Julia & Jeff’s Incredible Two-Day New Hampshire Mountain Wedding

Swell & Stone / Adventure Wedding Photographer / New Hampshire & Beyond

Julia and Jeff had an epic two-day New Hampshire elopement on Mt. Washington and in Jeff’s parents’ backyard. From endless mountain views to lush waterfalls, and private forests, their elopement day had everything. The two-day experience started in the beautiful and forested backyard of the groom’s parents’ place. Jeff, an engineer by trade, but also a very talented woodworker created an arbor for the backyard and it was beautifully decorated with floral arrangements. The setting was quiet and idyllic and absolutely the perfect place to hold a ceremony that both of their families and some close friends could attend. I couldn’t get over how tall the trees in the backyard were and how perfectly they created privacy barriers around the perimeter of the yard. It was also summer, so the flowers were in full bloom, making the perfect backdrop for formal photos.

After the ceremony toasts were in order and then dinner and the couple’s first dance soon followed. A tent was set up and it was a very warm but comfortable evening. Having the entire ceremony and celebration portion all in one place made it easy on everyone and grandparents did not have to walk far to enjoy every aspect of the celebration. Julia and Jeff’s vows were beautiful and heartfelt, tears were shed, and during the best man and maid of honor speeches many laughs were shared.

Julia said, “If I had to describe Jeff in one word, it's caring. No matter if I'm having a good day or a bad day, Jeff is always there to listen and ask if I need anything or if there's something he could do to help. The love he shows me in constantly trying to improve our relationship, be a better person for our family, and in raising our dog is really indescribable.

Jeff followed with, “How do I pick one (word)? I love how she's always looking out for me, how she's a five star chef, how good of a mother she is to our four-legged child, and the way she giggles to herself when she makes herself laugh.”

For day two of their celebration Julia and Jeff choose adventure. Originally, Julia wanted to just elope in the mountains with just the two of them in a very private way as neither like being the center of attention. But eventually they decided they wanted family to be there for the actual ceremony and they opted to say different private vows in the mountains the next day. It was the best of both worlds, and the weather made for an enjoyable experience, well… as enjoyable as can be expected on top of the tallest mountain in New Hampshire and the a peak with some of the most extreme weather conditions in the world. You see, it is ALWAYS windy on top of Mt. Washington, and their day was no exception. But temps on the summit were unusually warm for June, reaching almost 70 degrees.

We drove to the summit and began the hike down to Lake of the Clouds in order to get away from some of the crowds. If you’ve ever hiked any of the trails in this area you know how rocky they are. Julia did an amazing job of navigating the wind and the rocks all in her beautiful gown. There’s one thing I’ve learned about most wedding dresses- the bustle is never strong enough to handle what we put them through! Julia’s loops started ripping out one by one and one the hike back up she was just holding her train in her hands. We were sweating getting back to the top as the hike is only a couple miles but gains over 1200 feet in elevation in that time. Certainly not for the everyone, but these two are incredibly athletic and capable of anything.

After driving back down the mountain we headed to a nearby waterfall and then we did even more hiking up to a steep viewpoint where we caught the sunset over the mountains. At the end of the day, sitting and taking in the view, they were able to reminisce about the past two days and all the amazing time they spent with family and each other. After sunset we headed down and had one last stop at the very bottom of the hike for night sky photos before calling it a night. Julia mentioned that she would be sore the next day and couldn’t wait to find a swimming hole or waterfall to jump into! It was the perfect ending to a stunning and memorable two days.

From the Couple…