Intimate Elopement at Lake Vista Park

Some weddings are big productions. Nicole and Josh’s was more like a secret shared with the people who mattered most.

Nicole and Josh got married at Lake Vista Park with Lake Michigan in the background and a small group of family and friends there to celebrate with them.

It was simple and relaxed — an outdoor ceremony, some family photos, time for portraits, and plenty of moments in between that didn’t need any direction from me. Everyone was there to enjoy the day, and that made it really easy to photograph things as they actually happened.

That’s one of my favorite things about smaller weddings and elopements. There’s usually a little more room to slow down and pay attention to what’s happening around the couple — reactions during the ceremony, conversations with family, hugs, laughs, and all the things that weren’t planned for a photo.

What If You’re Awkward in Front of the Camera?

You definitely don’t need to know what to do with your hands — that’s my job.

For portraits, I’ll help you find good light, give you direction, and keep you moving so you’re not just standing in front of the camera wondering what to do next. I don’t expect my couples to show up knowing how to pose.

And once you get comfortable and start interacting naturally, I can step back a little more.

That’s pretty much how Nicole and Josh’s portraits went. We created some beautiful, more composed images, but a lot of my favorites came from what happened in between.

Why Lake Vista Park Is Great for an Elopement

Lake Vista Park is one of my favorite spots for an outdoor elopement near Milwaukee, especially if you want Lake Michigan in your photos without a downtown setting.

There’s a good mix of open grassy areas, walking paths, native landscaping, and views of the lake, so we can get quite a bit of variety without having to leave the park or drive to another location.

It also gives us plenty of space to walk around and keep things relaxed, which works really well for a smaller wedding or elopement.

And if we can plan portraits around golden hour, even better. The softer evening light works beautifully with the open landscape and Lake Michigan in the background.

Planning an Elopement in Milwaukee?

If you’re planning an elopement at Lake Vista Park or another outdoor location around Milwaukee, you don’t need to build your day around photos.

My approach is pretty simple: I’ll give you direction when you need it, help you look and feel comfortable in portraits, and then step back when the moment doesn’t need anything from me.

You get the beautiful portraits, but you also get all the weird, funny, emotional, completely unplanned moments that actually made the day yours.