The most beautiful thing about this Big Sur elopement was that it was completely stripped down to what matters most to this couple right now: love, health, parenthood and marriage. It was a wedding set within real life, in the context of a global pandemic. Audrey and Jason allowed this time to be exactly what it was – no fantasies, nothing extra, just all the authenticity, weirdness and raw beauty that is true of their lives (and all our lives) right now.
Audrey and Jason work in the film industry in Los Angeles, as a movie producer and still photographer, respectively. They’ve been engaged for more than two years, and had their daughter Alexandra about a year and a half ago. Because of their careers, it was already going to be hard to find time to have a wedding (they almost eloped in Japan while working on a project there). Then the pandemic set in, everything shut down, and an elopement in their home state of California, with their daughter, suddenly felt right.
So this sweet family of three got in the car and road-tripped north to Big Sur, where they were married at a cliffside private estate overlooking the ocean. It was just the three of them, plus a few vendors: makeup artist, musician, wedding planner, and Ben, the photographer. There were no family members, no friends, no nanny. So while being a bride and groom, Audrey and Jason also had to maintain their roles as mama and dada. Alexandra was present for, and very much a part of, every part of the day. Jason held her as they watched Audrey get her makeup done, and they took turns holding her during the ceremony and portraits (I love that Audrey is still holding Alexandra’s blue toy during the first kiss!). Afterward, they fed her first before they could eat their own wedding dinner, which, because of the pandemic, was pizza that had been delivered hours before. After dinner, they grabbed the diaper bag and stroller, and packed everything up to go back to their rental house.
The pandemic has given many of us new perspectives on life, love and family, and helped to rearrange our priorities. For Audrey and Jason, it has given their family the most precious gift of all… time together. Their Big Sur elopement, set against one of California’s most stunning natural backdrops and dotted with normal moments that any mother and father would have on a routine day, represented what real love and real life truly is at this moment. It’s rolling with the punches, savoring the bright spots as they come, celebrating everything, and working together to achieve something magnificent. And above all, it’s knowing how lucky you are to have this life.
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This Big Sur wedding venue does not allow us to identify it by name, but it can be booked through the wonderful Diane Allen at Big Sur Weddings. Here are more of our weddings we’ve photographed there: Big Sur private estate weddings. Want to see more small, intimate weddings? Check out our other elopement weddings.