Jess & Barry’s Maine Elopement iN acadia

SWELL & STONE / ADVENTURE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER / Maine & BEYOND

When Jess and Barry decided to elope in Acadia National Park in the late fall I knew that anything could happen with the weather. What we got was one of the nicest days in the whole season, which they managed to fill to the brim with joy, great views, and time with family. Their Acadia National Park wedding was one of the highlights of the season.

The day started early in the morning when we met for their first look at the beach. It was gorgeous and we were all shocked that it wasn’t completely freezing outside. They had their first look before the sun rose in the morning twilight before we walked up to an overlook to catch the sunrise. The sun put on a show and birds swooped low making the views truly something special.

From there we went over to one of the carriage roads. They had hiked this particular road together before, but what none of us knew if that we were in for a light ray show of the century. At one point I turned around to snap some photos of them and noticed light streaming through the trees. It was stunning and I couldn’t conceal my excitement. They held hands and ran back and forth and danced and kissed, and this is just one of those moments that you can’t replicate. It’s not a place or a view, it’s simply a moment in time when all the elements lined up exactly right and magic was the result- serendipity.

We finished our hike to the cobblestone bridge and made our way back. We met up later for the more formal part of the day which started with getting ready. Jess had accumulated a lot of sand and dirt in her dress from the morning adventure, but she had successfully cleaned it up for the formal ceremony- which was also set to be on a mountaintop, so more dirt was in store.

After getting ready and family portraits, Jess had a quick outfit change before we were on our way to the ceremony. The ceremony was on the side of a gorgeous mountain with an incredible view. The families all gathered in the spot before Jess’s dad walked her down the… rock “aisle”? The wind was whipping but everyone was all smiles as they said their vows. After a little celebration and some more photos where Jess finally lost her veil to the wind, and then we were headed back down the mountain and to the sunset spot.

There’s a magical little spot on the coast that is my favorite to catch the sunset in Acadia. It’s a quick jaunt from the car and there are 270-degree views so you can watch the moonrise and stars come out all from one spot. We rock-hopped our way down and were treated to the longest, most colorful sunset ever. It felt like the sunset didn’t want such a magical day to end so it bled into the starry night sky. A perfect end to one of the best elopement days ever.