Sacred Pause: Why Ceremony Still Matters in Adventure Elopements
September 9, 2026
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Photos by Maye.Be Take A Photo
One of the traditions we knew had to stick around from the former Zion Brides was the Cover Contest. Originally launched in Fall 2022, the contest highlights some of the best work from adventure wedding and elopement pros. With our rebrand to Adventure Wed, this marks the first official contest under the new name, and we’re stoked to announce Samantha Maye of Maye.Be Take A Photo as our winner! Her image stood out not just for the visual impact, but for the story behind it. Keep reading to hear more about her experience, how her own elopement shapes her approach, and what fuels her work today.
“These images are of me, my husband, and our dog (Bentley). It’s really cool to be both the photographer and couple featured here! When we decided to elope it was incredibly difficult to pick a location. The world was our oyster, and as an elopement photographer/planner I knew too many options. We sat down and looked at a map and slowly but surely crossed off our no’s. In the end, it really was a competition between mountains and desert. We love the mountains, we live near them and spend all of our time adventuring around Colorado. But, we also really love the unique desert landscapes of the Southwest. Our first trip together was a road trip to the desert national parks. In the end I decided to take the advice I often give to couples- why pick? You can always choose to do formal wedding photos in one place, and elope elsewhere. So, we planned our elopement to the Italian Dolomites to explore new-to-us mountains, and decided that we’d take portraits on our next desert camping trip.”
“Are you wondering how it’s possible for me to be the photographer and in the photo? My husband and I have perfected this over the years! I set up my camera on a tripod, set the settings, focus on my husband, and then set the camera to take a certain number of images. Then I run over and we have some fun posing. For this image, we decided to get a photo without our dog, and you can see how he felt about that! It’s pretty incredible timing, because the frame before you can’t see him and the frame after he’s jumping on my dress. We were relatively unsuccessful in getting photos without Bentley at this spot, and the next location we opted to have him wait in the car crate, parked nearby.
We were very casual with these, as I knew we mostly wanted photos of us being small in the big desert landscape. I didn’t have my hair or makeup professionally done, and we forgot my husband’s cufflinks at home. Preparation was key, and I sourced some gold safety pins from the wedding kit I keep in my car and used those to keep his shirt cuff buttoned. I think it proves that the most important things are the love you share, and that y’all are having a good time (cheesy I know).”
“Choosing to elope was the best decision we ever could have made. But it actually wasn’t plan ‘A’ for us. We originally planned a micro-wedding in Alaska, but it quickly turned into a larger and more expensive event than we anticipated. Between that stress and increasing family conflict, we chose to cancel everything and go back to the drawing board. Sharing the change with friends and family was hard, but most were incredibly excited for us once we explained our reasons. And we decided to do a local reception to be able to celebrate with everyone! Starting from scratch with elopement planning felt daunting but it allowed us to really reflect on what we wanted, which was a fun day outdoors. We love to hike and travel, so a destination hike seemed like a no brainer. Picking which destination hike was more difficult, but we’re extremely happy with the spot(s) we landed on. I highly recommend going with your gut on wedding decisions. Plan your wedding like you are planning your ideal weekend. If that would be hiking with your partner in a cool place, do that. If you’d have a big party with your friends and family, do that. Don’t keep yourself boxed in with what you think you have to do or what others expect from you.”
See more from cover contest winner Maye.Be Take A Photo:
• Colorado Off-Roading Mountain Adventure Elopement
• Elopement Session Adventuring In Northern Ireland
Discover more tips and adventures inside the Spring 2025 Issue of Adventure Wed Magazine!
Photography: Maye.Be Take A Photo, an #AdventureExpert
Dress: LUV Bridal
Dress Seamstress: A3 Creative Alterations
Suit: Indochino
Get the free digital copy of Adventure Wed Magazine! Filled with real adventure weddings and elopements, expert tips, and bold ideas to plan your day your way.
