Have you ever met people and just instantly clicked? And instantly knew that they were the most perfect match for one another? And also knew that you were about to take some of the most magical photos of your life? Well maybe the latter is not as a universal experience, but I’m sure you can relate to the first two. Well that is exactly how I felt about Kate + Billy and their elopement in the Hudson Valley. I’ll be honest, when Kate first contacted me about photographing their elopement, it almost sounded too good to be true. haha. Two beautiful human beings, historic gardens, a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood (restored by Frank Nicodemus of CPR For Your Car), her freaking bride style…I could go on and on. Also the fact that they are both drop dead gorgeous.

They knew they did not want to have a “wedding” and although legally married (just signed papers) a few weeks prior to their elopement, they exchanged vows after a day full of violent thunderstorms on Bard College campus with Kate’s adorable daughter Rowe (let’s be real, that little lady was meant to have Billy in her family), Kate’s two friends (one officiating), and their parents. It was beautiful, it was perfect, not another soul was around, and we all had SO much fun.

It’s no secret I love photographing intimate weddings and elopements, and these two fulfilled so much artistic vision, passion, and excitement within me. They are truly the coolest people, and they are in such good hands with one another.

Scroll all the way down to view the team and wardrobe credits for this unbelievably kick ass elopement in the Hudson Valley.

Read about their love story in Kate’s words…

How we met:

“I joined a dating app one day as a joke with a friend of mine (I wasn't looking for love). Billy was the first person I was matched with, I thought he was handsome so I swiped right. We started chatting right away but after 2 days on the app - I couldn't deal with it (so many messages from undesirable men lol), so I told Billy I was deleting it and if he ever wanted to talk to me again - he had to find me on Instagram. 5 minutes later a DM from him popped up, and we picked up where we left off. We proceeded to get to know each other that way for a few months. I thought he was a really sweet guy, very cute & super entertaining - but I kept saying "he's not my guy." Even so, I eventually said to him "are you ever going to take me on a date? I'm not interested in being penpals…" Our first date was scheduled for later that week (still trying to convince myself I wasn't interested). On our first date, I jokingly invited him to a party my family was having the next day - I was like "yeah swing by - my entire family will be there." The man showed up. Needless to say, my entire family loved him and I finally had to admit I was interested. Over time, watching him fall in love with my daughter Rowe - really sealed the deal. “

How he proposed:

“This is a topic of debate between us lol. We had already decided to get married, and began making plans when he proposed (the evening before we had an appointment at Town Hall to fill out the marriage license lol). We were sitting outside on the front porch of our home on a warm summer night, and he got on one knee and asked if I would marry him. I was like "yes obviously! I was starting to wonder if you were going to ask!" 😅 The next day was the one year anniversary of our first date, so we celebrated by going to Town Hall & applying for a marriage license! Then we went to the same restaurant that we went to on our first date.”

Why we decided to elope:

“We knew we wanted to get married, but we definitely didn't want to have a wedding. We started looking into options so that our parents wouldn't kill us, but quickly realized that what WE really wanted was to elope. It was important to us that we celebrated our love & commitment in a special way, so we decided to have a very simple vow exchange & do a photoshoot instead. I knew that I loved YOUR work and needed you to be our photographer - but because of our very quick timeline, I was not super hopeful that you would have last minute availability - but you did!! Everything started falling into place exactly how we wanted. We asked my best friend Kristin if she would officiate, and signed our paperwork in the parking lot of a car dealership (if you know you know), on 7/7/23 - making it our official marriage date. I quickly started ordering bride / groom attire and finalizing the details.”

The "wedding":

“We chose to take our photos in my hometown, at my favorite places in the world - Blithewood & Montgomery Place. My best friends Kristin & Inanna helped me and Rowe get dressed at my parents home. The day of the shoot, it was violently thunderstorming ALL DAY LONG - and I was super stressed. However, about 20 mins (maybe less), before we were supposed to start - the storms broke and left us with a magical sky. Rowe, my best friends and our parents watched us exchange vows, (Billys written on a napkin). We were the only people there, and I couldn't have imagined a more perfect way to begin our marriage. My wedding band belonged to my late grandmother and is engraved with my birthday (because I was born on my grandparents wedding anniversary). Billy's friend Frank hooked us up with his Classic Cadillac, as a nod to Billy's love of cars. We had such a fun evening, running around taking photos and just enjoying ourselves in exactly the way we wanted to. It was absolutely perfect.”

Kate + Billy are the perfect example of following your heart, trusting the universe, and doing what feels right to you.