Available in the Blue Ridge Mountains, COLORADO + select destinations in the Southeast

Elopement & Intimate Wedding Experiences

Completely custom elopements & intimate weddings, backed by the depth of full-service planning that lets the day feel effortless.

You know the feeling you want.

But you're not sure how to turn it into a real plan.

Maybe a traditional wedding doesn't feel right.
But “elopement” may not fully describe it either.

Maybe you’re imagining something smaller, more personal, more connected to nature, more meaningful — but you’re not sure whether that means an elopement, intimate wedding, Airbnb wedding, destination experience, or something else entirely.

That is where we begin.

You bring the feeling.

We help shape the plan.

Who plans your wedding matters.

The difference is not whether someone offers planning.

It’s the depth of experience behind it.

We're Mark & Carolyn.


After 100+ deeply planned elopements and intimate weddings, we’ve learned that the value of a planner is not just answering questions. It’s knowing what to research, what to anticipate, what to rule out, and how to make every part of the experience work together.

Smaller weddings often need more intentional planning.

Going smaller gives you more freedom. It doesn’t automatically make the planning simple.

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Traditional weddings come with built-in structure.

Elopements and intimate weddings give you more freedom — but that means more of the location, timing, vendors, travel, weather, guest experience, and logistics have to be intentionally designed around you.

Most couples end up choosing between:

  • DIY it and carry the planning yourselves

  • Choose a pre-designed package that makes things easier by limiting your choices

  • Hire a photographer who helps with locations, vendors, and timeline planning — while you still manage how the broader wedding pieces come together.

StoryBright brings the depth of high-touch, full-service planning traditionally reserved for larger, high-end weddings to elopements and intimate-weddings — without giving up the customization that made you want a smaller wedding in the first place.

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You can have a wedding that feels completely yours — without carrying the complexity required to make it all work.

1: Vision before location

We don’t start by handing you a list of places. We first get clear on how you want the day to feel, who will be there, what matters most, and what the experience needs to support — then we research the locations that actually fit.

2. Beautiful is only the beginning

A mountain overlook, Airbnb, private estate, or small venue can look perfect and still create problems with access, guests, weather, travel, vendors, or timing. We pressure-test the setting against the plan for the whole day before you commit.

3. Presence protected by the plan

We design the flow, pacing, transitions, and logistics so the day never becomes a production you have to manage. The planning carries the complexity — leaving you space to be present with each other and the people you invited.

Look beyond “planning included.”

You’ll see plenty of elopement photographers say they help with planning.

Location recommendations, vendor referrals, and a custom timeline are very helpful.

But they are not the same as taking responsibility for how the location, vendors, guests, logistics, weather plans, pacing, and wedding-day flow all work together.

Here’s what deeper planning actually looks like:

You don’t need more options. You need the right ones.
We research, compare, rule out, and pressure-test locations, properties, vendors, and ideas before they ever become decisions you have to make.

A timeline is not just a schedule.
We’re balancing light, travel, guests, vendors, meals, weather, access, photography, pacing, and the moments you actually care about — then designing how all of it works together.

A beautiful place is only the beginning. It has to fit the experience.
We look beyond the view to how a location actually supports the day you want — season, weather, privacy, access, travel, guest needs, lodging, activities, and how every part connects. Sometimes that means finding the right property. Sometimes it means showing you a place or region you had not considered yet.

The best planning solves problems before you know they exist.
We look ahead for conflicts, hidden constraints, backup needs, and the small operational details that can make a wedding day feel rushed or effortless.

The result?
The day can feel simple, natural, and spontaneous because we’ve already done the complex work required to make it feel that way.

You stay focused on what you want the experience to feel like.

We take responsibility for figuring out how to make all the pieces work together.

The StoryBright Experience

Every StoryBright experience combines custom design, hands-on planning, wedding-day support, and story-driven photography — all built around the way you want the day to feel.

What's included:

Your Custom-Designed Elopement Experience













Vision-first experience design


We start with how you want the day to feel, then shape the location, flow, priorities, and possibilities around that vision.

