Groom wipes away tears at a wedding ceremony in Wyoming at sunrise.
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Grand Teton National Park Elopement at Schwabacher Landing at Sunrise

Nate & Allie were first interested in an elopement in Colorado, but I happened to be planning a trip out to Grand Teton National Park during the date & time period they had in mind for their elopement. Once I told them more about the Tetons & the amazing mountains in Wyoming, they were hooked. I helped with permits in Grand Teton National Park & helped them settle on Schwabacher Landing at sunrise for their elopement in Wyoming. Like many couples, they had something else planned for their wedding & were going to have an international destination wedding, but COVID forced a change in plans.

Getting Ready at Jackson Hole Lodge

They stayed at the Jackson Hole Lodge in Jackson, Wyoming. The lodge has that rustic Wyoming charm & easy access to all of the rooms. It really is an amazing place to stay & offers easy access to all the shops & restaurants in downtown Jackson. They did most of their getting ready at the lodge. Whenever you are planning your elopement, booking a nice place to have to get ready in is always good to have. It allows for great photos & just an easy place to go back to so you can relax the rest of the day.

We met at the Jackson Hole Lodge & then went to Schwabacher Landing where Allie changed into her dress. Since they wanted to do a first look, I help Allie with her dress & buttoned it up for her. We also met their officiant & witness their just before sunrise. Funny story about their witness, he is actually an old friend that they originally had met while canyoneering in Moab. They randomly ran into him in Jackson a day before their elopement & asked him to be one of their witnesses. I thought it was pretty special because a lot of times in these places you have to ask random hikers & other people to be a witness in states that require them, which can be really fun. But they randomly ran into someone they knew & he was able to be one of their witnesses for the elopement ceremony! If you were wondering who signed as their other witness, it was me.

Their Elopement Ceremony at Schwabacher Landing at Sunrise

We met before sunrise because we really wanted that amazing color & alpenglow on the Tetons. Even though it was summer, it was a pretty cold morning at around 35F. When you’re planning an elopement in the mountains (even in the middle of summer) be sure you are prepared for cold temperatures! I got Nate into place for their first look & as Allie came down the trail, Nate got to see her for the first time. They just took a moment & hugged each other & took in the view.

They read their very special vows to each other. Their vows were very personalized & they even included quite a few of their adventures together in their vows & just made them very personal. I definitely teared up a bit because their vows, combined with Tom’s amazing ceremony, & the sunrise, it was just all so beautiful. If you’ve read any of my other posts here or on Instagram, I am emotional & I definitely tend to tear up at almost every elopement!

Tom Jordan was their officiant in Grand Teton National Park. He put together such an amazing ceremony for Nate & Allie’s elopement in the Tetons. He worked with them over the phone to make their ceremony what they wanted it to be. Don’t you just love the way he dresses with his western style? Anyways, if you are eloping in Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, or anywhere around the Jackson, Wyoming area, definitely consider Tom Jordan as an officiant for your wedding ceremony.

After their ceremony at Schwabacher Landing, we went further down the trail to some of the beaver ponds. They popped some champagne & Nate’s mom got them some engraved champagne flutes for a little bit of a celebration. After more photos & exploring around at Schwabacher Landing, we went to another part of Grand Teton National Park to hike around some of the lakes.

Hiking Around Lakes of Grand Teton National Park

The golden morning sunlight coming through the trees was just perfect. The sun helped it to gradually warm up to around 60F. I just love how all the dust on the trail really added to that romantic light. Allie just let her dress drag & it kicked up some dust & picked up some sticks along the way. We hiked along the lakes & stopped at a few different spots. We had the trail mostly to ourselves but saw a few people along the way.

Towards the end of the hike, they set up a little picnic of wine & cheese near the water. They both really love wine & cheese, but they both describe themselves as “cheap asses” & don’t like to spend too much on certain things & honestly I am so much the same way. Experiences over things, am I right? But who needs the fancy stuff when the cheaper wines & cheeses can be just as good?

As we headed back, it was so fun to see everyone’s different reactions to seeing a couple elope in the Grand Tetons. A lot of people were surprised & the majority of them congratulated them on their elopement in the Tetons. That’s just one more element that can add to your elopement day & help make your elopement just a little more special!

Learn more about how to plan a national park elopement

“Malachi was great!! He helped us find an amazing site to elope in Grand Teton National Park & then found lots of great places to stop along different trails to take amazing and creative photos. He was also willing to coach us through different poses, which we really needed! He made it comfortable for us & took some great candid shots. He is a cool guy too! We love our photos & are so happy that we found Malachi.” – Nate & Allie


Malachi Lewis is an adventure elopement photographer at Shell Creek Photography.

Malachi Lewis

Photographer