Wilderness Weddings

Have a truly outstanding and adventurous wedding idea? I want to hear about it!

I firmly believe you should get married exactly the way you want. I hope that means you get married outside in a stunning and adventurous location. Sometimes adventurous weddings and elopements don’t fit perfectly into a box the way traditional weddings do. That’s okay! And that’s where I come in, I do things a little differently. I’m here to make sure your day is completely captured. Sometimes that means I’m a fly on the wall, taking in the action as it happens, and other times that means posing you and your partner or making sure your portraits take place in the spot with the best light.

Whatever format or timeline your day takes on I’ll work with it, because after all it is your day, and my entire goal is for you have an incredible day and to capture images that let you relive every magical moment over and over. Make sure to contact me for a full price list.

When you book with me I help you:

• Find the perfect location (if you haven’t found it already). Somewhere majestic, and if you’d like we can find a secluded spot too!

• I create a list of potential vendors to make your planning experience a breeze. Need a florist, officiant, videographer, cake maker, caterer, or musician who will work in your chosen location? No problem! I can recommend those.

• Plan your small outdoor wedding or elopement day timeline. Want to make sure you’re choosing a location during the best time of day for light, or best time of year for weather? I make sure we do just that. And then I put together the perfect timeline of your incredible day, so everyone is on the same page and the day unfolds seamlessly!

• I use my GPS to make sure we don’t get lost. And I’ll bring along things that you might not have thought about like hand warmers, tissue, and headlamps.

• I can also sign your marriage license- I’m an ordained officiant. So if you don’t want to hire an officiant or make a family member fill the role- you can say your vows to each other and I can sign the paperwork.

PLEASE NOTE: FULLY BOOKED FOR 2024 & 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

How many final images will we receive? And how will you deliver them? Do we get prints too?

Each wedding and elopement timeline, activities, and number of guests is different, so it’s hard to say exactly how many final images will be delivered. On your day I will shoot thousands of photos and pick the best ones to stitch together the cohesive and comprehensive story of your day. Ultimately, you receive around 40-50 images per hour booked for weddings and elopements, and about 100 images per hour for adventure sessions. The difference in the number of final images is because, for weddings and elopements, I’m photographing events candidly as they unfold for the most part, and for adventure sessions we have the time and flexibility to walk from place to place and do posed shots as well as candid. When you inquire I send you several examples of full galleries so you can see exactly how a day like yours might look. I deliver all images in a high-res digital gallery. Within the gallery, you can “favorite” photos and then make albums, prints, framed photos, and many other types of printed goods.

How long until we receive our final gallery?

You will receive “sneak peeks” 5-7 days after your wedding, and the full gallery will be available for download no longer than 10 weeks after your big day!

Should we elope on a weekday?

The short answer is a resounding YES. If you’re choosing to elope on public lands, like national parks, national forests, BLM land, or any other federal or state-owned land there is no way to guarantee you will have a secluded spot on your elopement day. The best way to mitigate this is to elope on a weekday. Another great strategy is to elope during sunrise. For the most part, even popular locations are nearly abandoned at sunrise, with a few exceptions. However, if you are eloping or getting married on private lands that you have rented or you know the owners, then get married on the weekends all you like. But for couples wanting secluded spots on public lands, planning your day on a weekday is your best bet!

There are a lot of different editing styles. how do you edit?

I edit using my own presets that I developed while shooting for commercial and editorial clients through my Kat Carney Photography brand. My editing style is a lot like the couples who book with me- classic, stylish, and bold. My style leans towards photojournalistic- photos that stand the test of time, forgoing any trendy editing style. Skin tones are accurate and the scene will look much the way you remembered it in your head…only better. I let the beauty of the landscape you chose and the timeless love you share with your partner take center stage.

How do you take those night sky photos?

If it’s a clear night I love taking night sky photos with my couples. I usually position the couple just right and have them stand very still. Sometimes I incorporate flash to help “freeze” them or create night backlight effects. After a few rounds of this, they may be able to leave and then I stay and let my camera time-lapse for a while.

I never know what to do in front of a camera. How will you get good photos of us?