Deep location research & recommendations


No generic location list. We research and narrow the places that actually fit your scenery, privacy, guests, access, travel, and overall experience.


Venue, Airbnb & private-property guidance


We help evaluate whether a property truly works for the wedding you have in mind — not just whether it looks beautiful online.


A plan designed around the whole day

Location, timing, travel, guests, vendors, light, logistics, and meaningful moments are considered together rather than as separate decisions.


Your Dedicated Planning Partners

1:1 Personal Support by Mark & Carolyn


As a boutique husband-and-wife team, we work directly with you to shape your experience. You won’t be passed around or left waiting — you’ll have steady, personal guidance from people who know your story.


A calm, organized planning process


We keep the moving pieces organized with clear planning steps, thoughtful communication, and a process that helps you make decisions without getting buried in details.



Clear experience flow


We turn the world of possibilities into a clear plan — helping you understand the locations, timing, logistics, and pacing that make your experience feel natural.

Tailored local recommendations


From hair and makeup artists to private chefs, florists, guides, and local experiences, we connect you with the right people and resources so you don’t get lost in research.


Real-world expertise for the unexpected


Weather, timing, access, crowds, guest needs, and backup plans all matter. We rely on real experience from over 100 elopements and intimate weddings to help you avoid surprises.


The StoryBright Planning Guide


Our planning guide brings together what we’ve learned from over 100 elopements and intimate weddings — from travel tips and packing lists to timing, ceremony ideas, and practical next steps.


Calm Wedding-Day Support So You Can Be Fully Present

Space for moments that matter


We build timelines with enough breathing room for the day to unfold naturally — whether that means a heartfelt pause, a family moment, or an unexpected pocket of quiet together.

Proactive, behind-the-scenes management


From keeping vendors aligned to helping guests know where to go, we quietly manage the moving pieces so you are not carrying the day.



A trusted team guiding the experience


Your planning is led by Mark and Carolyn from the beginning. On the wedding day, you’ll be supported by us or by one of our trusted StoryBright team photographers, with the same calm, thoughtful approach guiding the experience.



Photography That Feels Like You

Candid moments, perfectly timed


We know when to gently guide and when to step back — preserving the real emotion, movement, and atmosphere as it naturally unfolds.

Natural direction when you need it


You don’t have to know what to do in front of the camera. We create a relaxed environment where you can be yourselves, while we guide just enough to make it feel easy.




A story-driven gallery


Your final gallery is designed to help you relive the whole experience — the place, the people, the emotion, and the quiet in-between moments.



Easy downloads, sharing, and prints


Your online gallery makes it simple to download, share, favorite, and order professional prints directly..



Handcrafted Albums (upgrade)


Opt for a gorgeous heirloom in our handcrafted albums, personally designed just for you. These are made in the US and come with a lifetime guarantee!


Highlights Film (videography upgrade)


Documentary, storytelling, and cinematic. There’s nothing like seeing the movement of your day and hearing your spoken vows to experience your day all over again!


Choose the Experience that feels like what you're imagining

StoryBright Packages & Pricing

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You don’t need to know exactly which one fits before reaching out. Most couples come to us with a feeling, a few ideas, or a sense of what they don’t want. We’ll help shape the right path from there.

Which custom StoryBright experience fits you best?

All-Inclusive Elopement

Custom elopement + planning, vendors, and logistics handled as one experience

Custom Elopement

Planning and vendor guidance

Intimate WEdding

More guests, structure, and logistics

All-Inclusive Elopement Experience

Starting at $9,000

For couples who want a completely custom StoryBright elopement — with full-service planning, the essential wedding team, and moving pieces thoughtfully brought together for them.

