Elopement Story Mount Washington, NH Oct 2023

Danielle & Tom

the highest point in New England, and the last train down

Wedding dress flying in the summit wind as Danielle and Tom lean in to kiss, layered White Mountain ridges beyond

First light gave way to wind on the summit cone, 6,288 feet.

They didn’t want a venue. They wanted the top of New England, in October, with the wind doing most of the talking.

01

The Story

A ceremony above the clouds

When Danielle and Tom reached out, they already knew a traditional venue was off the table. They wanted something real — wild, windswept, and impossible to repeat. A private, deeply meaningful ceremony on top of New England’s tallest peak, surrounded by the raw edges of the White Mountains.

As a New Hampshire elopement photographer who lives for mountain light and couples who are up for the walk, this was the kind of inquiry that had me buzzing before I finished reading it.

They hiked up early with a close friend. I took the Auto Road instead, which meant I arrived with all my gear and none of the sweat, ready to work from the moment they appeared.

Some weddings are beautiful. Others are the reason I do this work.

Groom's navy suit and dried autumn boutonniere hanging on the weathered green door of a Mount Washington summit building

Wedding day details on Mount Washington granite: white heels, a rust and burgundy bouquet with feathers, a gold ring box and a pearl necklace

02

Getting Ready

A green door at 6,288 feet

We met inside the Mount Washington Observatory visitor center, where the two of them got dressed in the basement, tucked away from the crowds and out of the wind. A weathered green door on the summit buildings turned out to be the best dressing-room backdrop I could have asked for.

Once they were ready we walked to a quieter spot just off the summit, along the Jewell Trail, for their first look. Despite it being a busy October Sunday on the most-visited summit in New England, we kept finding peaceful pockets — just the two of them in their wedding best, looking out over the valleys.

Then their people arrived on the Cog Railway. Hugs, happy tears, and mountaintop reunions, which is not a sentence I get to write about most weddings.

Ceremony on the Mount Washington Auto Road seen between guests, alpine tundra stretching out to the ridges

03

The Vows

Wind, alpine grass, and the Presidentials

With everyone gathered we moved to a scenic pull-off along the Auto Road. Mike Cherim of Redline Guiding officiated, and it was heartfelt, personal, and completely rooted in their love of being outside. Wind moving through the alpine grass, the Presidential Range stretching out behind them, and vows that actually sounded like them.

After family portraits we headed back toward the summit so everyone could catch the last train of the day. The weather held, the light went gold, and the whole afternoon felt like the kind of dream you don’t want to wake up from.

The celebration carried on down in the valley at Rek’lis Brewing Company in Bethlehem — pumpkins, mums, and a welcome sign with their names on it. A mountain in the afternoon and a brewery at night is a genuinely great pairing.