Sophie and Zachary: New Orleans Elopement Photography
New Orleans Elopement Photography
Sophie and Zachary say “I do” at the Tree of Life
Sophie and Zachary tied the knot at the Tree of Life in Audubon Park on June 20th, 2021. I was hired by Sophie’s sister, Stephanie, as a wedding gift for her sister and brother-in-law-to-be. This has actually become an elopement trend as of late. With the weirdness of 2020, many people postponed their wedding plans and a lot of those folks abandoned the idea of a large wedding in favor of eloping (which, if I’m being honest, is 100% what I would do). But eloping comes with it’s own set of costs that a local wedding wouldn’t have- flights, hotels, ubers, restaurants- and before you know it, that photography budget may have dwindled away to next to nothing. Sophie is a photographer herself and her sister knew how much beautiful photos of their elopement meant to them. So she decided to gift the couple with a New Orleans elopement photographer who could bring an extra touch of whimsy to this very non-traditional ceremony.
I had a video chat with Sophie last month and we hit it off right away! She told me about her and Zachary’s blended family of four kids and how she wanted her photos to feel magical. She had never been to New Orleans before but her brother was here attending school and he suggested the Tree of Life for their New Orleans elopement ceremony. I agreed that this was absolutely a location with a magical vibe. Since it tends to rain a lot in the summer, we worked out a nearby rain back-up plan just in case.
As I had predicted, it rained every single day leading up to their wedding. But om the day of, we got lucky and the rain petered off in the morning. We didn’t need the backup location BUT the ground surrounding the Tree of Life was pretty muddy. Sophie said she didn’t mind and we started off with some portraits of the couple when they arrived. I would quickly learn that their youngest didn’t like being far from his mother. So he’s in a lot of their portraits as well as being held in ceremony photos. But you know what? When working with young children on wedding days, I have to just roll with whatever they want to do. I run the risk of starting a meltdown if I try to force them to get into or out of a photo they don’t want to be in. So it’s best to give them space to be themselves, enlist the help of family members not currently in photos, and if all else fails just capture whatever is happening!
It was instantly apparent that Sophie and Zachary were used to kid chaos. With 4 children-3 of which were rambunctious boys-they were unphased by the kids climbing the tree and getting muddy. They definitely chose their battles and didn’t mind that there would be some muddy shoes and knees in photos. Letting the kids burn off energy before the ceremony was a smart move- even if it meant they got muddy- because when it was time for vows they were ready to chill out and watch the ceremony. They were also included in a big family group hug before the ceremony ended. I really love when ceremonies include children of the couple! Sophie’s sister and sister-in-law brought bubble guns to surprise the couple with during their first kiss. It was precious and a big hit with the toddler. We even used them again during portraits for some whimsical lagniappe after dusk.
After the ceremony ended, their six-year-old son took Sophie’s ring off her finger while she crouched in front of him. He made his own vows to his mother- “whenever you fall down, I’ll be there to help you back up”. Sophie choked back tears as she promised to always help him up when he falls too. He slid the ring onto her finger and then barreled into her for a hug- that landed them both in the mud! But as promised, he helped her back up. Thankfully there was no shortage of wet wipes to get Sophie cleaned up again! The same six year old ran out of steam very shortly after and there are some fairly amusing images of him pouting. All in all, the image set is an accurate depiction of life with kids set in the magical backdrop of the Tree of Life. And I think it’s a gorgeous collection.
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Enjoy this selection of images from Sophie and Zachary’s New Orleans Elopement Photography at the Tree of Life.