  • Full-service planning from the very beginning — from finding the right setting to shaping the timeline, logistics, pacing, and backup plans

  • A completely custom elopement designed around your vision, priorities, and personalities — never a pre-designed ceremony package

  • One connected wedding team brought together around a single plan, including your officiant, personalized florals, and celebration cake

  • Vendor sourcing, communication, and coordination handled behind the scenes so you are not acting as the middleman

  • Local expertise for the practical details — permits, access, travel, reservations, weather, and the realities that make the day actually work

  • The freedom to stay involved in what matters to you without having to manage how every piece comes together

  • Optional enhancements like hair and makeup, luxe picnics, private chefs, Highlights Film, musicians, private venues, and more!

This is for you if you want:

See what this can look like, including real examples and FAQs:

Adventure Elopement Experience

For couples who want StoryBright to fully design and plan a deeply personal elopement — while keeping the flexibility to choose and book the additional vendors that fit their day.

Best fit for:

  • full-service planning from vision through wedding day

  • We make sure your location, vendors, travel, timeline, weather plans, and logistics all work as one connected experience.

  • just-us elopements or small gatherings

  • custom location research and recommendations

  • mountaintops, waterfalls, Airbnbs, private properties & more

  • custom timeline accounting for pacing, logistics, weather, and backup planning

  • curated vendor recommendations based on your actual day

  • hands-on planning support and wedding day guidance

  • flexibility to choose and contract your additional vendor team

Starting at $6,000

See what this can look like, including real examples and FAQs:

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Intimate Wedding Experience

For couples who want a deeply personal, guest-inclusive wedding — with full-service planning to help find the right venue, shape the timeline, guide vendor decisions, and bring the guest flow and logistics together.

Best fit for:

  • full-service planning that connects every part of the wedding day — venue, vendors, timeline, guests, logistics, and contingencies

  • venue and property research for event-friendly Airbnbs, boutique venues, private estates, and specialty lodging

  • ceremony and reception design shaped around your guest count, layout, flow, aesthetic priorities, and how you want the spaces to feel

  • vendor guidance and coordination for catering, florals, rentals, hair and makeup, entertainment, and other key pieces

  • timeline, transportation, guest movement, setup, and logistics planned as one connected experience

  • weather and backup planning built into the day from the start

  • private just-us time intentionally woven into the wedding day

  • for gatherings of around 20–40 guests

Starting at $7,500

See what this can look like, including real examples and FAQs:

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Why who plans your wedding matters.

Experience is not just how many couples you’ve photographed.

It’s how many real planning problems you’ve had to solve.

Mark & Carolyn

StoryBright founders • planning, photography & film

Renewing our vows in Glacier National Park

The right planner doesn’t just react. They anticipate what the day will need.

We’re Mark & Carolyn, the husband-and-wife team behind StoryBright.

After 100+ deeply planned elopements and intimate weddings, we’ve learned that experience shows up in the judgment behind the scenes.

It’s knowing when a beautiful property won’t actually work for the guest count. When vendor timing is going to collide. When a rain plan looks fine on paper but won't work in practice. When travel, lighting, meals, guests, and photography are headed towards conflict. And when the best answer is not adding more, but simplifying the day.

That kind of judgment only comes from doing the work over and over, in real places, with real people, real weather, real constraints, and real consequences.

That is the experience we bring to every StoryBright wedding.

❤️🙏

 Mark & Carolyn

Psalm 95:4-5

Couples often describe us as calm, reassuring, and like old friends.

That calm is backed by years of experience quietly solving the things you should never have to worry about.

“We honestly felt like we were spending the day with old friends.

Mark and Carolyn didn’t just document our elopement — they brought an incredible warmth and joy that made our day truly unforgettable.

We felt completely cared for and completely at peace.”

Mary & Brian — Sunrise elopement in the Blue Ridge Mountains

The Team Supporting Your Day

A thoughtfully designed experience, supported by a close-knit team.

StoryBright is led by us, Mark & Carolyn, alongside a small, trusted team that includes Rebekah and Sara—photographers who share our approach and care deeply about creating meaningful, grounded experiences.

We personally shape and support every elopement from the very beginning—helping design your day, build your timeline, and ensure every detail is aligned with your vision.

From the start, we thoughtfully match you with the photographer who is the best fit for your day—whether that’s us as a husband-and-wife team, Rebekah, or Sara.

