An Intimate Eureka Springs Elopement

An Elopement at Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs

Brooke and Riley were just two cuties ready to tie the knot, and make an adventure out of it for their Eureka Springs elopement! The two Ohioans had a conversation one day with a family friend in Northwest Arkansas, who told them she’d be happy to legally marry them if they wanted to come down and get married by her. They were all for the idea and jumped into the planning process for a destination elopement in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Brooke and Riley had never been to Arkansas. While trying to figure out how to elope here, they came across my elopement photography business. They reached out to me and expressed their interest in eloping in the Natural State, and mentioned they had no idea where to do it. They just wanted something relatively close to their family friend so she and her wife wouldn’t have to drive far to meet them. We hit it off during their consult, and they fell in love with the idea of an adventure in my favorite town in Arkansas, Eureka Springs.

The Day

Getting Ready at the Crescent Hotel

We started Brooke and Riley’s day off at the Crescent Hotel in their balcony room tucked away in the back corner of the building. The Crescent is a charming, historic hotel located just on the outskirts of downtown. It’s known for being the #1 haunted hotel in America, so it’s quite the thrill, too. It was a relatively cooler day for June, so we opened the balcony doors to let the fresh air and sunlight in while the couple took turns getting dressed. They wanted to do a first look after getting dressed, so we strategically had them alternate using the space before sending them down to the garden in the backyard for their first look.

Family stood on the porch watching from a distance as Brooke walked down the stairs and tapped Riley on the shoulders in the garden to turn around and see her in her dress for the first time, but not before we had a funny moment when she realized Riley still had his tag on his suit that she had to yank off and show us lol. Warning you now, Riley is the crier in the relationship. We love a king in tune with his feelings. Riley was taken back with emotion seeing Brooke. He admired her dress and beauty before Brooke grabbed him a handkerchief to clean up, and they had the coziest hug before we packed up and headed to Thorncrown for the ceremony.

Elopement Ceremony at Thorncrown Chapel

The ceremony was nothing less of a dream. Thorncrown Chapel is one of my favorite venues in Arkansas – and it’s known as being one of the most beautiful venues in the nation. There were many tears, many smiles, the sweetest words exchanged, and the most beautiful lighting. One of my favorite tiny moments of the day, though, was during family portraits. While taking a photo of Riley and his dad together, his dad proudly stated “that was my father’s ring.” while pointing at Riley’s hand, sharing a special fact with me about Riley’s late grandfather. The two began to tear up and we had to take a pause to regain ourselves before continuing. How dang special is it to wear something with so much meaning not only for your marriage, but for your late loved one too?

After taking family and couple’s photos, we all hopped in our cars and headed to our next scenic stop at Lover’s Leap to enjoy the views of Arkansas.

Lover’s Leap

Lover’s Leap is a scenic bluff about 25 minutes from downtown Eureka Springs that overlooks part of Beaver Lake. It’s a gorgeous spot to escape to on an elopement day for some photos in the outdoors. If you’re lucky enough to come here after a decent rain, you’ll catch the waterfall that runs off the bluff into the lake below! We spent a brief time here just checking out the views and getting pretty photos of the couple before sunset. I snagged a photo of Brooke’s bouquet while we were here, featuring a photo of her late grandfather that was pinned to the bouquet using the diaper pin that her grandfather wore when he was an infant – a super cool family heirloom that had stayed in the family.

Cake at the Crescent

After enjoying the scenery at Lover’s Leap, we headed back to the Crescent Hotel to cut the cutest heart-shaped cake from Colossal Cupcakes and Cones before exploring the halls of the hotel for couple’s photos.

Eureka Springs Elopement Resources

The couple wanted this to be a romantic and fun getaway with their loved ones. There’s no better place to do that than Eureka Springs when it comes to Arkansas elopements! Walking through downtown to check out the shops, eating the amazing local food, going on all of the town tours, and enjoying a nice massage at the Crescent is all you could ask for. It’s such a fun town that I grew up visiting on the regular for weekend getaways, and now it’s a place I love to show my couples so they can have an amazing time while celebrating their love. The couple was all onboard staying at the Crescent for it’s vintage charm, and saying “I do” inside Thorncrown Chapel.

Vendors Used:

Photographer: Beaty Creative Photo

Cake: Colossal Cupcakes and Cones

Florals: Eureka & Company

Hotel: Crescent Hotel

Venue: Thorncrown Chapel

Hair + Makeup: Crescent Spa

Officiant: family friend

For more information about Thorncrown Chapel, check out my Thorncrown Chapel Guide.

An Arkansas Elopement Photographer to Help You Plan Your Dream Day

From the bride: “My husband and I had no idea where to start with our elopement journey and Caitlin was such a huge help from beginning to end (literally)! She had all the recommendations; could tell you almost exactly what to expect, and does the most amazing work! Not only super communicative, but her editing style is exactly what we were looking for! Highly recommend!” – Brooke

It’s no lie, planning a wedding or elopement can be stressful. Especially if it’s in a destination you’re unfamiliar with. One of the most fun parts of my job is bouncing around ideas and giving suggestions on ways to bring your elopement vision to life. Whether it be finding the perfect location, what to do for fun in the area, best vendors for your needs, you name it – I’m here to help with it.