“Wow… I don’t even know where to start, but the stars literally aligned with Dani (and Jed) from Elle & Co Photography.
I found Dani while scrolling bridal Facebook groups, which can be… a lot. Trying not to assume the worst from all the horror stories. I came across her and immediately knew she was it. I sent the message and crossed my fingers. Her photos were exactly the vibe we were going for.
We chose to elope near Sleeping Bear Dunes for a reason… the color of the water, the fall tones, all of it. And Mother Nature gave us the most imperfectly perfect day. Wind, sand, rain… you name it. THANKFULLY we had Dani to capture it all.
The amount of time, energy, and care she put into our day (and our reception back in Indy... we booked her for both) was beyond anything we expected. Her communication was top notch. She scouted, scouted, and then scouted again. Plans, backup plans, backup backup plans… which we absolutely needed. Most importantly she kept us on. time!
We literally showed up to our ceremony spot and got hit with a “nope, not today” thanks to a government shutdown… even though we had permits and confirmations. But Dani already had her little hidden gem location ready to go, and it ended up being incredible. Like… better than what we had originally planned.
And let’s talk about the conditions… late October on Lake Michigan, 25 mph winds, sand flying everywhere, and easily 10,000 steps trekking through dunes to chase the best views. Dani was everywhere at once making sure we got every shot.
And Jed… running through sand like he trained for this moment. The two of them together are the dream team. Whatever it takes, they make it happen.
They didn’t miss a single moment. From travel time to the ceremony, to the little in-between shots… even getting the perfect fall leaves shot with the Sleeping Bear Dunes sign (yes, it took a plenty of tries and yes, it was worth it).
Champagne, lanterns, sparklers back at the domes… they captured all of it. And gave us just enough direction so we looked our best without ever feeling staged.
And even after all of that, Dani went back and edited like crazy to balance out the fact that while we "looked fine"… we were most definitely freezing. The final photos are unreal.
Our day was made by friends, family, and chosen family… and we’re so happy to add Dani and Jed to that circle.
#PhotosToFriends for life!”