You’ll meet your photographer early in the process, so by the time your wedding day arrives, everything feels familiar, aligned, and fully supported.

No matter who is capturing your day, your experience is created and cared for as a unified whole—guided by the same intention, process, and standard we bring to every couple we serve.

Mark & Carolyn


Storybright Films Founders

Elopement Planning, Photography & Film

Husband and Wife for 26+ years

Rebekah



Lead Photographer
Calm, Nurturing Presence

Sara



Lead Photographer & Filmmaker
Grounded, Adventurous, Empathetic

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What does it really feel like to elope with us?

Watch this completely unscripted testimonial to find out:

Press play to watch!

See what deeper planning actually looks like:

Don’t just take our word for it. See how we think through the decisions that shape the day.

We do the thinking, researching, and problem-solving behind the scenes so you can stay immersed in the experience. These resources show you what that deeper planning actually involves.

The work behind an effortless wedding day.

How to Plan an Elopement


Why starting with the experience before choosing the location can save you from the wrong venue, unnecessary compromises, and a plan that never quite fits.

How We Evaluate Airbnbs & Private Wedding Estates



What we look for beyond the photos: guest flow, access, lodging, weather backup, vendor logistics, parking, and whether the property actually works for the wedding you want.

Blue Ridge Elopement Planning Guide


How season, scenery, travel, guest count, access, weather, and logistics shape which locations make sense.

What to Ask Your Elopement Planner - before booking
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The questions we think every couple should ask us — and anyone else they’re considering.

We literally think of everything for you.

Meet Our Van: The ultimate Elopement support vehicle.

Included when you book with Mark & Carolyn!*

While we LOVE the outdoors, the reality of getting married in far off places means you have to do without some of the comforts of a traditional wedding venue.

Or do you?

For most* of our elopements, our van comes along for the ride. This means you'll always have:

A private place to change. 

A clean restroom at the ready.

Need to shower? Got you covered.

Want to keep your picnic cold? Use our fridge.

Getting cold out and need to warm up? Let's turn on the heat and make some coffee for you.

We really mean it when we say we're here to show you an amazing time!


*Our van cannot make it to some off-road destinations. Exclusions may apply.

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You don’t need to have this all figured out before reaching out.


Whether you’re dreaming of a quiet outdoor elopement, an intimate wedding with loved ones, or an all-inclusive elopement built around meaningful time together, share what's on your heart.


We’ll help shape the rest.







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Get our free budget worksheet with realistic spending ranges for lodging, food, planning, photography, vendors, and the other pieces that shape the experience — so you can understand where your money is likely to go before you start booking things.

What Does an Elopement or Intimate Wedding Actually Cost?

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Ready to talk through what you’re planning?

Share what you know so far. We’ll help you sort through what makes sense — from location and timing to the kind of experience that will feel most like you.

What happens next.

A simple, supportive process designed to move you from ideas to a fully realized experience:

1

Share what you know so far

Fill out the inquiry form with your ideas, even if they’re still taking shape.

2

Connect on a short intro call

We’ll hear what you’re considering, answer a few initial questions, and see whether our approach feels like the right fit.

3

Go deeper in a planning consult

If it does, the next step is a full planning consult ... where we slow down, explore your vision and priorities, talk through possibilities, and help you see what your wedding experience could actually look like.

Request an Intro Call 

We intentionally take on a limited number of couples each season so every day we design feels thoughtful and unhurried.

Share what’s on your heart below, and we’ll reach out personally to schedule a quick 15-minute intro call.

We intentionally take on a limited number of couples each season so every day we design feels thoughtful and unhurried.

Share what’s on your heart below, and we’ll reach out personally to schedule a quick 15-minute intro call.

We’re here to help you find clarity, confidence, and a peaceful path forward.

Feeling unsure where to start? You’re not alone.

Most of our couples begin with just a few ideas — and that’s more than enough.

 Mark & Carolyn

Psalm 95:4-5

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How can we help?