Hannah and Justin's Dreamy Boho Joshua Tree National Park Elopement | PNW Wedding Photographer
You might remember Hannah and Justin from their coastal engagement session last summer! We met when we were all living on the east coast with a shared dream of moving out west some day. Well, “some day” came very quickly for all of us as H+J headed to San Diego with their sweet pup, Maple Bacon Pancake. Shortly after they departed, I packed up my own car and drove out to Oregon! We started FaceTiming and making plans for their April elopement weekend, booked our AirBnb, booked my flight, and then Covid hit and our plans were paused indefinitely. The summer came around and we still didn’t have a new date set. Looking at my August calendar, I realized I had a two week window with nothing scheduled. While I didn’t feel safe flying yet, I called Hannah and Justin with a crazy idea, “Y’all, what if I drove????” And I did just that.
In August I left with my great friend and second shooter, Chelsea, and we drove all the way from Portland, Oregon to Joshua Tree, California and back. I love a good road trip, and what better reason than to get these two married?! I went all in for Justin and Hannah. I got ordained in California, and was actually the one to marry them. I FaceTimed Hannah while she was in HomeGoods so that we could come through clearance and pick out decor for them. Chelsea and I picked up all of the florals from the LA flower market on our way to meet them. We picked out the AirBnb together. I always help with planning, but this was another level, and I couldn’t have had more fun or be happier with how everything turned out.
We all woke up before sunrise to start getting ready, and Jess Gonzo came to the AirBnb to do Hannah’s hair. Bless her for getting up so early! I mean we all did, but she had to DRIVE to us. She did such an amazing job and added so much fun and laughter to the morning too. We did their first look across the street from the AirBnb, where we all shed tears of joy. Spoiler alert, we didn’t stop crying all day. From there we piled into my beloved Kia Sorento (Molly Wheelsley) and drove into the park. We new the area where we wanted to have the ceremony, but picked the exact spot that morning. The sun was rising high after these two said “I do”, and since it was one of the hottest weeks on earth, we all went back to the AirBnb for air conditioning and naps. We returned to the park in the evening for golden hour portraits, and still had time to do some stargazing together before going to bed after the most perfect day ever.
