Kyle and Rachel are Married! | Dusk Elopement at Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve

Kyle and Rachel got engaged a couple of years ago, and they were ready to make things official; instead of a traditional wedding, these sweet lovebirds decided to elope! They live in Grafton, Wisconsin and love exploring Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve together with their toddler, Emerson. Since this beautiful spot is a part of their lives, it was the perfect place for their romantic elopement. We first connected over the phone to plan things out together, and on the day of everything went swimmingly! It was an honor to be both photographer and witness 💗

The evening started with their exciting First Look on the boardwalk. Rachel made her way toward Kyle and tapped him on the shoulder. Their reactions to seeing each other were so wonderful to capture! Afterward, we made our way around the park for some portraits. While we didn’t get the Fall golden hour sun we were hoping for, the clouds gave us nice even lighting and we created some “sun” with flash (yep, any portraits/cake cutting moments you see that have sunshine softly streaming in… those are all done with some creative lighting techniques!).

Shortly before their sunset ceremony time, the two of them set up an adorable little picnic, featuring apricot cheesecake and champagne! It was fun capturing some candid photos of them as they cut their cake together and snuggled on the blanket. Soon it was time for their outdoor wedding ceremony on the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. Complete with Jewish traditions of circling, blessing over the wine, and breaking the glass, Rabbi Michal Woll performed a meaningful and touching ceremony. Twilight soon turned to dusk, and the mood was just so peaceful. They were radiating joy as they exchanged their vows, and we love their celebratory high-five and, of course, their first kiss as newlyweds!

Mazel tov, Rachel and Kyle! We’re so happy for you, and we wish you many happy years together!