I am so stoked that you decided to break out of the mold and plan a wedding day that is totally unique to you, full of all of your favorite things.
My goal? I help couples just like you dream up the most "perfectly them" elopement, from intimate game nights in cozy cabins, to a coffee shop date before a privately catered dinner, to a hiking adventure in the wilderness. No expectations. No rules. Just an amazing day you'll love to look back on.
So... a traditional wedding isn't really your thing?
I feel you.
With over 12 years of experience, I will be by your side through the planning process, offering my insight & expertise!
I'm your list-making, pro-tip sharing, happy-dancing, backup-planning, weirdness-affirming, adventure-loving, third-wheeling, elopement experience creator too.
I specialize in drinking chai tea lattes, and watching Gilmore Girls reruns! I also specialize in capturing the story & scenery of your celebration.
My mission is to preserve your favorite moments in beautiful images for you to relive those best moments of life that fly by too fast.
A Little About Me...
I believe there’s no better sight than the night sky at 10,000 feet.
I also believe you should be able to be authentically you on your wedding day. Whether that’s an off-beat elopement or more traditional wedding celebration, I strive to capture each genuine moment.
I strive to capture the day as it unfolds, all those candid moment to perfectly preserve what it felt like to be there. Too many photographers use their couples' wedding days as a portfolio building time, but you won't find that around here. I'm there for you - not for me!
she/her
states I've visited
27
couples i've worked with
350+
(and counting!) moose I've seen
8
episodes of gilmore girls binged
100%
i planned my own micro wedding (before that was a "thing")
2016
With over ten years of experience, I will be by your side through the planning process, offering my insight & expertise!
LOCATION SCOUTING
I will help you with location suggestions, whether you already know what you’re looking for but need help finding the perfect match, or you have no idea what you want and need help narrowing it down with you. I'll narrow down your perfect spots from my extensive Locations Database so you only have to read through your best fits, and we'll hop on Zoom to go over the pros and cons of them together. I will also help guide you through applying for any required permits we may need for those spots so you'll never have to worry if we're missing something.
TIMELINE PLANNING
Whether you’re planning activities for your elopement or just need help with timing the perfect sunset ceremony, I love to help my couples with creating the perfect timeline for the day. I'll create an agenda, with as much specific or general timing as we want so we can stay on track to spend the day exactly as you imagine.
ACTIVITY IDEAS
From helping you brainstorm ideas you’ve never considered, to helping you with the logistics of making those ideas happen, consider me your go-to person to bounce things off of! You've never eloped before, but I've seen dozens per year and can help you imagine a wedding day you'll never forget.
VENDOR RECOMMENDATIONS
Having helped couples elope in these areas for over nine years now, I’ve gotten to know tons of pros to recommend to help bring your visions to life.
GROUP PHOTO LIST CREATION
If you’re having guests along for the day, I will help create a formals list so that we have a list of shots to make sure we’re not missing any combos on the day-of.
ELOPEMENT GUIDE
You'll receive access to my 140+ page elopement guide so you will have answers for anything you could have questions about regarding how to elope! From marriage license navigation, to emergency kit checklists, to advice for what to wear, to choosing your lodging, and so much more - this guide is your new best friend.
GEAR & PICKUP
I'm not just your photographer. I'm also your boots on the ground so that if you're flying in to your wedding destination, you can still have access to things like a cooler, camping table, someone to pick up your charcuterie board in GJ, camp chairs, picnic blanket, etc.
AWARD WINNING, HAND-RETOUCHED PHOTOGRAPHY
As a recognized photographer in my industry, I pride myself on delivery top-quality imagery that is hand edited by me - not AI. You'll have real human hands on every image of your final gallery.
After you've had the best day marrying your life partner, you're probably excited to share this new life stage with your loved ones...
That's why I provide an extensive sneak peek gallery within 24-48 hours of your elopement! You won't have to wait long for a selection of 20-40+ images telling the summarized story of your day to hit your inbox so you can share with everyone you know.
While industry standard turnaround is 6-12 weeks, you'll also have your full gallery within 4-6 weeks!
