Rainy Winter Elopement in Big Bear, California
Ready to hear some hard truths? Eloping isn’t necessarily always the easiest, most stress-free choice... especially when it comes to eloping in the outdoors. (But the fun you’ll have on your day itself far outweighs the stress from planning so don’t let this scare you! 😛) Eloping in the outdoors brings with it its own set of challenges, the main thing being having to contend with the weather. In Southern California, we often take the weather for granted — how could we not, when we typically get a predictable sunny day most days of the year? So when the crazy storms hit us in late February 2023 that didn’t seem to stop, everyone was thrown for a loop.
The few weeks leading up to this day were filled with a ton of anxiety, due to the storms that hit California at the end of February 2023. Big Bear was buried under 6-8 feet of snow in some areas, the highways were closed, and people could not get in and out. In fact, a national state of emergency had been declared for the area, as many residents were stuck in their homes without food and supplies.
V & A went back and forth on whether they should try and keep their date, or reschedule to a later time. As luck would have it, restrictions lifted days before their elopement day, and even though it was forecasted to rain on their wedding day, we decided to weather the storm (literally!). Even as I pointed out some of the challenges we might face on the day, Victoria said in her email to me, “We still want to go through with it no matter what the day brings, we are ready for it.”
Rain and wind greeted us the morning of their elopement day. You could hear the wind howling through the trees and valley, as the snow on the ground crunched beneath our boots as we moved about their rental cabin. Inside, the heat was cranked up, as V started getting ready for their day, their 4-month-old daughter sleeping soundly in her crib.
Armed with clear umbrellas, we made our way to a little spot under some trees that I had scouted the day before, where they had an emotional intimate ceremony surrounded by their closest loved ones. After some portraits under the trees, we headed back to their airbnb where their family had prepared a meal and cake. It was a simple day and a simple celebration, but one that didn’t come by quite so simply. All things said and done though, this family embraced the cold and rain like champs. My favorite thing of the day? When A’s mom sloshed through some snow to their to their ceremony site, she exclaimed, “This is so fun!!!” You could see the joy radiating from her. :)
Your enjoyment of your day has so much to do with your mindset and how you approach the day. You can choose to embrace the weather, the dirt, rain and snow… or worry about the things you can’t control. My advice? Choose the former :) I guarantee you WILL have fun on your day, and have some unique photos to remember this experience by 😉
Fun fact: this entire day was planned within 3 weeks! While I generally recommend booking your elopement photographer as far in advance as possible (especially if you need help with locations and permits!), it is absolutely doable to pull off planning in under a month! If you need help with an adventure elopement in Big Bear (or anywhere else for that matter!), I’ve got you! :D
