Meghan + Ian tied the knot at City Hall in Manchester, NH on Cinco de Mayo in 2021. They didn't want a big shenanigan just to say, "I Do," so they decided to Elope, just the two of them, and make their afternoon as fun and true to them as possible. Meghan and Ian both LOVE Jurassic Park, so they incorporated aspects of it throughout their day to make it a theme, utilizing both subtle and not-so-subtle nods to dinosaurs. Honestly, it was SUCH a unique day and a hell of a little urban adventure.
I want to pause for a second to talk about why I still consider this funky, urban Elopement an adventurous wedding. First off, what is adventure? Well, according to the Oxford Language Dictionary, an adventure constitutes as "an unusual and exciting experience or activity." I feel like we, as humans, generally associate adventurous elopements as needing a grand endeavor into the mountains, but I beg to differ. I whole-heartedly believe that urban environments also hold LOADS of adventure, just a different type. Life - and adventure for that matter - is what you make of it. So if you're totally, unabashedly being yourself as you stroll down city streets, exploring new places and seeking out your favorite spots, I think there's plenty of adventure to be had. I'll this here for now because I feel like I can go off on this subject forever (is my Outdoor Education degree showing?), but if you're interested in learning how to incorporate more adventure into your wedding day, I wrote a whole other blog post about 5 Ways to Add Adventure to your Wedding that you can check out.
Okay, back to Meghan + Ian's incredible wedding day :)
Let me set the scene for you: we're in downtown Manchester, NH, it's raining pretty steadily the whole day, and we have two smiley, excited, and anxious people standing in front of me ready to get married. I wished them luck before they stepped inside City Hall (due to Covid, I was not able to go inside and take photos of them exchanging vows at the time), and I waited under a tree to hide from the rain. Finally, I saw Meghan + Ian come out of City Hall, beaming because they were MARRIED!
I could tell they were giddy and were excited to get started / honestly just didn't even know what to do with themselves as freakin' NEWLYWEDS, so I brought them to a sweet little side-street that I had scouted out earlier, and asked them to walk down the alley together, first going away from me, and then coming towards me. I love starting off with this prompt because it's a really easy one to follow, so helps get the jitters out, and also gives the couple some space together to talk freely and just BE! It's also the perfect time for couples to realize that they just got married...which is a big moment and one that needs to sink in a bit!
These photos actually turned out to be some of my favorites from our time together - I think they're so sweet and almost nostalgic-feeling, and, even though the rain had started to pick up again, their spirits were high!
After the first few formal photographs were taken, Ian went to their car and changed his outfit, which also changed the freaking game. When he returned to us, he was wearing an inflatable T-Rex outfit over his wedding clothes! Yes, you read that right! It was EPIC! He pranced over to Meghan and me, both of us laughing at the sight of him crossing the road, dressed as a dinosaur in the middle of Manchester, NH, and it was easily one of the best things I've ever seen on a wedding day.
Not only did this brighten up my day completely, but it made the citizens of the city super happy as well. As we walked around downtown Manchester, people were banging on their office windows (because it was also a Wednesday afternoon), asking Meghan + Ian to pose for them to take a photo on their phones. Some people even came outside in the rain because they were like, "I HAVE to take a photo of you two - my son will love this! Congrats!"
It was so sweet seeing the city come together to celebrate their mutual weirdness called love, and Meghan + Ian thought it was hilarious. Actually, more than that, Ian came ALIVE while he was wearing that T-Rex outfit! He was definitely more timid at the start, especially with my camera in hand, but the confidence skyrocketed once the inflatable suit was on. So, surprising pro-tip I guess: if you or your boo is feeling nervous on your big day, change into something that feels FUN and totally, unabashedly like you!
After making a loop around the block, Ian took the dinosaur outfit off and we walked down towards Arms Park, which is a tiny strip of a park next to the Merrimack River. There, we ate tacos in the rain and got ourselves sorted for the second half of our time together. I let them lead the way, allowing them to show me their favorite spots around that area, and we all just had a really chilled-out time hanging out together. At this point, Ian (and Meghan) were both feeling super comfortable with me, and were genuinely having a blast taking photos by not taking it too seriously. Ian even came up with different poses and ideas, which I totally rolled with because I loved how much he was getting into it! The photos turned out super sweet and super funny, which, to be honest, was the perfect representation of this funky pair.
Were we drenched by the end of the day? Absolutely. Was it worth it? HELL YES!
Meghan + Ian's day was a perfect representation of them as individuals, but also together as a couple. I was so grateful to have worked with a couple so willing to be themselves. I loved how they paired their funky individuality + personable interests with wedding traditions that they genuinely liked - they were comfortable leaving behind traditions that didn't feel enjoyable, which is SO important! It was refreshing (quite literally in the rain haha), hilarious, and honestly chock-full of love, which I personally think is the perfect recipe for a meaningful and FUN wedding day.
Do you have an interest that you would LOVE to incorporate into your wedding day, but you're just not really quite sure how to do it? Comment it below because I would love to help you brainstorm ideas!!
Oh, and if you're looking for a photographer who loves adventure and isn't afraid of a little (or a lot) of rain, then check out my Elopement Services for more info ;)
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