Geoff and Jean met in Hawaii and then ended up on the coast of Maine. Jean really loves Maine, so when they found out they were leaving again for Virginia, they decided this was the perfect place to elope. I'm so glad they thought so, because I totally agree! Acadia National Park is one of Maine's treasures, it's full of wonderful hiking, rocky mountaintops, steep gorges, and of course the most beautiful, rocky coastline. In Acadia, there are big outcrops of pink granite, which is a stunning scene against the vicious crash of soft blue and white waves. Of course this is the first place I took them for portraits! I know Geoff from my Coast Guard days, but this was the first time I met Jean. Her smile is one of those smiles that spreads to the entire room, it's impossible not to be happy around her! Geoff, of course, is a wonderful human and seeing these two get married was a true honor of mine. Thank you for including me in your journey!
Scroll on to see the gorgeous portraits and ceremony of Geoff and Jean's Acadia National Park, Maine elopement!
If you're thinking about eloping, check out this couple featured in the blog "Insider's Guide: 50 Best Places to Elope!"
The couple met when Geoff was stationed in Honolulu on a Cutter with the US Coast Guard. A buddy of his was into rock climbing and he was dating a local who also climbed. She was friends with Jean through their rock climbing gym. Geoff is an avid cyclist and rode often with his friend.
One day, Geoff was out riding around Oahu and he got a random missed call. Jean had gotten his number from his friend from the boat, and had left him a voicemail asking to ride together sometime. A little surprised, but endeared, they met up at Kaen’a Point to go mountain biking. At the time, Geoff only had a road bike so Jean brought two mountain bikes. They were the most busted up bikes he'd ever seen and they didn’t even work! But, Jean was so optimistic and excited to ride that Geoff couldn't let her walk away without getting to know her. They opted to hike instead because the bikes needed serious repairs, and that was basically their first date. Just a little while later, Jean called Geoff asking to ride 100 miles with her to raise awareness for farmer's markets, but here's the catch - Jean hadn't even rode 10 miles before that! And it rained. Even though it was totally out of her zone, and even though they may not have raised any awareness, Jean's positivity and excitement stuck with Geoff and he knew this was the person for him.
Since then, they've lived in California, Maine, and now Virginia. They do lots of cool backpacking trips together, they ran a marathon together, helped each other train for a 50 mile ultra marathon (she beat him by a lot), and all the other stuff couples do. One of the coolest things they’ve done together was backpacking the John Muir Trail for 21 days in California. To give you an idea of how tough Jean is, the day after they finished their 210 mile trek Geoff dropped her off to solo the High Sierra Trail in the Sierras, which is an additional 70 mile trek, all on her own. Her passion is definitely rock climbing though, and in Geoff's words, "she’s a total badass."
Elusive Photography is a boutique wedding photographer in Maine providing an individualized experience for full weddings, intimate weddings, and elopements. I work in all of Maine, New England, Florida, and other destination locations. See more of my work in the portfolio, and reach out if you'd like to talk about your story!