This sunset rocky cliffs session was absolutely one of my favorites! Taylor and Sean took ‘intentional’ to a whole new level for their session with me. Intentionality is something I always strive for as a wedding & elopement photographer using inspiration stemming from my own romantic relationship. I was thrilled that this couple was so on board with deepening the connection between each other for the sake of their photos. I couldn’t wait to share their session (that doubles as sunset elopement inspiration!) on the blog with you today.
Sunset Rocky Cliffs Elopement Inspiration in Victoria, BC
As I mentioned, this is a couples session and not a full-blown elopement! However, Taylor and Sean could have exchanged wedding vows and I would not have been surprised. As someone who is a fan of intimate, meaningful elopements, I highly recommend taking inspiration from their photos if that is also something you align with. And if you do - you know where to find me to document it!
Not only was the location of this session absolutely stunning, but the love between Taylor and Sean was equally beautiful. The chemistry between these two was palpable, even hypnotizing to witness. It was truly my honour to document a snippet of their love story, giving them tangible memories to look back on for years to come.
My approach to love stories
You may be wondering why it genuinely seems like these two are exchanging vows on the cliffs - and I’m here to tell you! If you’ve read through my website, you know that my work is an expression of what I’m most passionate about, and one of those things is storytelling. I aim to have a personalized approach to each couple based on their own love story, because that’s what you deserve. The one thing I started incorporating into my sessions was love letter reading - a decision that has elevated the experience I provide for couples who work with me!
My husband and I leave love notes for each other quite often (we can’t help it, can you tell I’m a hopeless romantic?) and that was my inspiration behind this activity. I wanted Taylor and Sean to do something similar in hopes of documenting true, raw emotion and connection between them. T + S took this process very seriously, and did not hold back once their pens hit the paper. I had them separately and privately write in vow books, and then read them aloud for the first time in front of one another in front of the camera. To say the results were undeniably powerful and beautiful is an understatement! Can you believe the amount of love that shone through their images?
Taylor + Sean’s Love Story
I have to share the backstory between T + S because it's just that good! Let’s start from the beginning…
Taylor was scrolling through Hinge (we love a modern love story) and matched with Sean, immediately hitting it off. They developed the ritual of playing online chess together weeks before they met in person for the first time. Sean was dedicated to upleveling his skills after Taylor continuously beat him, until eventually the tables turned! That ended up being the first of many signs of dedication he would show to her.
Now, onto their first date. Sean picked her up to take him back to his house for a romantic, home-cooked dinner, but with one condition: no physical touch. He wanted to make sure Taylor was as comfortable as possible, and knew there was absolutely no pressure to do anything besides get to know each other in the flesh. He cooked her an amazing dinner, played crib, and they ended up baring their souls to each other. They stayed up talking until 3 a.m., until she finally went home, wondering how she got so lucky to find a man like Sean.
The very next day, they saw each other again and S had gained a newfound confidence. Based on how their previous date had gone, he knew this was going to be something special. The moment he saw her, he walked up with no hesitation and kissed her total rom-com style. Ever since then, Taylor hasn’t been able to let go of him
Three months later, they got matching sunbeam + moonbeam tattoos on their ankles to signify their connection to each other. In Taylor’s words, they are “so cringey and cheesy, but we don’t care and we love each other so much.” Sounds like my kind of couple!
There are a million things they said they loved about each other when I asked, but what stood out to me were the most subtle ones. There’s so much intimacy in the seemingly insignificant qualities - the way your partner hugs, the silly noises they make, the way they care for you when you’re under stress. It’s all of those things that create and deepen the connection you have with your person, and I’m so honoured to have captured those qualities between Taylor and Sean.
A quick shout-out to…
The small but mighty team that was a part of this session! Rhubarb in the Garden created the most perfect floral arrangements I could have imagined. The dress from Wild and Cozy Closet was stunning on Taylor - it’s like it was made for her! Last, but not least, the vow books from Love Letters Co. provided the perfect medium for T + S to transcribe their love for each other.
Are you ready to elope in Victoria, BC?
If so, I would love to connect with you! To inquire about my elopement photography services, you can fill out my contact form and I’ll get back to you soon.
