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How to Have an Adventurous Destination Elopement

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Romantic forest wedding couple holding hands in nature

Jackie & Saša spent a whole month traveling the good ol’ USA before saying their “I dos” in the Redwood forest in Big Sur, California. Their shared love for adventure was a key part of their story and is something they will never forget!

From a trail of love notes in the redwoods to their champagne toast on the water, you can tell these two had the best time ever celebrating their love! Coordinated by Weddings by Aimée, see it all below + in the full gallery captured by Sarah Rittenour Photography.

Forest wedding portrait of beautiful bride smiling

Smiling man in bow tie suspenders boutonniere outdoor portraitMan with suspenders walks forest path holding white card

adventurous elopement

From Sarah Rittenour Photography: Jackie & Saša own and run a creative video studio together in Sweden and when they started to plan their destination wedding, they realized they wanted it to be anything but ordinary. Months of careful planning went into this fairy-tale wedding, with adventure as a key part of their story.

Hands hold find me love card flowers petals outdoors

Elegant bride in white dress walking in forest path

Woman in wedding dress walks through a sunlit forest, back viewSmiling woman with curly hair in natural light outdoors

Bride reads emotional letter in forest wedding day

Bride walks to groom at redwood forest wedding ceremony

Bride and groom wedding ceremony in redwood forest

love notes in the forest

They began their day at iconic Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn off the Pacific Coast Highway and made their way to the exclusive Post Ranch Inn for their ceremony. Saša left Jackie a series of love notes throughout the forest, leading her to him and their dream ceremony underneath two conjoined redwood trees. Saša’s final note read, “Find me,” at which point the violinist began to play the song that lead Jackie down the aisle.

Forest wedding ceremony under towering redwood treesRomantic forest wedding ceremony bride and groom hold handsRomantic forest wedding kiss between bride and groom

Laughing bride and groom enjoy their forest wedding day

Happy couple celebrate wedding opening champagne beachHappy bride and groom champagne spray on rocky coast

Romantic couple hugging on beach wedding by the sea

Romantic couple holding hands on rocky ocean coastRomantic couple posing on rocky beach near ocean waves

one month elopement

After the ceremony, they continued to wander through the forest and made their way to a rocky cove for a champagne toast (that went a little awry, as you’ll see). A fun side-story to this elopement: Jackie & Saša spent nearly a month on their journey to Big Sur, stopping in Iceland, New York City, and the Grand Canyon among other destinations. Along the way, they got dressed in their wedding attire and took photos and videos in each new location. With this being such a “small” wedding, I love how big they went with it; making the entire experience truly their own.

Bride and groom pose by rustic wooden fence at their wedding

Happy couple smiles by rustic fence on wedding day

Newlyweds popping champagne bottle outdoor celebrationGroom pops champagne at outdoor wedding celebrationGroom pours champagne for bride on their wedding day

Event Planning & Design: Weddings by Aimée
Flowers: A Bit of Earth Flowers
Flowers: The Bloom of Time
Hair, Makeup & Beauty: Blush Hair & Makeup Design
Lighting, Entertainment & Photo Booth: Lydia Davis (violin)
Photographers: Sarah Rittenour Photography
Venues: Deetjen's Big Sur Inn
Venues: Post Ranch Inn

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