They Fell in Love With Maine... Then Eloped There

Dani and Adam kiss during their intimate outdoor elopement ceremony in Maine.

I don't think people just choose New England for their weddings. At least not the people I tend to photograph. It starts with one trip, and they fall in love. Before they know it, they're texting each other Zillow listings six months later.

(Okay, maybe not everyone. But Dani and Adam definitely did.)

The first time they visited Maine together was in early 2021. They stayed at Craignair Inn in Spruce Head, spent time exploring the coast, and somewhere along the way they completely fell in love with the state.

So much so that they decided they wanted to buy a house here. And they decided they wanted to get married here, too.

Honestly... I can't think of a better reason to choose a wedding location than the simple act of finding a place that feels like ‘home’.

Meeting in the Woods

Beautiful engagement photos at Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio.

Even though their wedding would eventually take place on the coast of Maine, I actually met Dani and Adam months earlier in Ohio.

Since they lived in Ohio and I was back visiting family, we met up at Hocking Hills State Park for their engagement session.

If you've ever been to Ash Cave, you already know it's kind of magical. It honestly feels like the setting for a fantasy novel…

At one point, Dani and Adam were standing out in the water with the waterfall behind them, and I remember thinking they looked like elves… Or fairies. Or maybe characters who had just wandered out of The Lord of the Rings.

Either way, they looked amazing and right at home out in the middle of nowhere.

The Best Photos Happen When You Forget the Camera

Dani and Adam laugh during their engagement photos.

One of my favorite things about that afternoon had nothing to do with the scenery. It was connecting with them and watching Dani relax and trust me. She’d told me she wasn’t a photo person, which I hear all the time. Adam, on the other hand, walked into the session with enough confidence for both of them. Thanks to his silliness, and the way I guided them into “moments” like walking through the woods together or dancing in the water, our session felt like friends hanging out instead of a laundry list of poses.

That's usually when my favorite photos happen.

Returning to the Place That Started It All

Exchanging rings during their November beach elopement ceremony.

A few months later, they returned to Craignair Inn (the place where they fell in love with Maine) for their elopement.

Their ceremony took place on the beach across from the inn on a chilly November afternoon. Just the two of them, their officiants and their two closest friends as witnesses. The ocean stretching out behind them.

Simple, peaceful, quirky, and completely 100% them.

Winter Colors and Coastal Air

I loved everything about the vibe of the day, from Dani’s silky gray dress and gorgeous bouquet to Adam’s boots.

One of my favorite things from their wedding day was Dani's bouquet.

Instead of the bright colors you often see at weddings, it was filled with soft blues, deep grays, black accents, and warm golds.

It somehow matched the Maine coastline perfectly.

She wore a beautiful silk gray dress that reminded me of flowing water, and the whole day had this quiet, cozy, ethereal feeling to it.

Not cozy in the "everyone's wearing sweaters by the fire" kind of way. More like the kind of cozy that comes from being exactly where you're supposed to be with your favorite person.

A Place That Means Something

The Craignair Inn is where Dani and Adam fell in love with Maine, which made their elopement even more special than it already was.

I think one of the reasons this wedding has stuck with me is because it reminds me that your wedding location doesn't have to be the most famous venue or the trendiest destination.

Sometimes it's simply the place that changed something inside you.

For Dani and Adam, that place was Maine.

It was where they dreamed about their future.

Where they imagined building a home together.

Where they wanted to promise forever.

And that's pretty hard to beat.

If you're planning an intimate wedding or elopement, don't feel like you have to choose a location because it's popular on Pinterest or because someone else tells you it's the "right" place to get married. Choose the place that already means something to you. Maybe that’s a trail where you hiked together or the beach you keep coming back to. Maybe it’s the little inn where you first started dreaming about your future.

Those places already hold part of your story. Your wedding is simply the next chapter.