Russian Gulch State Park Elopement | Mendocino, California

Kacie and Darnell are such awesome people and I loved traveling to Russian Gulch State Park in Mendicino, CA to celebrate their marriage!

This couple got in touch with me for a destination photo shoot, even though they’d already officially tied the knot. Kacie and Darnell wanted to celebrate the elopement they didn’t really get to have in the middle of the pandemic, and I am always ready to pack my bags + camera and head somewhere beautiful!

Their love story has such ‘meant to be’ vibes too!

Darnell was a Southern California native and Kacie moved around quite a bit in her early years before landing in Colorado, where they met for the first time at college.

Though they got along well, both were otherwise occupied and fell into a long-term friendship for a decade and a half!

Even after they parted ways post college, they still got together when when they had the chance. If Kacie had a layover in LA they’d get together, and they’d do the same in Colorado if Darnell was headed through.

At long last, however, they reconnected in their early 30s and decided to make a go of it! So romantic after all that time!

When it came time to propose, Darnell decided to take Kacie out on a hike, which she loves to do. Kacie thought it was weird not only because he never volunteered for her favorite past time AND it was raining! So maybe wasn’t a 100% surprised when he proposed two minutes into the hike and was ready to head back.

I’m pretty sure she made him finish the hike!

The pair settled down in Texas and they eloped during 2020 with a virtual courthouse wedding.

As Kacie already had a dress she’d picked out for their big day that didn’t happen, she made the decision to wear it for our shoot in the park, and it was a perfect complement to our rugged venue.

Kacie and Darnell had been to Mendocino and this state park before and absolutely fell in love with it, so it was a natural choice when considering locations for their photos. She loves nature, he loves architecture and there's a really cool bridge in the park so it married their two interests!

We followed each other around the park and had the best time capturing all these sweet moments that celebrated their relationship and the commitment they made to each other. Taking photos among the California Redwoods was such a treat. It gives you such great perspective shots.

Destination photo shoots are always so amazing, taking you out of your routine and really helping you focus on the reason for being there. Each other!

Thank you Kacie and Darnell! I’ll meet you anywhere for the next session!