Cleveland Ohio Elopement at Headlands Beach State Park

CAN YOU REALLY ELOPE IN OHIO?

First and foremost, it’s not only possible to have a rad, gorgeous, and distinctive Ohio Elopement, but it’s quite easy, especially if you take a good enough look around. Luckily, here in Ohio, we have essentially every type of landscape you could want, aside from jaw dropping, towering maintains. We have dense, gorgeous, and lush woods filled with caves, cliffs, and excellent viewpoints. We have the coast of Lake Erie, which depending on where you go, can resemble some of the most dramatic ocean shores. Not only that, but Ohio offers quite a few downtown’s that are just quite eclectic. There’s a lot going on in Ohio right now, and that includes plenty of Ohio Elopement’s.

COURTNEY & DREW’S CLEVELAND OHIO ELOPEMENT

Just ask Courtney and Drew, my clients who let me kind of plan the location, logistics, and some fun for their micro wedding. Originally they were going to have their big wedding this year, but with COVID, they eloped back at the end of October, and had arguably one of the most incredible, dramatic days they could have asked for. They eloped at Headlands State Park, a jaw dropping coastline that leads to an even more riveting Lighthouse. I had shot here before, once for a project of mine, and once for an engagement session, but when Courtney and Drew came to me with questions about locations, my first instinct was to recommend one of my favorite places in Ohio.

The week of their elopement, the rain came, and didn’t really stop. We didn’t have a backup plan, and we didn’t need to. Our plan was simple; make sure we started the ceremony about an hour and a half before the sun would be down. We wanted to make sure we had enough time to make some portraits at golden hour, as well as not have to walk back to our cars in the pitch black. That was it. Rain or shine, it was happening. Luckily; the day of, the rain finally took a step back, and gave way for some peace.

I arrived at Drew’s that day in the evening, and he hadn’t even begun to get ready. When I showed up, he was actually in his boxers, eating some grub at the table, and as he got up, he realized what time it was. Drew opened up a few wedding presents from Courtney, and soon enough, he was getting his shoes on, and his best man, and officiant, was fixing him up, and adjusting his tie in the backyard. I spent only a few minutes photographing him, and quickly hopped back in the car and headed towards Lakewood to meet Courtney at her BNB; we weren’t on a schedule for us, moreso to use whatever light we could gather from the sky.

When I got to Courtney, she was already mostly ready; she had a few adjustments to make with her makeup, and she had to slip into the dress, but other than that, the ladies were prepared; per usual. We made some incredible bridal images at the rental, and made sure to capture the pure essence of Courtney. I knew that I wanted to do some dramatic portraits with her, even if we only had a few moments before we had to jet out to the Lighthouse. I shot a few black and white images on the Leica, a couple portraits on the Pentax, and we headed out. Their Cleveland Ohio Elopement was about to get started.

ARRIVAL AT HEADLANDS STATE PARK

Drew was already waiting at the ceremony spot when we arrived. We stepped out of the car and were greeted by 40mph gusts of brisk, icy windy, and some of the most intense and dramatic cloud structures I’d seen in a long time. It was roughly a half mile hike to get to the shore, close to the Lighthouse, and eventually where Drew would be waiting. I snapped some photos of Courtney as we braved the cold and approached the ceremony spot. What’s an Ohio Elopement without a first look, right? Courtney and Drew planned for one, so I ran up ahead, placed Drew in a stellar spot to wait for his soon to be wife, and waved Courtney on up.

The waves crashed, and shook the air as they locked eyes for the first time on their wedding day, and before we knew it, they were facing each other and getting ready for the best moment of their lives. The officiant started, and before I could even process it, I realized I couldn’t here a damn thing over the gusting wind. It felt like I was so excluded for the proceeding 15 minutes, and I feel like it made their ceremony even more special. It was just the two of them, and their two best friends. Everything was perfect for them.

The ceremony was over before we knew it. They were married, and it was all just the way they wanted.

