Picture this: it’s the day before your wedding. How do you imagine yourself spending your time? Are you scrambling to pull together last-minute details or are you at a long rehearsal dinner? Maybe you’re packing for your honeymoon? Friend, I’ve got an idea: why don’t you two go on an adventure together instead? This couple decided to extend their adventurous elopement into a two-day experience by opting for day-before wedding photos. Here’s why you should definitely do a day-before or day-after wedding photoshoot!

Day-Before or Day-After Photos: Let Me Be Your Guide

If you opt to skip engagement photos or you already have an engagement photographer booked, then using your included session (depending on your package) for a day-before or day-after wedding photoshoot can be the perfect option! 

I don’t take a discount off the package price, but you can swap your engagement session for rehearsal dinner coverage, a honeymoon session (travel not included), or other wedding photo ideas you may have. My couple decided to go with pre-wedding photos as a way to use the engagement session included in their wedding package. Our schedules didn’t happen to align for a session so they were able to swap it out for another adventure! 

I can be as hands-on as you prefer in the planning process. Gabby and Dom let me have creative freedom in helping plan time of day and locations for their elopement and day-before photos! It was so fun scouting and imagining the photos I was hoping to take. The experience was better in real life than the photos could ever show!

Ideas for Your Wedding Photoshoot

Go to the Location of Your Dreams

We were in Brookings, Oregon for Gabby and Dom’s elopement which is the most southern city on the Oregon Coast. It’s quite literally 10 minutes from the California border and the California Redwoods begin right there! They chose Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park for their day-before wedding photoshoot because it was so close and they loved that it had such a different vibe!

If you can’t choose between two locations then this option allows you to do both! The Redwoods are insane and just so mesmerizing. The light that streams through the trees is STUNNING and I was able to scout a little earlier to know the best timing. The sun was absolutely perfect and it was just the greatest walking around exploring with these two. Dom was seriously so sweet saving caterpillars and taking photos of them!

Fully Experience Your Wedding Destination

For destination weddings or elopements, most of your time is spent on travel. When you’re traveling to the destination of your dreams or your most beloved spots, you don’t want to miss enjoying the area. Why not take advantage of the fact that you’re already there?!

You have so much going on during your wedding day that it’s hard to settle and just BE. Planning a cushion of time around the wedding allows for delays and gives us the chance to capture you in the beautiful place you’ve traveled to in a way that isn’t rushed or forced. Sometimes, my couples stay in their elopement destination and enjoy their honeymoon there too!

Have Your Wedding and an Elopement Too!

Sometimes, you can have it all. With a day-before or day-after wedding photoshoot, you can have a big wedding day then follow it up with an adventure or even an elopement. There are so many options for what you can do during your extra session: style your hair differently but wear the same dress, trash the dress, wear a different suit, etc.

For Gabby and Dom’s elopement, they decided to do a first look during blue hour followed by reading personal vows. They were alone in one of the most insane spots I’ve been to yet, and still it was all about the two of them. They shared vows, committed their lives to each other for forever, and I got to witness it all.

The southern Oregon coast is just one of the most mind blowing and jaw-dropping places ever. It was so special, and a morning I hope they never forget. I’ll always be grateful for the honor to step into these moments with my camera to capture them for a lifetime.

Day-Before or Day-After Wedding Photoshoot: Enjoy Your Wedding More

One of the biggest reasons behind my love of doing engagement sessions with clients is that it helps us get to know each other. It also allows you to feel more comfortable in front of the camera, providing ease as we enter into the wedding day knowing you can trust me more than you already do!

No matter what your wedding photoshoot ends up looking like, it helps you enjoy the overall wedding experience more. One of the best parts of my job as your elopement photographer is learning about all these fun locations, the best light, and being your guide to planning the perfect shoot!

Thinking about having it all for your wedding day? Let’s plan yours, friend!