Some clients book a session. Lauren booked a whole future.
A week after we wrapped her embodiment shoot, Lauren messaged me one question: did I have anything going on for her wedding day? She’d loved the images we made together – and more than that, she’d loved how we made them – enough to know, almost immediately, that I had to be the one to capture her vows to Brittney too. She didn’t want a stranger behind the camera for that moment. She wanted someone who already knew how to see her.
That’s the thing about this work that never stops being wild to me. A three-hour shoot turns into someone trusting you with the single most important day of their life. That’s not a client relationship. That’s something closer to friendship, and I don’t take it lightly.
The Beach Only Locals Know
Lauren had one request: she wanted to say her vows at the same little beach where we’d done her embodiment session. I’m not going to tell you exactly where it is – this spot is quiet, tucked away, and sacred to the handful of people who actually know about it, and I intend to keep it that way. What I can tell you is that it’s the kind of place that makes you forget you’re anywhere near a city at all. Wild palms scattered through the sand, the intracoastal moving along one side, a low rock barrier holding the other, and enough untamed greenery that for a few hours, it feels like your own private island.
As a St. Augustine elopement photographer, I get asked constantly where to find beaches like this – the ones without crowds, without permits, without a hundred strangers wandering into your ceremony photos. This is exactly why I keep a running list of them close to my chest. If you’re planning an elopement and you want in on the secret, ask me. I might just let you in.
Midday Sun, No Apologies
We met on the beach in full midday light – no golden hour hiding, no soft-focus forgiveness, just bright Florida sun and two people who clearly could not stop laughing at each other. Lauren’s brother officiated, and the whole thing had this loose, unrehearsed warmth to it. Vows were read, there were a few good cries, a lot of great laughs, and then champagne got popped right there on the sand.
Then came my favorite kind of image to make: the walk-away shot, this time with a stream of bubbles drifting around them as they moved down the beach together. Simple. A little playful. Exactly them.
Dinner and Drinks at The Forgotten Tonic
From the beach, the celebration moved downtown to The Forgotten Tonic, where Lauren and Brittney gathered close family and friends for dinner and drinks. There’s something I love about the contrast in a day like this – barefoot and sun-drenched on the sand in the morning, then golden lamplight, dark wood, and clinking glasses by evening. St. Augustine does that better than almost anywhere: a full day that feels like two completely different worlds without ever leaving downtown.
Why I Love Days Like This
Lauren works as a wedding planner, which meant she’d seen every kind of wedding day imaginable before planning her own – and she still chose this. Small. Barefoot. Unbothered by a schedule. A ceremony that took twenty minutes and a celebration that lingered for hours. It’s exactly the kind of day I built my elopement offerings around: less performance, more presence. Less Wedding, More Marriage.
If you’re dreaming up your own hidden-beach elopement in St. Augustine, I’d love to hear about it. And if you happen to already have a favorite quiet corner of this town in mind – or you want me to point you toward one of mine – reach out. I’m always up for a good secret.
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