“Linger” by The Cranberries. The evening is almost coming to an end and the band is taking their final break before their last set. “Linger” comes on and, at this point, Morgan and I are the only two on the dance floor and it all just hits me. There’s a voice in the back of my head telling me to stop and take a mental note of this moment, my surroundings, the faces of our guests, the details, my husband holding onto me, the song, the way I feel; to just stop, breathe, and let it all sink in. Now, I am not a super sentimental person by any means, but what everyone tells you is all so true. The day flew by and this felt like my one moment of just complete peace and absolute stillness where I could take it all in, tell myself to hold on to this exact moment for the rest of my life, and know that everything would always be okay. Needless to say, I was overcome with the amount of love I felt in that moment and couldn’t fight back the tears of just pure happiness!
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