Elopement field trips & business mentorship
Photograph the places you actually want to book.
For photographers, videographers, and content creators who want to break into elopements, build stronger destination portfolios, learn the locations they want to work in, and understand the business behind actually getting booked.
No weird gatekeeping.
No fighting for the same angle.
No pretending everyone already knows everything.
Just good people, beautiful places, honest education, and a lot of creating.
Part workshop.
Part creative retreat.
Part friends' trip.
If you want to photograph elopements somewhere, you should actually know the place.
Not just where the pretty viewpoint is.
You should understand the light, logistics, crowds, weather, activities, timelines, vendors, backup plans, and all the little things that turn a destination into an actual wedding experience.
And you should have the photographs to market yourself there.
Each retreat is limited to just
10 creatives.
We’ll stay together, eat together, photograph complete elopement stories, learn from wedding & elopement professionals, talk business, ask a lot of questions, and probably have half our best conversations standing around the kitchen.
Meet Renee & Valarie
Workshop Co-hosts & Elopement Experts
FUN FACTS:
We both eloped in New England & grew up in WI.
Our mission:
Helping couples create beautiful, personal and meaningful wedding days
Hot take:
Creative workshops should showcase inclusive couples, exciting details and be
empowering for the folks who attend.
Ready to create, together? US too!
Who this is for
You might still have a full-time job while you’re building your creative business.
You might be in your first few years of going full-time.
You might already photograph traditional weddings and want to move toward elopements.
Or you might simply know that you want more experience, more direction, and more confidence before you start marketing yourself harder in places like Acadia or Iceland.
You do not need to have everything figured out.
You do not need to show up with a perfectly polished portfolio.
And you definitely don’t need to already feel like an expert.
You should have a basic understanding of your camera or gear and some experience working with people, but this is still a place to learn.
This is a destination experience, not just portfolio building.
There’s a big difference between saying:
“I’d love to photograph an Acadia elopement.”
And being able to tell a couple:
“I know Acadia. Let me help you figure this out.”
These retreats are designed for creatives who genuinely want to work in these places.
You’ll leave with imagery you can use on your website, landing pages, blogs, social media, Pinterest, and marketing.
But more importantly?
You’ll leave actually knowing the destination you’re trying to sell.
Acadia National Park
May 9–13, 2027
10 creatives. One house. Three completely different elopement experiences.
Acadia has become one of the biggest parts of my photography business.
I’ve spent a lot of time learning the park — where the crowds hit, when the light makes sense, how long it actually takes to move between locations, where activities fit into a timeline, and when Plan A absolutely needs a Plan B.
During this retreat, I’m not only teaching you how I photograph elopements. I’m showing you around.
Think part photographer.
Part educator.
Part tour guide.
Arrival
Night
May 9th, 2027
We’ll check into our shared house beginning at 4 PM.
Everyone gets their own bed, though some bedrooms will be shared.
You’ll get your schedule, map, welcome gift, and everything you need for the week.
Then we eat pasta, meet everybody, settle in, and get comfortable before we start creating.
No weird networking circle required.
Day One
May 10th, 2027
Arrival
Night
May 9th, 2027
We’ll check into our shared house beginning at 4 PM.
Everyone gets their own bed, though some bedrooms will be shared.
You’ll get your schedule, map, welcome gift, and everything you need for the week.
Then we eat pasta, meet everybody, settle in, and get comfortable before we start creating.
No weird networking circle required.
COLORFUL + PLAYFUL
Bold color.
Personality.
Movement.
Coffee in town.
Getting ready.
Vow writing.
Gorgeous details.
Sailing.
Mountain views.
Vows.
Champagne.
Cake.
Sunset.
We’ll start the day with coffee, education, vendor conversations, and a breakdown of how to plan an Acadia elopement before moving into the full experience.
The goal is to show how one wedding day can move through completely different environments without feeling like a checklist of photo locations.
Day Two
May 11th, 2027
Sleek + Editorial
Modern attire meets the Maine coast.
We’ll begin at sunrise with getting-ready moments, a first look, vows, details, and portraits along the coastline.
After breakfast and a midday break, we’ll shift into a more relaxed couple session before finishing with a scenic flight and airplane portraits.
Fashion-forward.
Rich color.
A little city energy dropped into Acadia.
Day Three
May 12th, 2027
New England Adventure
Hiking.
Kayaking.
Coffee.
Lobster.
Bar Harbor.
Classic Maine landscapes.
And sunset.
This day is built around movement and experience.
We’ll focus on photographing couples actually doing something together instead of turning every activity into another posed photoshoot.
You’ll learn Acadia while you photograph it.
