Sydney Coastal Elopement - Styled Shoot

Wedding Styles: Coastal, Romantic

Wedding Season: Summer

Submitted By: Cupid & Co Studios

With restrictions continuously changing globally for wedding ceremonies, elopements have become more popular than ever with couples choosing to go ahead with their nuptials.

Sydney wedding photographer Jaime Graham from Cupid & Co Studios decided to use the down-time of 2020 to create her first styled elopement with real-life couple Felicity and Alex, proving you don’t need to travel to new destinations to elope and instead focus on what’s available in your own backyard.  

Jaime said: “As a photographer, I’ve spent most of my life looking for magic where others see the mundane. As we came out of a lock-down last year, and international travel felt like a distant dream, looking to our own backyard in Australia seemed like the way forward (as far as destination weddings were concerned).

For me, having grown up in the area, Maroubra Beach was about as close to a backyard as one could get. It offered the perfect challenge - take somewhere decidedly unexotic and make it feel like halfway across the world. It was a reminder that despite all the constant changes, the idea that you could still have a dream elopement within your own borders was entirely possible.”

Using a subtle mix of documentary and editorial styles in her work, Jaime’s ability to capture a couple’s connection is evident through these warm images. You can instantly feel the love between Felicity and Alex as she captured their candid moments together.

Jaime recommends creating opportunities for couples to have these candid moments by prompting them to take a walk, dance or tell each other jokes. Putting your couple at ease is so important rather than awkwardly posing for photos. It makes the experience more natural and will result in stunning photos!

We Love: The Nookie “Eleganza Gown” through ONS Boutique, which offers a modern alternative to a traditional wedding dress that fits in perfectly with this coastal setting.

For couples looking to elope this year, Jaime suggests keeping it as simple as possible and focusing on what really matters. This shoot was also captured by videographer Kenneth Phang and is a great way to give families and friends a glimpse into the elopement if they couldn’t attend.

Jaime recommends working with local vendors that you can connect with. For this shoot, she chose Auburn Floral, who created this romantic bridal bouquet of sweet peas, paper daisies, roses and anemones with a soft palette.

Felicity’s makeup was applied by local makeup artist By Jannete Williams, who gave her a subtle glow to match this coastal location. Jaime loved working with this team and always encourages photographers to find vendors who will share your excitement about the shoot and want to create a magical day for the couple. Vendors can make or break the atmosphere of the ceremony, so they’re the key to the success of intimate elopements.

We asked Jaime to share her advice to couples wanting to elope:
“Firstly, keep it simple and focus on what really matters. The allure of an elopement is you can choose an awesome location (which doesn’t necessarily mean travelling far) and secondly, that it’s an intimate, stress free affair.

Elopements are all about making new traditions and celebrating what matters most - your unbridled, adventurous love. Find vendors that you really connect with. Since elopements have minimal guests present, often just the couple, the vendors you choose will impact the vibe of the day. You want people who share the same excitement about your elopement as you do and want to make it as special as they can for you.”

Whether you are a photographer yourself or a couple looking to elope this year, we hope this beautiful shoot has inspired you for your intimate elopement ceremony.

Thank you, Jaime for submitting your gorgeous Sydney elopement our way!

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