Emmy & Ben's Jackson Hole Elopement

I love when a couple picks an elopement over a big wedding day, because it strips everything down to what actually matters. No seating chart, no seventeen-person bridal party, no awkward gap between the ceremony ending and the reception starting. Just two people, an officiant, and a mountain range that makes the whole thing feel bigger than it already is.

Emmy and Ben’s day was exactly that: small, quiet, and completely their own. There’s no program to follow when it’s just the two of you, which means the day moves at whatever pace feels right. That’s the part I try to protect most when I’m filming an elopement. I’m not directing traffic or managing a timeline against a caterer. I’m just there to catch it.

Why more couples are eloping in Jackson Hole

Elopements here have grown for a reason that’s obvious the second you see the backdrop, but there’s a practical side worth knowing too. If your elopement happens inside Grand Teton National Park itself, the Park Service requires a Special Use Permit for any ceremony, even a small one with just a couple and an officiant. Permits currently run a $200 application fee, allow about an hour for the ceremony, and need to be requested at least four weeks out, though the most popular spots tend to fill up fast once the application window opens each winter. Wyoming also requires two witnesses in addition to your officiant, which is worth knowing if you’re planning to keep the day as small as Emmy and Ben did.

None of that logistics stuff takes away from the day itself. If anything, having fewer people there makes the moments hit harder. I’d rather film ten unscripted minutes between two people who forgot the camera was there than a hundred posed shots at a reception.

If you’re picturing something like this for your own day, take a look through the rest of the portfolio to see the range of weddings and elopements I’ve filmed, or check out what a Jackson Hole elopement day with me actually costs. I keep the number of weddings I take on every year intentionally small, so if you’re eloping in the Tetons, I’d love to hear from you.