We’ll talk through things like:
Acadia permits and park rules
Sunrise versus sunset
Crowds and seasonality
Parking and transportation
Trail difficulty
Accessibility
Weather backups
Leave No Trace
Activities couples can build into their day
Bar Harbor logistics
Working with local vendors
Building realistic timelines
And how to photograph the experience without taking over the experience
That knowledge matters when you go home and build an Acadia elopement landing page and start asking couples to trust you there.
And you’ll have the content to market it.
Use your work for:
Website galleries
Destination landing pages
Blog posts
Pinterest
Social media
SEO
Portfolio updates
Educational content
And marketing aimed directly at couples considering Acadia
Your Field Guide will also include session and location information to help you actually write about the work later.
Because gorgeous images sitting on a hard drive aren’t doing much for your business.
These experiences are intentionally different so you don’t leave with the same portfolio three times.
You don’t have to pretend you’re an expert before you’ve been there.
Breaking into destination work can feel like a ridiculous chicken-and-egg problem.
You want to book the location.
But couples want someone who understands the location.
And you need experience there before you can confidently market it.
so come get the experience.
Photograph it.
Explore it.
Ask questions.
Learn how it works.
Then go home and build the landing page.
Write the blogs.
Share the galleries.
And market the destination from actual experience.
We’ll teach while we’re doing
Education isn’t limited to sitting around a table.
Renee, Valerie of Forever Awaits by Valerie, and participating wedding professionals will be there throughout the retreat to answer questions, offer feedback, and talk through what’s happening in real time.
We’ll cover things like:
Planning
elopements
Timelines
Location
Scouting
Changing
Outdoor Light
Directing
Couples
Adventure
Activities
Client
Experience
Vendor
Communication
Portfolio
Strategy
Blogging
Seo
Marketing
Sales
And building an elopement business
that actually works
We’ll also build in dedicated educational sessions, lunch roundtables, and open Q+A conversations throughout the retreat.
Learn from the people you’ll actually
work beside.
Photographers aren’t the only people creating an elopement experience.
We’ll bring wedding professionals into the conversation to talk about their businesses, their side of the wedding day, and what strong collaboration actually looks like.
What makes working with a photographer easy?
What makes it a nightmare?
What do vendors wish photographers understood?
How can everyone communicate better and create a stronger experience for the couple?
Because being talented matters.
Being easy to work with matters too.
This is collaborative
on purpose.
You are not coming here to compete for the best angle.
You’re coming here to learn how other people see.
Ask questions.
Try something new.
Help someone else when they’re stuck.
Get feedback when you need it.
And hopefully leave with nine other creatives you actually want to keep talking to afterward.
Everyone will have opportunities to photograph the major moments, details, portraits, and activities.
Keeping the group small gives us room for individual support and different creative perspectives.
What’s included
What’s included
Shared accommodations
Your own bed
Group meals
Styled elopement experiences
Couples + models
Participating wedding vendors
Educational sessions
Lunch roundtables + Q+A
Workshop field guide
Welcome gift
Hands-on support
Access to future alumni events
Discounted first month of mentorship
Travel to the workshop is not included.
We’ll coordinate carpools before the retreats so we can keep transportation simple and the number of vehicles in the park manageable.
This space is intentionally inclusive.
LGBTQIA+ creatives are welcome here.
Queer allies are welcome here.
Different races, bodies, identities, abilities, backgrounds, and lived experiences are welcome here.
Racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or generally treating people like shit is not.
We want curious people.
Collaborative people.
People willing to share what they know.
People who understand that helping another creative succeed doesn’t take anything away from their own business.
Yes, you’ll build your portfolio.
But that isn’t the only point.
We want you leaving with:
Better
work
more
destination
experience
stronger
business
instincts
actual
location
knowledge
people you’re
excited to keep
talking to after
the trip ends
referrals
second
shooting
travel
buddies
vendor
recommendations
more
destination
experience
future
retreats
Building a creative business can get lonely.
It doesn’t have to stay that way.
Workshop Investment
Acadia National Park
May 9–13, 2027
10 spots
$5,295
Payment plans available.
Iceland
May & Aug, 2028
10 spots
$6,200
Both experiences are application-based.
Not because you need to prove you’re talented enough.
We simply care about who we’re putting into one house together for several days.
Vibe matters.
Want more support after the workshop?
Sometimes the workshop gives you the spark.
Then you go home and realize you still have approximately 4,736 things you want help figuring out.
That’s where mentorship comes in.
I work with no more than 10 active mentees at a time who want ongoing support building a stronger, more sustainable photography business.
This isn’t generic business coaching.
We’re looking at your actual business.