Skyline Ridge Picnic Elopement

Zhané and Riana didn’t plan on eloping, but like many couples planning traditional weddings in 2020, they fell into it unexpectedly. It wasn't safe to hold the community wedding they’d intended during COVID, but the sweet couple couldn’t bear to wait for a year or more to say their long-awaited vows.

They held their legal ceremony quietly at home, via a webcam and without photographs. But they needed images to celebrate their love and commemorate the moment, so we planned a sunset getaway elopement photoshoot with them in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California along Skyline Ridge, with a pink lemonade picnic beside a pocket-sized alpine pond. After eating and toasting, the sweethearts trekked out to a rocky mountain overlook with sweeping views across the San Francisco peninsula and snuggled together as they watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon.

A closer photograph of the couple: through the reeds growing on the water's edge, we can see the excitement on their faces as they stand together on the dock

Zhané smiles as Riana says something in her ear

Riana looks down at Zhané as Zhané snuggles against her chest

A closer view of the couple: in celebration of their wedding, they've dressed up in a khaki suit jacket and a peach-colored silk dress

The two gaze into each other's eyes and Zhané reaches up to adjust Riana's hair

Riana gently dips her bride back as they dance a little on the swaying dock; both women laugh

They pull apart briefly in a smooth dance move , still holding hands

The two brides pause in their dance to look into each other's eyes

Zhané looks down briefly, the sunlight shining through her hair

The two brides smile at each other; Zhané places a hand on Riana's shoulder

They slowly go in for a kiss; we see them just before their lips touch

As their faces separate, the two women look at each other lovingly

With their faces almost touching, they smile, about to kiss again

The couple switch locations to the balcony of a small building - the park's nature center - on the edge of the pond

The two look into each other's eyes, thinking of their future together

As Riana whisper's something in Zhané's ear, Zhané laughs

The two brides glow with the afternoon light as Zhané continues to laugh; they embrace closer

They kiss, their eyes closed and faces full of emotion

Zhané places her hand on Riana's chin, drawing her in for another kiss

They breathe each other in as their faces almost touch

Riana smiles shyly as Zhané whispers something in her ear

Zhane continues to whisper in Riana's ear; Riana lets out a small laugh

In a more tender moment, the two brides duck their heads together

As they pull their faces apart for a brief moment, we see Zhané's face glowing in the sunlight, her eyes focused on her beloved

Riana looks into the distance as Zhané whispers into her ear

The two move over to a wooden picnic table decked with a white cloth

As the sun begins to drop over the pond and trees behind them, they enjoy a pink lemonade picnic by the water

Zhané reaches out and places a hand on her bride's shoulder

She feeds her sweetheart a madeleine cookie

Riana playfully takes a bite of the cookie

Zhané opens the bottle of pink lemonade, carefully but full of excitement

Riana pours her bride a glass of bubbling pink lemonade

they say a quick toast to each other as they clink their champagne-style glasses full of pink lemonade

Zhané pauses as she drinks her pink lemonade, careful not to spill

We get a closer view of their picnic spread, which includes artfully-arranged grapes, candied oranges, sandwiches and croissants

Zhané's handmade wedding bouquet is draped across the table

The two brides clink their champagne glasses together

The two brides drink their pink lemonade in unison

They smile at each other as they toast to each other again

Zhané and Riana look into each other's eyes

We zoom in on their hands holding their champagne glasses, glimmering wedding rings visible

They smile and laugh as a golden ray of early-evening light streams through the trees, warmly illuminating the pair

They snuggle in just a little bit closer as they look into each other's eyes

As the two brides and their photographer hike out to a nearby viewpoint, we spot a trio of deer running through the grass

Two deer jump through the golden grass into the bushes

As we reach the viewpoint, we see the light filtering through the trees as the sun approaches sunset

The two brides help each other adjust their wedding clothes as they prepare to pose for a few final photos while the sun sets

As the sun begins to set behind the mountains in the west, we can see the two brides glowing in its golden light as they stand on a rocky outcropping, overlooking the trees and hills below

They snuggle together on the edge of the cliff, held safely in place by a railing at the viewpoint

The pair turn to us and look into each other's eyes; Zhané holds her bridal bouquet. We can see the mountains rise behind them

We zoom in closer on the couple's faces as they say sweet nothings to each other

The two lean in for a long kiss; their faces almost touch

The brides bring their faces apart, smile, and laugh

We see them gazing out from the rocky viewpoint once more, Zhané leans back into Riana's arms and tilts her head back to look up at her sweetheart

They watch the sun dip behind the mountains

In the last rays of light, they turn to snuggle and look at each other again before hiking back to the trailhead at the end of this day's adventure

Let's do this!

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