Katherine & Garretts
Alaska Elopement

Girdwood, Alaska

A full-day Alaska elopement with a helicopter, remote glaciers, private vows on the ice, and a moose who apparently wanted in on the plans.

Vision & Planning

Katherine and Garrett knew they wanted something adventurous, intentional, and very much not a traditional wedding. They had already landed on the idea of an Alaska helicopter elopement when they reached out, and from there, the job was figuring out how to turn that very big idea into a day that actually felt like them.

They wanted glaciers, mountains, privacy, and enough time to experience where they were instead of spending the entire day moving from one photo opportunity to the next. A helicopter gave us access to places we simply couldn’t reach any other way, but more importantly, it gave them the freedom to move through several completely different parts of the Alaskan landscape without packing the day into an impossible timeline.

The helicopter wasn’t just transportation. It was part of the experience.

We started slowly in Girdwood before heading into the mountains. Once we lifted off, everything changed fast. Massive icefields, alpine lakes, sharp peaks, and that particular kind of Alaska scale that makes you realize very quickly how fucking small you are.

And apparently we weren’t the only ones out there. At one point, a moose wandered into the day too, because Alaska was really committed to the assignment.

Out on the glaciers, it was just Katherine, Garrett, our pilot, and me. No audience waiting for the ceremony to start. No venue telling us when we needed to leave. We could explore the ice, take in the landscape, and give them space to actually be there together before they read their vows.

Eventually, they found their spot and read their vows surrounded by blue ice, snow, mountains, and what felt like an absolutely ridiculous amount of sky.

Just the two of them, on a glacier in Alaska. I mean... come on.

We kept exploring from there, landing in places that felt completely different from the last. Katherine and Garrett got to fly into the mountains, walk across a glacier, get married somewhere almost nobody else could reach, and still have enough time to stop and actually take in where the hell they were.

After more than 12 hours together, we ended back in Girdwood with an intimate dinner, cake, and wine. No dramatic finale required. After spending the day flying around Alaska and getting married on a glacier, sitting around a table together for a few hours was exactly where we needed to be.

At A Glance

  • Location: Girdwood, Alaska + Chugach Mountains
  • Environment: Glaciers, alpine lakes, mountains + expansive icefields
  • Season: Summer
  • Vibe: Adventurous, secluded, awe-filled + wildly expansive
  • Activities: Helicopter adventure, multiple glacier landings, private vows on the ice, exploring remote glacier terrain + intimate dinner

Timline

  • Morning: Slow morning + getting ready in Girdwood
  • Late Morning: First look surrounded by mountain views
  • Midday: Helicopter flight into the Chugach Mountains
  • Afternoon: Multiple remote glacier landings, exploring the ice + private vows
  • Late Afternoon: More glacier exploring + documentary-style portraits throughout the landscape
  • Evening: Return to Girdwood for an intimate dinner, cake + wine

Vendor Team

Experience Design + Photography — Jayne of AgnesArtifacts
Helicopter Tour — Alpine Air Alaska
Florist — Yarrow & Co
Hair & Makeup — Vibe Artistry
Cake — Alaska Wedding Cake Boutique

“

We ended up with what we feel are possibly the greatest elopement photos ever recorded.

"My now wife and I planned an Alaskan helicopter elopement about a year in advance. We spoke with a half dozen elopement photographers and thought long and hard about who we wanted to document our special day.

Jayne was the easy choice. She was super friendly, experienced, well-priced, and just seemed like a genuinely great person! (If you don’t want to read the rest of this review, just know that Jayne is an 11/10 and you should book with her right now).

The planning process was fun, and Jayne made it easy for us. Her research gave us so many great options for locations and companies to work with, and she hit it out of the park! Our day ended up exactly as we dreamed it would be. 

The preparation stage of the elopement day was great. She made us feel super comfortable and went above and beyond to get a variety of great detail and getting-ready shots.

In the helicopter, on the glaciers, high in the mountains, she was a creative genius. SO many angles and backdrops, we ended up with what we feel are possibly the greatest wedding photos ever recorded. I don’t think we’ve had a conversation with any of our friends in which our wedding photos didn’t come up since this elopement.

After our adventure, Jayne came over and photographed our intimate dinner and cake cutting. We ended up hanging out for hours and had a glass of wine, because she is awesome.

We were thrilled with our experience with Jayne and highly recommend you book her as your photographer. She spent more than 12 hours with us on our day, and as mentioned the results were simply perfection."




katherine & garrett