Vow Renewal Adventure In Point Reyes, California • Xsperience Photography

I, like everyone else, really wants this pandemic to come to an end. But I must admit, I’m so incredibly grateful it brought this sweet couple into my life. This is one of my favorite stories I’ve ever had the privilege of capturing and sharing. This couple traveled from the East Coast all the way to West Coast for a fun vow renewal adventure. If you follow me at all, you know how much I love a good adventure, especially in the beautiful POINT REYES, CALIFORNIA!!!

Keith and Amelia started dating in 2015 while both were still in college. Amelia at Bridgewater State in Massachusetts, and Keith at Virginia Tech in their Corps of Cadets. When he graduated, he began his military career with the Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, 1,502 miles away from Amelia. Eventually, he was stationed at Wright Patterson Airforce Base in Ohio while Amelia finished student teaching in Winterthur, Switzerland, 4,381 miles away from him.

This long distance continued for 5 years of our relationship and into our engagement in 2019. While apart, we began planning our wedding. We had booked our venue, photographer, bartender, etc when COVID hit. Our venue closed permanently, and with no end of the pandemic in sight, we postponed. Eventually, we planned to elope which was cancelled due to COVID restrictions, too. Finally, we pushed the elopement back even further which, based on our track record of pandemic luck, was to no surprise, cancelled as well due to travel restrictions. It was at that point that we threw our hope for normalcy out the metaphorical window and signed our marriage license on our 5th anniversary.
We hoped to plan something for the summer of 2021 to celebrate, and just when we thought things would finally be normal, our original photographer was no longer able to travel with us. This is when Trisha with Xsperience Photography came into our lives. She helped us develop our vision for this delayed celebration and made the whole day an absolute dream. We finally had a way to celebrate the end of our long distance as well as photos to last a lifetime. Although we missed out on bachelor and bachelorette parties, bridal showers, and rehearsal dinners, we don’t for a second regret channeling the money we would have spent on a traditional wedding on an unforgettable vow renewal trip for just us.
It was an untraditional celebration for a relationship that has been anything but traditional and we are so grateful for that.
Amelia

Point Reyes Vow Renewal Adventure with Xsperience Photography

Keith and Amelia stayed in the Market Flat cottage hosted by The Olema House located in Olema within the Point Reyes National Seashore. We snapped a few final getting ready shots before heading to a nearby winery for a couple glasses of wine, but I could have photographed a whole elopement in that adorable little cottage. Then we drove the curvy roads to Inverness where we visited the iconic shipwreck and ate lunch at Saltwater Oyster Depot. That alone was an adventure as Amelia sampled an oyster for her very first time and me clam chowder. While I prefer good ole chicken dumpling soup, it was pretty tasty.

We ended the adventure on the seashore where we took in views similar to those in Ireland. The Cypress Tree Tunnel was a good place to show off Amelia’s cute high heels before swapping them out for some comfy hiking shoes. The hike was my favorite part. We took our time, enjoyed the incredible views and fresh air, read a love letter and just enjoyed the moments that naturally occurred.

I know you’re all dying to know where Amelia got her dress. It was seriously made for a windy day on the West Coast!! It’s a Leanne Marshall design found at Everthine Bridal.

Planning by ELOPE WEST

Photography + Video by Trisha Spencer of XSPERIENCE PHOTOGRAPHY