Haily and Jimmy live by the beach in Virginia, but decided to say “I do” in the mountains of
Shenandoah National Park. They had their hearts set on including their immediate families, their dog Cojo, and a hike in the park. Haily and Jimmy ended up having the perfect Bearfence Mountain hiking elopement.
Choosing Bearfence Mountain
Shenandoah has so many trails leading to stunning views and breathtaking waterfalls that it can be overwhelming trying to choose the right one for your elopement day. I sent Haily and Jimmy a list of some of my favorite trails, and they fell in love with the views of Bearfence Mountain. Even knowing there would be some rock scrambling, they were committed to this being the hike (which I loved)
Getting Ready at an AirBnb
Haily and Jimmy, their families, and Cojo got ready at a Luxe log cabin about 30 minutes outside of Shenandoah Park. It had plenty of space for all of them to stay and enjoy the weekend, and enough land outside to hold their intimate ceremony. It was so nice having everyone in the same house getting ready. It helped make the day feel so relaxed.
First Look with Dad
Haily and her dad decided to do a first look before the ceremony, and it was just the sweetest (I am pretty sure all three of us were crying). It was such a special moment for them before getting ready to walk down the aisle.
A Small Outdoor Ceremony
They exchanged rings, their vows, and a kiss in front of their families. One of their closest friends was the officiant, which made the ceremony even more meaningful. After the ceremony, we took some family photos (and photos with Cojo who was so good!) and then the three of us jumped into their car and headed to the park with a plan to hike Bearfence Mountain Trail, and stop at two other overlooks on Skyline Drive. It was really important to them to get to hike on their wedding day, and Haily wanted proof that she hiked in her wedding dress!
Photos Along Skyline Drive
On the way to out first stop, Haily was telling us that she had a reoccurring nightmare that there was a fog, and you couldn’t see any of the overlooks. As she was telling us this, Jimmy and I looked at each other because a cold front was causing this thick fog to roll in. What are the odds right?
I know the park well, so we decided to change our plans a bit to beat the fog. We stopped at an earlier lookout just to make sure we got some photos where you could see mountains, and then quickly jumped back in the car hoping we could get to Bearfence Mountain before the fog covered the covered the view.
As we were driving on Skyline Drive, we saw another clear overlook and stopped to grab some more photos (okay, I may have excitedly yelled at Jimmy to pull over when I saw the clearing). We took some portraits there right before the overlook got completely covered with fog.
Honestly, even though this wasn’t how they had thought the day was going to go, we were having so much fun racing the fog and laughing the whole time.
Hiking Bearfence Mountain
We finally made it to the hike (which I had done earlier in the week so I knew we had a chance to see a vista because of the direction the fog was moving). On our way up, a couple stopped the couple for a selfie because they were excited to see them dressed in their wedding clothing, and told us the view at the summit was not great, but we had already gone that far, so we we decided to keep moving.
When we got to the lookout, it was very foggy, but we all agreed it made sense to wait a bit to see what would happen. Then all of a sudden the fog cleared just enough for us to take some amazing photos. We were all elated. Of course, as soon as we left the park, and got to lower elevation the fog was gone. We all agreed that racing the fog made the day more thrilling. We had so much fun throughout the entire adventure and got some incredible photos to go along with it!
Ready to Plan Your Bearfence Mountain Hiking Elopement?
I hope you found this elopement inspiring. It was full of so much joy, and adventure. The couple included all of the things that were important to them, and created the perfect day. Your day can look and feel however you want it to, just make it you. Need help planning your Shenandoah hiking elopement? Here is my guide to help .
And…if you’re still looking for the perfect photographer, I’m here to capture every moment of your intimate wedding day with a whole lot of heart. You can contact me here or learn more about my elopement services here.
Some Kind words from Haily and Jimmy
“We simply cannot say enough amazing things about Aimee!! From the very start she was WONDERFUL. She was super flexible, helpful, and inspiring when we were trying to make decisions for spots/plans for the engagement shoot and our wedding day – I remember her words to me being “Dream big!”. She worked so hard to understand our vision we had for our engagement shoot and wedding day, and she truly blew us away with both! She was so professional, and still brought such a fun, happy, and adventurous vide to our special day. My family was asking how long we had known Aimee because the way we got along with her, they thought we had known her for years! We are so thankful we found Aimee, and truly love that she is forever part of our memories for this chapter of our lives!!”