"Made us feel comfortable"
“Amanda is friendly, professional, and made us feel comfortable instantly. She collaborated with us to create the perfect vision for our elopement day. When we got the photos, my husband said, “She made us look like models!” She really did. We were able to buy printed photos from Amanda’s website for great prices, too. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer!”
-Rachel & Loren
"Incredibly helpful"
“Amanda did an amazing job on our elopement photos! She was incredibly organized during all the planning and sent incredibly helpful tips and ideas in the months leading up. Plus all her recommendations for other local vendors were fantastic. She was extremely punctual and super easy to work with day of - friendly and receptive to all the locations we wanted to get photos at and gave great suggestions for how to make the pictures look good. The photos came out absolutely amazing and way earlier than we expected. She was fantastic!”
-Kylie & Murat
"Put us at ease"
"Incredibly talented, down-to-earth, flexible, easygoing, timeline guru… she’s incredible! We loved working with Amanda. She sent so many helpful emails before to help with the planning process and truly put us at ease for the day of our wedding. We really appreciated her easygoing attitude combined with her hard work and flexibility. My husband and I felt at ease the whole day taking photos because she took them with such efficiency so we could spend time staying in the moment. It is so much fun to look back at all of the candid shots she took, she was truly able to capture what it felt like to be there. The incredible energy from our favorite day will now live on forever in her work!"
- Kelsey & Kevin
Based on your vision and needs, I'll hand select the best options from my extensive Location Database for you to peruse. Get intel like elevation, distance & difficulty, trail videos, coordinates, things to do nearby, and photo examples from the space!
I’ve been where you are—planning my own non-traditional wedding. That's why I’m passionate about helping couples like you create a day that feels like magic.
We planned a micro wedding on the Grand Mesa before anyone knew what a micro wedding even was... and it showed! From venues having no idea how to handle a small group, to trying to navigate explaining our plans to guests... it was TOUGH.
I remember wishing we could just do whatever we wanted - not knowing that was an option yet - and feeling pressured into decisions because that's "just how it's done."
Even with all that, it was a great day. People's judgements and opinions all faded away and we look back on our album with fondness. Those things I wished I knew when I was planning back then are the things I love passing on to couples like you, because I've been there.
Taking that experience and that of the 300+ couples I've helped elope since, I strive to help make your planning journey as smooth and stress-free as possible.
4:30am - GETTING READY
Getting ready at your vacation rental, glampsite, or at the trailhead. You help each other get ready, put on a pot of coffee, pack up, and take your time as you begin to prepare for your elopement day.
6:00 - HIKE TO CEREMONY
You head out to the ceremony spot you've chosen before sunrise and take a short hike to where you'll exchange vows, rings, a unity ceremony and sign the papers to make things official as the sun comes up. Share a toast (or make some more coffee!) to celebrate.
6:30 - COUPLES PHOTOS
Spend some time taking photos with this beautiful place you've made this next step in your adventure together. Those images you'll hang on your walls and put on the holiday cards.
8:00 - BREAKFAST
Head back to town to grab breakfast at a diner or make coffee & breakfast at the trailhead on your camp stove! It's important to fuel yourself for the day ahead!
9:30 - EXPLORE A NEARBY CREEK & CANYON
Before the heat of the day gets too hot, walk some creek beds, dip your toes in the water, enjoy the shade of the canyon and marvel at how the rising sun's light changes the colors of the rock walls around you.
10:30am - BREAK
7:00pm - SUNSET
Enjoy the day however you want, no camera pressure around (or take a nap, you got up early!) through the heat of the day. We'll meet back up for sunset pictures somewhere totally different from the morning to get the best of both views Moab has to offer!
More Timeline Ideas
Moab activities
Arches
Canyonlands
Dead Horse
BLM Land
You've got me all wrong if you think I'm trying to stick a camera in your face and pose you for 8 hours a day. That sounds like torture.
What I'm here for is to authentically capture your day so you can relive those moments for a lifetime. Getting ready as the nerves start to hit (I'll help you with those buttons!) The ride to your ceremony site. The coffee you make as the sun comes up (I'll lay out the pastries!) Riding your bikes or ATVs among the red rocks. Shoving your face in your cake. The way the sunset looks on your wedding day. The lake on the Mesa you jump in to cool off after the heat of the morning riding ATVs in the desert.
