Are you looking for a non-traditional adventurous wedding experience? You are in the right place
We are not only here to take photos, but to help you create a bucket list wedding experience to remember
Are you looking for a non-traditional adventurous wedding experience? You are in the right place
We are not only here to take photos, but to help you create a bucket list Hawaii elopement experience to remember.
With so many different wedding photographers out there, why choose us?
Effortless Planning
Personalized Experience
Expert Guidance
Celebration Of Love In All Forms
Storytelling + Creativity
Respect for Hawai’i
Intimate & Intentional Weddings
The Essence of Elopements
Intimate Weddings
The Essence of Elopements
Elopements aren’t about escaping, but about creating a day that feels genuine—an intentional wedding celebration without limits or rules. Whether it’s an intimate day just for the two of you or a shared moment with loved ones, every detail is shaped around what feels right for you.
- A Blank Canvas: Your elopement is a space to explore, connect, and celebrate in a way that reflects your story. Exchange vows on a quiet beach at sunrise. Hike to a mountaintop for a sunset ceremony above the clouds. Say “I do” surrounded by a lush forest or take in the view while sailing on a boat at sunset. The possibilities are as open as your imagination.
- Intentional Connection: This is your chance to set aside all the noise and focus on what matters most. Take a moment to pause, breathe, and experience your love in a way that feels honest and grounding.
- Designed With You: Whether you want to include a few close family members or celebrate just the two of you, your day is yours to define. Let go of traditions that don’t feel meaningful and embrace the things that matter.
- Your Day, Your Way: Eloping is about creating a celebration that feels true to your relationship. Let’s work together to design a day that reflects who you are, with intention, creativity, and space to truly connect.
Aloha, Future Newlyweds!
Aloha, Future Newlyweds!
I’m Vanessa, your Hawaii wedding storyteller, and I’m beyond excited to help you celebrate this beautiful chapter of your story. I believe your wedding day should be as unique as your love story, and I’ve spent the last 8 years of my life learning new, fun, and creative ways to capture love.
Long before it became my work as a Maui wedding and elopement photographer, photography began as a quiet practice of paying attention. A mindfulness practice of observing life, getting closer to people, and translating all those experiences into images.
If you’re seeking a photographer who values the experience just as much as the photos, you’re in the right place. Beautiful photographs matter to us. But what matters even more is the feeling behind them. The connection to the people beside you. The memory of being fully present while preserving this fragment of your human experience.
This is the work that continues to move me. And it would be an honor to create something meaningful with you. Our team will be there every step of the way so you can relax, be present, and fully enjoy the experience.
Let’s Start Planning Your Dream Day!
I’m thrilled to travel wherever your dream elopement takes you. From Big Sur to Tuscany, I’ll help you plan a meaningful experience and capture every moment.
What To Expect From The Experience
Getting to Know Your Vision
Reach Out and Let’s Connect About Your Vision
Every wedding day begins with a conversation.
Before talking logistics, I want to understand what matters most to you. The kind of experience you’re hoping to create, what feels meaningful in your relationship, how you naturally celebrate, and what you want this season of your lives to feel like.
Some couples arrive with a detailed vision. Others only know they want something intentional and different. Both are welcome here.
Making the Planning Process Easy and Enjoyable
Making the Planning Process Easy and Enjoyable
After our initial conversation, I’ll send over a curated guide full of inspiration and practical information. This guide will include potential locations, suggested timelines, and creative touches to make your day uniquely yours. We will work together to finalize all the details, from obtaining necessary permits to connecting you with trusted local vendors, ensuring everything is in place for a smooth experience.
Designing a Unique Experience Around You Two
Making the Planning Process Easy and Enjoyable
Every couple needs a different level of support, which is why the process is personalized from the start.
After our initial conversation, we’ll create a proposal based on your priorities, vision, and the type of experience you’re hoping to create. Some couples simply want photography and a little guidance. Others choose a more hands-on planning experience, where we design a one-of-a-kind wedding day from scratch.
From custom itinerary ideas and meaningful activities to permits, vendor coordination, and thoughtful details, we can help you design an epic wedding experience that feels like a bucket-list trip where your ceremony happens to take place.
Guiding With Intentionality
Ensuring Everything is Perfect on Your Elopement Day
On the big day, we’ll arrive early to make sure everything is set up perfectly. Whether we’re hiking up a mountain, enjoying a beachside ceremony, or in a serene forest, we’ll capture the essence of your love story with a combination of candid moments and beautifully posed shots. Our goal is to reflect your personalities and the genuine connection you share.
