April 19, 2023

Adventure Elopement in Acadia National Park

My journey to Maine from New Jersey

To start, my adventure to capture a beautiful elopement in Acadia National Park was wonderful. My husband and I drove 9 hours from New Jersey to Maine in one day. Yeah we are bad asses. It’s not our first time driving that much in one day, we drove 16 hours to Tampa together in 2021 in one day.

Next, we got caught in a snow storm on the way up. I was terrified, I am so glad Abdel was driving. The snow started when we reached Maine and continued for 3 hours. Making our way there to shoot this elopement in Acadia National Park was all I needed for motivation to keep driving. We persevered and made it to our Airbnb.

Adventure Elopement in Acadia National Park

Next, we woke up and got ready to shoot the elopement. It was pouring rain and gloomy, and really set the stage for their vibey moment in Acadia. We stopped for breakfast and coffee at this cozy little spot, a Slice of Eden. I had the most amazing western breakfast croissant I have ever had in my life. Link to coffee shop here: h https://asliceofedenme.com/. After, we met Kara & Tim at their hotel room. I broke out my cameras and started photos right away. First, with flat lay photos of her rings, ring box, flowers, shoes, vow books, veil, jewelry, and her sentimental items. Next, I took bridal portraits of her on the balcony. They came out so wonderful with the soft light behind her. I got some vibey silhouettes of her as well, being that she was standing in the balcony doorway. We had so much fun creating those together.

Overall, Kara was so natural behind the camera and had so many comfortable posing ideas. We finished up in the hotel room and then headed into Acadia National Park for their adventure elopement.

Elopement in Acadia National Park

Moreover, we got to the front of the park and we waited on line to show our park passes. Link to purchase park passes to Acadia is here: https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/fees.htm. We purchased the Private Vehicle Pass, which was $35. It allowed us to park anywhere open inside and was valid for 7 days. We showed our pass to the park ranger, got our park brochure, and were on our way to Sand Beach. Link to Sand Beach here: https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/swim-sand-beach.htm. When we got to Sand Beach, it was raining, storming and pretty cold. Kara had 2 outfits to wear, and she had a clear umbrella as a prop. The first outfit was a white romper, her veil, and her white boot heels.

Furthermore, the second outfit was her formal wedding dress, veil, and white boots. Kara and Tim did not hold back. They were spinning in the rain. Dancing in the rain. Running in the rain. They embraced the weather as it was, and enjoyed every moment together. We got photos in both outfits successfully, and I managed to take photos quickly and efficiently because it was so cold for them.

Overall, we all worked together to get beautiful photos, make it as comfortable as possible for them, and get it done in good time. They were such troopers. I got my favorite photo I have ever taken in my whole life at their elopement. It was Tim holding Kara up by her waist, she let her arms open to the sky, and Tim spun her around. It felt like magic. See below for my favorite photo in the history of Ally Frances Photo.

Their love story

Further, Kara & Tim are one of those rare couples that just radiate the type of deep love in fairytales. Kara started dating Tim while he was in the army. They spent many hours getting to know each other over the phone. Late night calls with each other, longing to be together. Kara was able to visit Tim when he was stationed in Germany, and they were able to have a wonderful adventure together. They were inseparable by that point. No matter how hard the separation was while he was still in the army, they were there for each other through everything. Best friends and soulmates at the same time.

In addition, one of the fun things about them is their height difference. Tim being over 6 feet and Kara barely climbing away from 5 feet just makes them even cuter. Most of their photos in Acadia had to do with Tim simply picking Kara up and spinning her little self around on the beach. They’re so complimentary to each other. Tim is originally from New Hampshire and Kara from Massachusetts. They now live together in their beautiful home in Maine. Picking Acadia National Park for their adventure elopement photos couldn’t have been more perfect.

Lastly, the gloomy beach, the rain and storm, and them simply being themselves… made for such powerful photos. They did not care that it was pouring down on them, they ran around and had their fun in it. These are the moments that truly change my life. Kara & Tim, it was the biggest honor to share this moment with you. I’ll remember how I felt with you forever!!! Love is pouring out of me.

Getting Dinner Together

Finally, after the elopement, we all got a great dinner together. We went to this amazing restaurant called Geddy’s: https://geddys.com/. I got all things lobster of course, with a large shirley temple… of course! The lobster was amazing and I will never be the same. I shared with Abdel though, that’s how much I love him. Kara’s sister and her boyfriend joined us for dinner as well. We all had great conversations, obsessed over the photos together, all while eating delicious food. What more can I ask for in life?