- Month: Early July
- Ceremony Location: Sawtooth Mountains, Stanley Idaho
- Lodging: Airbnb in Stanley
Please note that these are not the high resolution versions of the images and this is not the full gallery from the day. This is a selection of images from the day and they are highly compressed versions which ensures that the page loads quickly
Cierra and Kennedy wanted their elopement to be an adventure and they sure made it happen!
We arrived at their cute little Airbnb in Stanley in the morning and Cierra was getting her hair done by her best friend while Kennedy played cards with a friend upstairs. The two were a little nervous for the day ahead but also buzzing with excitement. They chose to do a first look on the way to the ceremony so ended up getting ready in separate parts of the house. This can sometimes cause a wee bit of nervousness but as soon as you see your partner during the first look the nerves melt away!
Once Kennedy finished getting dressed we hid Cierra away while we snuck him out back to open a gift from Cierra – a handkerchief that said “Keep Your Sh*t Together” which gave him the giggles. This gift perfectly summed up the relationship these two goofballs have.
First look
After both of them were done getting ready we headed to a field nearby for a first look.
The lead up to their first look was probably the funniest and most eventful we’ve ever seen… someone was walking nearby and their dog decided to drop a fat dookie between Cierra and Kennedy right as Cierra was starting to walk towards Kennedy. Talk about leaving your mark on a wedding day! This resulted in both of them being unable to stop laughing once he turned around to see her.
Once they were both finally able to get it together he took it all in and they both drew a sigh of relief that they got to see each other and that the day was starting to fully kick into gear. We snapped a few pics of them in the field and then it was off towards the hike to the ceremony spot!
Hike to the ceremony spot
We arrived at the trailhead, made sure they had everything they needed, and then hit the trail. The hike was only about 1.5 miles to the ceremony spot but has some pretty good elevation gain so we made sure we took off while there was plenty of time before sunset.
There was a gorgeous spot in the trees near the creek at one point so we stopped for a couple photos that turned out so dreamy. We slowly but surely made our way up to the ceremony location and once we got up there the two of them were in awe at the setting.
Ceremony
After collecting themselves, freshening up a bit, and doing one more look over their vows we began the ceremony which ended up being beautiful and tearful.
Couples photos and first dance
Once their ceremony concluded we let them take in the moment for a bit and then we took some epic couples photos of them before they did their first dance. They brought along photos of their three pups that were back home and we got some super cute pics of them holding the photos.
Cake and picnic
After their first dance they ate some of their cake and then had a picnic as the sun began to dip lower and lower behind the Sawtooth peaks. Once darkness fell it was time to head back down to the trailhead and then drive over to Stanley Lake for some stargazing photos!
Stargazing photos at Stanley Lake
At Stanley Lake we snapped a few star-studded photos of them with the Milky Way up above and then it was time for bed as we were all exhausted from the long eventful day and needed to rest up for our four-wheeling adventure up into the mountains the next day.
UTV adventure!
The next morning we all met at Sawtooth Traxx, a UTV rental company in Stanley (highly recommend them!) and hopped in a UTV. We hit the trails and started exploring up in the mountains above Stanley that overlook the Sawtooths. We made a few stops at some cool spots lower down and then made our way all the way up to a summit with an incredible lookout over the Sawtooths and the valley.
We got way back and took some jawdropping compressed photos of Cierra and Kennedy on the peak. There was a chair made out of rocks that made for some funny photos of them and made for a great spot to relax and take in the view.
After hanging out at the top for a while it was time to head back to the rental place to return the UTV and say our goodbyes to the two of them. We’ll never forget this awesome adventure with these two goof balls and are grateful that they chose us to capture their special weekend. Congrats to Cierra and Kennedy, may their marriage be filled with boundless adventures and laughs!
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