Allie and Mason’s Alaska elopement didn’t go exactly as planned. The helicopter couldn’t fly because of the weather; clouds hung low over the mountains, and Alaska did what it wanted. But honestly? Their day didn’t need perfect weather or a backup plan to be incredible. They got married surrounded by their closest people at Between Beaches, a remote property where the mountains meet the water, then spent the day exploring the shoreline, climbing around tide pools, eating a cake Allie’s sister made, and celebrating.
Their story started in 2019 at Lowe’s in Kentucky, where Allie worked in customer service, and Mason worked in Outside Lawn and Garden. Mason’s dad also worked there and, because he could never remember Allie’s name, introduced her to Mason as “Sunshine.” A very casual beginning to what would eventually become a cross-country flight to get married in Alaska.
Their early dates were equally chaotic. They had tacos from a liquor store parking lot that may or may not have resulted in food poisoning, an October viewing of The Grinch despite Mason apparently hating Christmas, and a supposed AutoCAD lesson that turned into hours of talking instead. A+M never really had an official “we’re dating now” moment. They just became inseparable.
Over the next several years, they moved to Ohio together, moved back to Kentucky, changed careers, adopted two dogs, survived approximately 900 stressful life pivots, bought their first house, and started building a life that feels like theirs. So when it came time to get married, a standard wedding location wasn’t really going to cut it.
An Alaska Elopement Somewhere Completely Their Own
They initially considered Seward, but the more Allie looked, the more she wanted something farther off the beaten path. If they were bringing their families all the way to Alaska, she wanted the location to be part of the experience.
Then her sister found Between Beaches, and suddenly their Alaska elopement looked more like what they had been searching for. It gave them something they hadn’t found elsewhere: the beach and mountains together, little development, and the feeling that they had actually gone somewhere. Allie also saw herself and Mason in the landscape. The mountains and beach are completely different, but somehow make sense together. She and Mason are pretty opposite too, and that balance has always been part of their relationship.
Mason’s Poppy officiated their ceremony along the water. He helped raise Mason alongside his Mimi, and Mason was the third grandchild whose wedding he had officiated. But these two took meaningful details even further. Mason’s wedding band was made by melting down his Mimi and Poppy’s wedding bands. His Mimi passed away a few years ago, so carrying a piece of her mattered deeply. He also wore a custom hummingbird bolo tie, something his family associates with her.
Allie carried pieces of her family too. She handmade their vow books and bound them with leather from an old railroad cushion her grandfather gave her before he passed away. A piece of her mom’s wedding dress was sewn underneath her own, and the diamonds in her wedding band came from Mason’s mom’s old engagement ring.
Allie’s sister made their wedding cake. The two take bakery orders together, so no random bakery was getting that assignment. Between the cake, colorful flowers, candles, antlers, and little fish details, their dinner setup was intimate, colorful, slightly quirky, and totally them.
When Alaska Changes the Plans
The original plan included taking a helicopter out for part of the day. Alaska said no. The weather made it unsafe to fly, which is obviously disappointing when you’ve traveled thousands of miles and pictured a specific experience. But that’s something to remember when getting married somewhere like Alaska: you can plan really freaking well and still have no control over the weather.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. A good elopement plan leaves enough breathing room that one change doesn’t ruin the experience. You want a location you’re excited about even if Plan A becomes Plan B—or C. Between Beaches gave us exactly that. Instead of thinking about where we couldn’t go, we explored where we already were.
Allie traded wedding shoes for hiking boots, picked up her dress, and headed for the shoreline with Mason. We wandered the rocky beach and climbed around tide pools as clouds settled over the mountains. There wasn’t a bright blue sky or perfectly clear mountain view, but I don’t think these photos would feel the same if there had been. The moody weather became part of the story.
And this is one of my favorite things about photographing elopements in Alaska. I don’t want you to look like two people dropped into a pretty landscape for photos. I want the landscape to become part of what you’re doing. Walk through it. Explore it. Get your dress a little dirty. Put the hiking boots on. Laugh when something doesn’t go according to plan. Actually experience the place you traveled all that way to see. That’s exactly what Allie and Mason did.
More like this: Alaska Helicopter Elopement at Knik Glacier
A Wedding Day With a Whole Lot of Meaning Packed Into It
By the end of the day, the helicopter almost felt like a footnote. Because what Allie and Mason actually came to Alaska for was still there.
Mason’s Poppy got to marry them. Their families watched them exchange vows beside the water. Allie carried her grandfather with her in the vow books she made by hand. Mason wore a wedding band made from the rings of two people who helped raise him. Her sister made their cake. They explored the coast in wedding clothes and hiking boots. And afterward, they got to celebrate together in this tiny, remote pocket of Alaska most people will never experience. That’s the good stuff.
I think there can be a temptation with elopements to make the adventure itself the main event. Helicopters! Glaciers! Mountains! Epic views! And listen, I am absolutely here for all of that. But your Alaska elopement should be about more than chasing the biggest views. The location should add to your wedding, not become more important than it.
Allie and Mason chose Between Beaches because they wanted somewhere remote and beautiful, but also to share an experience with their families. They filled that place with details connected to the people they love, building a day that still felt deeply personal even when Alaska changed their plans.
That’s exactly why I love photographing days like this. If you’re planning an Alaska elopement, dream big. Book the helicopter. Pick the wild location. Make the plans you’re ridiculously excited about. But also choose a place—and a team—you’ll trust if the forecast rolls in and those plans have to change. Sometimes Plan B ends up looking pretty dang beautiful.
