May 15th, 2020.

Nicole & Byron had plans to get married at Happy Days Lodge in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. However due to Covid-19, they quickly realized that was no longer possible on the date they chose. They decided to elope on the ledges with just us present, as well as her brother who officiated. They plan to have a reception at Happy Days Lodge next year.

We originally met them for lunch late last year as an initial getting to know each other meeting. We then did their engagement session in Chicago where they live, and they showed us all their favorite local spots, but especially a cute pie & biscuit bakery called Bang Bang. We were lucky enough to have more pie from Bang Bang on Nicole and Byron's elopement day!

Their day started with getting ready in separate hotel rooms. These detail photos are some of my favorites I've ever taken. Using a map of the park we had got the day before, I positioned their rings on the spot they would be getting married at in a few hours. After doing their first look in the woods, they walked together down the aisle of trees to begin their ceremony on the ledge. Just a couple minutes into their ceremony, it started pouring rain. The atmosphere glistened, and rain starting soaking into the train of her dress. They spoke their vows clearly to each other, while the rain and wind sung around them. It was a beautiful ceremony!

We spent the rest of the day hiking and sharing stories. Eloping is awesome, and I'm so glad Byron and Nicole chose us to be there with them!