Making the Planning Process Easy and Enjoyable
Reliving the Magic of Your Special Day Through Photos
Within 3 weeks after your elopement, you’ll receive a sneak peek of your photos. These preview images will be perfect for sharing with family and friends, allowing them to celebrate your special day with you. The full gallery will follow, filled with stunning images that tell the story of your unforgettable experience together.
Reliving the Magic of Your Special Day Through Photos
Reliving the Magic of Your Special Day Through Photos
Within 4 weeks of your elopement, you’ll receive your full gallery in a private online space, easy to access, download, and share with the people you love.
Every image is individually edited by hand with care and intention. From distractions in the background to subtle details like lighting, skin tones, flyaway hairs, or sand footprints, we take the time to make sure your gallery feels polished, clean, and true to the experience you lived.
The goal is never to overly alter the moment, but to create an honest and beautiful reflection of your day, exactly as it felt.
Throughout the process, I’ll be your guide, your cheerleader, your travel buddy, and your photographer—here to answer questions, ease nerves, and make the experience unforgettable.
Your Unique, No-Rules Wedding Experience.
Your Unique, No-Rules Wedding Experience.
TESTIMONIALS
Client Love
"We want to share how grateful we both feel to have met Vanessa, Wai Phungpradet, Kahu Kelii, and their professional, resourceful and caring team look after our wedding day. From the very beginning we both felt all the details of our special day were given the utmost priority. From the the very beginning of the day we enjoyed the kindness, laughter and joyful tears. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. The locations for our wedding day for truly awe-inspiring and beautiful. We very much appreciated the blending of our Indigenous traditional ways and the beautiful Hawaiian traditions in the our wedding ceremony. We can't say enough about their attention to detail and all the extra special surprises included to make our day so memorable. We both felt that everyone involved really brought their most heartfelt energy into our wedding. Thank you so much to everyone. We were truly blessed to have met each and everyone one of you."
"We truly cannot say enough amazing things about Vanessa and her assistant Gabi. From the very beginning, Vanessa’s knowledge, professionalism, and calming presence made us feel completely at ease throughout the entire wedding process. Wedding days can be overwhelming, but she has such a reassuring and kind energy that made everything feel seamless and stress-free.
The teamwork between Vanessa and Gabi was incredible to watch. They worked together so effortlessly and captured every meaningful moment so intentionally—from the big emotional moments to the small details and candid interactions we didn’t even realize were happening at the time. They made us feel comfortable, confident, and genuinely cared for the entire day.
And the TALENT. Absolutely unreal. Our gallery completely blew us away. Every photo feels emotional, authentic, and beautifully artistic while still capturing us so naturally. Looking through the gallery truly felt like reliving our wedding day all over again.
We were also beyond impressed with the amount of photos we received. We expected a few hundred images at most, but Vanessa and Gabi delivered nearly 800 photos, and somehow every single one felt meaningful and intentional. The amount of care, effort, and attention to detail they put into our gallery is so evident.
If you are looking for a photographer who is incredibly talented, organized, professional, kind, calming, and genuinely passionate about what she does, Vanessa is absolutely the person you want capturing your wedding day. We feel so lucky to have had both her and Gabi be part of ours 🤍"
"Vanessa Arias Ruiz is an absolute dream to work with. She joined us for our destination elopement in Yosemite—just a small, intimate ceremony with a few of our closest friends and family—and she went above and beyond every step of the way.
Our wedding was anything but typical. We got married at Glacier Point, then hiked 10 miles down the Panorama Trail in full wedding attire. Vanessa hiked the entire trail with us, camera in hand, capturing every stunning moment with grace, creativity, and so much heart.
She gave thoughtful direction when we needed it, yet always made space for candid moments to unfold naturally. Her ideas flowed effortlessly, and her calm, respectful presence made us feel so at ease in front of the camera—even during a high-elevation hike in a wedding dress! Vanessa’s attention to detail is unmatched, and her eye for lighting, movement, and mood brought our story to life in the most magical way.
To top it off, her turnaround time was incredibly fast for a wedding shoot—and we were absolutely blown away by the final images. Every photo felt like a work of art. She captured the warmth, the joy, and the emotion of our day so perfectly.
We couldn’t recommend Vanessa Arias Photography more. If you’re looking for someone for your Hawaiʻi or destination wedding who is talented, professional, and truly passionate about what she does, she’s your girl."
Elopement Photography Prices
Capture Your Love Story
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