North Carolina Adventure Elopement with the Perfect Sunset

As I looked back at this elopement while uploading it to the blog, I couldn’t help but gush all over again at all the amazing, absolutely beautiful images that were captured that wonderful Autumn day in the mountains. It’s been a top favorite of mine ever since then. Stone and Noah’s North Carolina adventure elopement is also memorable because it’s just another example of how elopements don’t go exactly as planned but still turn out to be an incredible experience.

Stone reached out to me after seeing pictures of Catherine + Scott’s adventure elopement on the blog and wanted the same for her and her fiancé, Noah. They loved the combination of waterfalls and the top of the mountains. (Who doesn’t?!) They were looking at eloping in October and, since October is the peak of tourist season in the mountains of western North Carolina, I asked about their flexibility with their date and if they possibly had availability during the week as it is typically less busy than the weekends. They happened to have a Monday off, so, we got them married on a Monday! 😁

On that very Monday, we met at the trailhead for the falls and made the trek down to its basin. Stone and Noah had their first look inside the slot canyon I have dubbed The Abyss. It’s the very narrow gash in the tremendous gorge wall that made for a beautiful and intimate setting for the two of them.

As we walked toward the water to set up for their ceremony, the sun was just starting to go behind the trees at the top of the gorge. This one rock right along the river provided the perfect amount of space for Stone, Noah, and the Adventure Officiant, Vanessa with the raging waterfall behind them. The spot had a wonderful glow that lit the couple from behind beautifully, having them stand out against the darkening gorge in what looks like a heavenly ray of light. Every shot I kept taking just felt like magic.

Stone and Noah were just laughing and were fully present, in the moments and overcome with gratitude for one another’s commitment to each other. It turned out to be an amazing little ceremony for them down there at the falls.

On our expedition back up the gorge from the falls basin, I noticed Stone and Noah were definitely getting their workout in, and at that point in time I proposed a few options for the next step in our journey that day. I’m all about realistic expectations, so I informed the couple that the next trail we were planning to head to is a little longer and a little more strenuous than the effortful hike we had currently been experiencing. It was up to them to decide if they wanted to stick with the original plan or pivot to an easier trail for sunset. I told them it would be close to where we were to initially hike and yield the same vast mountain views that they were looking for. They trusted me and went for the new idea which, in the end, set us up for the perfect way to cap off the festivities; We spent more time down at the falls than we had anticipated and we surely didn’t want to miss sunset, so it turned out to be the best bet to head to the other trail. It even turned out better for intimacy sake as well, so it all seemed to turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

By the time we made it to our final trailhead of the day, hiked out and made our way to our destination to watch the sunset, we were already on the tail-end of golden hour. There were calm winds and the slightest chill in the air as the sunlight began to fade. Beautiful hues of pink, orange, and red began to form in the sky even before the sun went behind the mountains. I kept thinking that every shot I was taking was just pure beauty and authentic love.

The three of us stayed up there until it got rather dark. Stone and Noah were rewarded with such a wonderful sunset with so many different colors in the sky that evening. They were also so excited about finishing the night off with the lanterns which we had a ton of fun with.

We chatted a bit as we arrived back at our cars at the trailhead that evening. Stone and Noah were super cool, super chill, and were all about going with the flow, which is a big factor that holds such importance for adventure elopements. At the culmination of their epic wedding day, Stone and Noah looked like they had and awesome time and I was just happy to help them create that!

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