It's about planning your dream day - and I'm along for the ride to help with logistics and capture the joy you experience by living it.
Canyonlands Small Elopement
Arches off-beat Micro Wedding
Short & sweet picnic sunrise in moab
Store your full collection of images from your favorite day for a full year after delivery (with the option to add on time!) so you never have to wonder where these precious memories are or if they're safe. Enjoy unlimited downloads while it's online, and let your guests download FREE web-sized images too!
You'll also get exclusive access to professional printing labs that only work with professional photographers, so you can order prints and products of the top quality, built to last for years and years!
Need extra time? Add hours onto your existing day-of coverage.
$700/hr
50% off an extra session, for engagement photos or adventure sessions.
$350/hr
Top quality album that lets you relive every moment as you flip through. Click here to learn more!
8x8 Album: 20 Spreads, $600
10x10 Album: 30 Spreads, $900
Wooden keepsake box with 100 4x6 prints from your day, and a USB of your full gallery.
$300
Extra worried about the weather? Block off my day-before and day-after for even more flexibility on timing.
$2,000
Get double the angles and images of your day.
$100/hr
Top quality album that is a miniature of your own album, to gift to a loved one. Click here to learn more!
5x5 Companion Album (for 8x8 or 10x10 Heirloom Original Albums): $300
8x8 Companion Album (for 10x10 Heirloom Original Albums): $500
01
We'll hop on the phone or Zoom (or grab coffee!) to get to know each other and talk all about your dreams and ideas for the big day, and how I can help make your life easier. When you're ready to book you'll put $1k down as a retainer and I'll get to work!
From there I'll send you my 124 page Elopement Guide and help with location ideas, scouting, emergency kit info, permits, activity suggestions, vendor recommendations, timeline creation, group photo lists, and so so much more. I will help you craft the most incredible day, with backup plans because life is life. You'll feel like you've never been so excited or prepared for anything before.
02
03
The day is here and you're surprised you're nervous after all this time. I will capture your day in a way that tells the story for you to relive forever. You'll have sneak peaks within 24-48 hours and a full gallery of the whole day within a month or so.
elope with amanda
Yep! I travel for a bunch of my celebrations each year. I keep local near Grand Junction and Moab in the winter, but frequently spend the rest of the year in Ouray, Crested Butte, Aspen and beyond!
I am lucky to live in Grand Junction, Colorado! We’re blessed with incredible locations to photograph right in our backyard, but also just a short trip into the Rocky Mountains or over to the desert of Moab!
Yes! I cull through all the images and retouch them to my style (I like to call it vibrant and timeless!) and deliver the final images in an online gallery.
Friendly and AFFIRMING! I don't just document LGBTQIA2S couples - I celebrate your love with you. I've helped lovers document their love before it was even legal federally and will always be on your side.
I started Amanda Matilda Photography in 2012! Before that I second shot under some pros to get a better understanding of what went into documenting weddings.
Yep! Elopements are always planned by me (unless you've hired a planner as well) and I help you with tailored location guides, activity ideas to make your day special, crafting the perfect timeline so you can enjoy every moment, Area Guides so you can explore the area like a local, vendor recommendations for pros to help bring your dreams to life, and more.
You'll have an extensive sneak peek within 48 hours of your celebration so you can relive the moments and share with loved ones. While industry standard is a 6-12 week turnaround time, your full online gallery will be available within 4-6 weeks after your big day!
Yep! You'll have exclusive access to professional print labs to order prints, albums, or products of your choice. You'll have the print release, so you're not obligated to order through me, but these labs only work with the pros, so it's the best way to access professional quality prints and products!
If you've made it to the end of this guide, first of all I feel like you deserve an award, and second of all, you're probably my new favorite person.
It's people like you who let me call this amazing life my job and trust me to help them take the reigns on creating their favorite version of a wedding day.
I can't wait to meet you and would love the honor of documenting your celebration.
♥ Amanda
Thank you.
no really, you rock.
let's elope