This is one of the top worries of most couples, and yet each one of these couples is delivered a gallery full of stunning images. If you’ve booked me we’ve chatted on the phone, emailed back and forth, and I’ve likely been deeply involved in helping you plan your day. I take the time to get to know you, and that continues on your wedding day. On your big day, I will take the time to check in with each one of you to make you feel comfortable and to remind you that your wedding day is about the amazing journey you have been on together as a couple. Often couples see the gallery later and had no idea I was shooting because they were wrapped up in the beauty and wonder of the day and their partner. I will also take you through some cues to help you relax and naturally put you into candid poses with each other. You don’t have to know what you’re doing! It’s all good, I got you covered!

Where are you based? What regions do you photograph most often?

After 5 years living in Southern California (2012-2017), I relocated to Providence, Rhode Island (2018-current). Now, I shoot almost exclusively in New England and upstate New York. Occasionally, I will plan a winter elopement in Puerto Rico, one of my family’s favorite surf destinations.

What is an Adventure elopement? How is a small Outdoor wedding different?

Traditionally, an elopement meant just the two of you running off to the courthouse. But the times they are changing, and now couples sometimes elope with their immediate families in tow. So under my definition, an adventure elopement is a wedding that is planned in alignment with the intentions and values of the couple and includes up to 15 total people in a beautiful, outdoor location. A small outdoor wedding is comprised of more than 15 people but still takes place in a gorgeous outdoor location. Sometimes this is a traditional outdoor venue, and sometimes this is a group of airstreams brought together on National Forest land. This type of wedding is generally less mobile than an elopement. Both styles of weddings speak to people who are seeking experiences over stuff.

How long should I hire a photographer for my elopement or small outdoor wedding?

It really depends on the experiences you would like to have on your wedding day. Most often couples want me to cover the entire story of their day- from getting ready, hiking to the ceremony site, to saying vows, and the after celebrations. Some couples have specific activities they want to make sure to include, and others know they want to see the sunrise or set in their favorite location. Some couples inquire wanting just coverage of their ceremony only to decide after seeing several other galleries that they would like the entire story of their day covered as well. I can assure you if you book the entire day it is anything but an 8-hour photo shoot. I work with you to make sure you include the people, experiences, and traditions- old and new- you want to include.

What Activities should I include on my wedding day?

The obvious ones are: A first look where you see your partner in wedding clothes for the first time, the ceremony where you say your vows, a celebration of some sort, and portraits with just the two of you. But a lot of couples like to include hiking, canoeing, paddle boarding, yoga, climbing, canyoneering, catching sunrise and sunset, seeing waterfalls, jumping into the ocean, dogsledding, and a whole variety of other things on their day. This should be a day you remember for years to come! Make it memorable. Make it YOU! I’m happy to help work through some options and be there to suggest a ton of fun things.

I see from your reviews that couples have said you suggest vendors like cake, officiants, and florists. Other than taking photos how do you help plan my day?

That’s right! When you book me you get more than just a great photographer. When you book with me you get a digital elopement planning guide that answers a ton of initial questions you might have, along with providing helpful checklists. In the months that follow we have a comprehensive planning discussion from within your own custom client portal. During the planning phase (if you don’t already have a location picked out) you get a custom location planning guide, and work together to pick the best locations at the best times of the day. I suggest ceremony locations, guide you in making sure you get the proper permits for the land you wish to marry on and help find other awesome vendors in the area. I put together a timeline so that we are all on the same page and have an outline for how the day will go. I essentially guide you through the planning process, and many of my couples find that they do not need to hire a wedding or elopement planner.

What about bad weather?

While I totally understand not wanting to endure bad weather on your wedding or elopement day, the best course of action is to be prepared for anything. That includes having raincoats, umbrellas, snowshoes, jackets, and hand warmers, but it also includes having a backup plan if we chose a mountain summit for your elopement day, and they are forecasting hurricane-force winds. Aside from extreme weather, I will say that some of the best experiences and photos have happened on “bad weather” days.

How far in advance do we need to book a photographer?

I generally book 3 months to 1 year in advance, but I have booked with as little as two weeks to go. No matter your location or how much time you have before your big day, reach out. You never know, we just might make the wedding photos of your dreams together!