An Intentional Elopement Adventure in the Porcupine Mountains

Shortly after saying “I do” in a legal wedding at their local courthouse, this amazing couple traded routine life for winding trails and old-growth forest. They wanted something more than a paper certificate and a few quick photos. They wanted to slow down. Reflect. Celebrate this new chapter in a place that means something to them.

This wasn’t about recreating a wedding day or staging formal portraits. This post-elopement session in Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains was all about intention. A quiet adventure through some of the most stunning fall scenery the Upper Peninsula has to offer, and a chance to really take in the meaning of the moment.

Throughout our time together, I invited them to pause. Not just for photos, but for reflection. To think about their story, how they got here, what they’ve built together, and where they’re headed next. I asked them to write letters to one another: honest words about love, commitment, and the road ahead. Later, tucked deep in the forest, they read those letters to one another.

This took place in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. We started at Bonanza Falls then I took them to a secret beach and grove of trees that no one really knows about. Then we headed to the old deep wood where giant pines loom overhead and it’s always dark. Then on to the Lake of the Clouds where we took in the stunning vista, they shared pumpkin spice cupcakes from Erin at Copper Country Sweets, and we explored the trails as the sunset lit up the sky in a spectacular show of color.

It was thoughtful, personal, and completely unhurried. A fall post-elopement adventure session rooted in reflection, connection, and the kind of beauty that doesn’t need a crowd.

Click play (for a custom soundtrack), listen and scroll down to see their story.