CEREMONY AT THE LIGHTHOUSE

They exchanged rings, and heartwarming vows (or at least I imagine), and within moments they embraced each other, and we all immediately celebrated. By this time, all five of us were so frigid, all we could think about was the warmth waiting for us back at our cars. We made some amazing portraits in the time that we had left before the sun clipped the horizon. The rumbling waves and stormy skies kicked up another notch, and we rolled with it. Soon after, flocks of seagulls flew above us and we all just kind of sat in awe. Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly for them; aside from our frigid fingers and toes. Did I mention that Courtney walked mostly barefoot all the way to the ceremony spot? I’m not joking when I say that it was actually only about 30 degrees or so.

What a beautiful backdrop. Who knew that you could have such a beautiful Elopement in Ohio, especially in Cleveland. It really feels like the coast of Maine, or Oregon, or Washington. Headlands really does have one of the best shorelines in the area; its almost otherworldly. Everyone I take there always has a hard time believing that it’s in Ohio. I've come to love it almost has much as Hocking Hills.

A ROMANTIC DAY ON THE SHORE

What a beautiful, rugged, and overwhelmingly intense day for such an intimate ceremony.

Eventually, we made our way back to the cars, but before we turned into the lot, we went back to the shore, braved the winds one last time, and snapped a few more group photos, and portraits. With the light, the weather, and the overall joy of the day, why not enjoy it a little longer? After all, they only planned to do this once, and it’s not all that often that you get a day like this in Cleveland; stormy, but not raining. Freezing, but somehow manageable and bearable. Scary, yet overall really calming on the shoreline.

It was everything and nothing, all at once.

WEDDING PHOTOS IN DOWNTOWN CLEVELAND

Our plan was to head downtown to shoot in the city for a post-elopement session. Luckily, Cleveland, Ohio has some really rad spots to shoot near and around. The city was bustling and even amidst the pandemic, people were out and about enjoying what entertainment was left, and the few restaurants that were open still. In recent sessions, I’ve been trying to incorporate as much street photography into my city, and night time sessions as I could. I’ve been shooting a lot of street photography as of recent, and my perspective on city frames has changed an incredible amount because of it. There’s just something really true, real, and genuine about incorporating moving pieces of the landscape into images with my clients.

We scoped out a few spots near West 4th in Downtown Cleveland, popped into a few alley ways here and there, and found whatever light we could make use of. I thrive when I’m shooting in the dark and at night; I love everything about it; from the mystery, to the ambient, cinematic light, to the distinct and unique look at love in it’s truest form. The streets came alive and we shot through a whole roll of 35mm, and before we knew it, I was driving them back to their hotel where we would eventually part ways in Downtown Cleveland.

We used everything and anything I could think of; the moving busses and cars within the city, the mirrors and lights scattered throughout. The bus stops. The people of the city. Everything added a moving, real, mysterious element to the session and we came away with some lovely pieces of art for them. It was just something that we couldn’t replicate if we tried, I don’t think. I’m at the point where I want to bring my all of my couples downtown to shoot after their wedding; it’s just so special.

SO IT SEEMS THAT YES, YOU CAN INDEED HAVE A CLEVELAND OHIO ELOPEMENT, A BAD ASS ONE AT THAT

Courtney and Drew had one of the most distinctive Elopements in Ohio that I can ever imagine. From the unpredictable weather, to the dramatic skies and waves, to a cold, beautiful, blustery session in Downtown Cleveland, it was something ill even remember for a lifetime. For me, It was a shoot, and an experience that will have defining qualities for my work for years to come. When clients like Courtney & Drew have a day that is revolved around genuine happiness, it’s hard not to feel inspired to create work that reflects those emotions. I’ve become very fond of feeding off the energy of my clients to make work in their name. It goes a long way when you can have a relationship like that with your clients.

I’m not sure I would have done a single thing differently, to be honest. Everything went according to plan, and their Cleveland Ohio Elopement was all of a sudden over. As I drove home after I dropped them off, I couldn’t believe that we had just braved the elements, and that I got to watch two people legitimately profess their love for each other. These two are some of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with, some of the finest people I know, and I was honored to be able to make these images for them.