A Fancy Wedding Barefoot in the Idyllwild Forest

Everything about this Idyllwild Summer Elopement is perfection. Absolutely everything. E & J decided to go with an elopement because they wanted a day to be all about them, no expectations, just filled with fun and emotion and beauty. Although they both love a good party, they found themselves going back and forth between what they wanted and what everyone expected. The tagline on my website of “elegantly wild” spoke to what they wanted from their elopement. With beautiful traditional wedding details for just the two of them, vibrant accents, and the loveliest veil with colorful wildflowers, they wanted the juxtaposition of a “fancy wedding” in the forest barefoot.

Their entire vision resonated with me immediately because what they described was exactly how I got married myself! I always said I wanted to get all dressed up, walk into the forest, and walk out married…and then go get some tacos and margaritas. And that is almost exactly what we did! In total there were ten of us, jewel tones, and a forest sunset over the edge of the mountain. We ended up having pizza and Irish whiskey and apple pie moonshine in my fancy wedding dress and my husband’s custom made suit. And it was absolutely perfect.

After getting ready separately, they had a “first touch” with the view of Mt San Jacinto in the background. Their Airbnb had the most perfect patio setup for a little elopement ceremony (officiated and photographed by yours truly). I say this constantly, but the greatest thing about a mountain setting is that you don’t have to work hard to make it beautiful. You could literally be off the side of a driveway (like here) or the side of a highway and it’s downright magical. The forest as a backdrop makes everything beautiful.

From Forest to Fields to a Sunset Overlook

The best part of this Idyllwild summer elopement (or any elopement) is that you make the rules and the timeline. With one location I already had in mind and another location they got from a neighbor we went on an adventure to take pretty photos that included getting lost and finding our way anyway.