Jenny + Chase // A Joshua Tree Styled Elopement

In the Beforetimes, back when this virus was only a whisper somewhere in our collective consciousness, I took a roadtrip to Joshua Tree. It was my first time to this famed desert, and I was so excited to see all the beauty I had only dreamed about until then.

I was attending a weekend retreat aptly called #RETREATYOSELF, put on by two talented friends of mine, Vanessa Todd and Kara Nixon. We stayed in the cutest retro bungalow in the Yucca Valley, with views that stretched for miles around us, we ate delicious home-cooked meals, and did group yoga in the desert sun. If ever there was a retreat to kick off what was sure to be my busiest year on record, this was it. Of course, a few months later things have…changed somewhat on that front, but that’s a story for another day.

Kara and Vanessa had planned three photoshoots for us as a group to participate in, should we choose to. The first one was a styled elopement in Joshua Tree National Park, with a gorgeous couple named Jenny and Chase, and a stunning Rue de Seine gown. We each got to take individual turns directing the couple, taking them wherever we wanted in the surrounding desert, and I was over the moon when it was my turn.

Oh, and fun fact: I shot all of these images on my Fuji XT-30 camera!! It was the first time I’d shot portraits with it and I am SO impressed by the images it gave me! I just might have to add it to my wedding arsenal.

Anyways, I’ll share more about the retreat and the subsequent shoots in the coming blog posts, but for now please feast your eyes on the most attractive couple of all time beneath the desert sunset.

Credit where credit is due of course…

Styling/Creative Direction: Kara Nixon and Vanessa Todd

HMUA: Maria Olmos Artistry

Gown: Rue de Seine

Suit: Friar Tux