Leanne & Dawn’s Acadia Sunrise Elopement

When Leanne and Dawn described how they envisioned their elopement- no dresses, no suits, no dressing up, no flowers, but saying their vows in a beautiful place with two close friends by their sides- I was all in. I was especially all in when they told me I wasn’t allowed to wear my typical elopement attire- a black dress and strappy Birkenstock sandals. I ended up wearing jeans, a cozy sweatshirt, and sneakers, and let me tell you- I have never felt so comfortable during an elopement! It was great!

I met Leanne, Dawn, and their friends Rick and Julie before 5am outside of Bar Harbor Inn. They greeted me with warm hugs (we were all vaccinated! Yay!), and we drove into the park together, watching as the sun was working its way to peek over the horizon. When we arrived to our destination, a lovely cliff-side view of the sunrise, we marveled at the colors in the sky, found a nice spot for the ceremony, and began. Rick officiated, while Julie and I acted as witnesses, and save for a couple of people, far in the distance, we were blissfully alone in the park. And, what a ceremony! When it concluded, there were tears, hugs, and so much joy that I felt so lucky to be able to capture it. Finally, after three years of dating (to the day!), Leanne and Dawn were married, and while it wasn’t Quebec City, their original elopement location choice, Acadia was a wonderful second option.

After spending some time relaxing at the cliffs and taking some group portraits (I was even included in one!), we slowly drove around the park loop road, stopping at Otter Point. We ever so quietly checked out a deer, who eyed us quietly (there’s a pic below!), a porcupine ambled beside the road, and we basically had the most Maine-y morning possible.

We shared breakfast together in the Reading Room- mimosas flowed, endless coffee (oh, coffee!), bacon, pancakes, bagels.. an incredible spread. And, once we finished, we headed over to finalize the paperwork at Bar Harbor town office. Many high fives were shared once everything was (finally) official.

Here’s a few of my favorite photos from my time with Leanne and Dawn. I hope our paths cross again in the future! And THANK you for the everything but the bagel seasoning- I now understand the hype :)