HUNTER & SARAH

Intimate Micro-Wedding Elopement at Raven’s Roost Overlook

August 3, 2020

The afternoon of Emily and Jim’s elopement was one of the more hectic afternoons of our lives 😂 Thanks to a constantly-shifting weather forecast and a very ominous, dark-grey cloud that we were watching move towards us, there was a LOT of uncertainty. Blackrock Summit inside Shenandoah National Park, a favorite photoshoot location of ours, had been the plan since they first booked with us almost a year ago. Earlier that day we had decided that the Rotunda on UVA’s Lawn was the backup option in the event of rain, since it was a covered area that didn’t require a reservation. And after watching the stormcloud move through Shenandoah on the weather radar, we also identified Raven’s Roost Overlook as another option, since it looked like the storm was going to pass through that area long before it stopped raining at Blackrock Summit. In the time between we left our house and when we finally arrived at Raven’s Roost, the location changed from Blackrock Summit, to the Lawn, to Raven’s Roost, back to the Lawn, then back to Raven’s Roost. Thanks to the spotty cell phone reception in the mountains, it was no small miracle when both Emily and Jim, their four parents, the officiant Claire, and Sarah and I all showed up to Raven’s Roost on time!

But once we arrived, the stress of the hectic afternoon vanished from our memories. Suddenly, all we could focus on was the gorgeous mountain backdrop, and the even more stunning bride and groom. Emily was so full of joy, especially since Virginia’s lockdown had prevented her and Jim from tying the knot back in April, as they had originally planned. Her seemingly infinite joy, bubbling over into unending smiles and giggles, was the perfect counterpart to Jim’s subtle but deep happiness. He couldn’t take his eyes off of his bride! As they said their vows and exchanged rings, their four witnesses stood several feet away, drying teary eyes. In the end, everything worked out better than we could have planned.

Emily + Jim,

It’s been so wonderful to be on this journey with you two over the last ten months. From your very first message to us, all the way to the wedding day, your prayerful and joyful attitude as a couple has made our job so easy and life-giving. It’s genuinely been a blast to serve you two on this journey, and we can’t wait to see what life holds for you two in the future! Despite the craziness of the world around us, the promises that you two shared at Raven’s Roost last month will provide a little extra stability to help you two get through anything. And we have no doubt you will!

With love,
Sarah + Hunter

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Intimate Micro-Wedding Elopement at Raven's Roost Overlook - Hunter and Sarah Photography