Meghann and I ran into each other at Boise Airport for our early 6 am flight. When we got to Salt Lake City, UT, we had a few minutes before our next flight, and we walked around and talked! (We had been following each other for a while, so it was nice to finally meet!) She spoke about this retreat she was planning and suggested I help design it with her. I, of course, said yes because it sounded like so much fun!
After a few weeks of planning, the day was finally here! We were heading out to Cascade around 9 am to scout out some locations for the shoots we had been planning. Unfortunately, about an hour into the windy drive, I decided it was the perfect time to get car sick, and I vomited! Don’t worry; I saved Meghann’s dashboard and threw up IN my shirt. It was the most unpleasant feeling ever, lol. We laughed about it the rest of the way up the mountain, though!
Our first stop was the Air BnB we rented, a cabin secluded on 5 acres in the woods. It was so serene and gorgeous that we decided right then to do the engagement couple in that area with the cabin in the background. We still had to go and scout out the location for the elopement shoot we had planned for that evening. Meghann and I hopped back in the car and headed out of the driveway. All of a sudden, the car wouldn’t move! We kept trying to accelerate, and the car just wasn’t moving. We decided, oh, let’s just reverse around the tree and just floor it back up the little incline! WRONG, BAD IDEA. As we reversed, we headed down into all the plowed snow. The car started sliding SIDEWAYS. At that moment, we knew we were stuck.. lol. I contacted the owner, and she sent her husband and daughters out to help us get out of the snow, and we all had to push. When we tried to rescue the car, I slipped and fell on the ice, so the day was not in my favor.
Once we finally got unstuck, we headed to look for a location and found this gorgeous place by the frozen-over lake. Unfortunately, it was a bit foggy when we went, and a mountain range was peaking behind the fog. After that, we went to a little grocery store to get some snacks and stuff for the cabin and all the girls coming to the retreat. Then we headed back to the house!
One by one, everyone started showing up, and we all shared our snow ventures, lol. It was now time to head out to the first location! As we were driving, it began snowing, and it was SO gorgeous! All of us started trekking out to the spot, and since it had begun snowing, the fog was heavier, and you couldn’t see the mountain range behind them! (Sad, but it was still breathtaking!) This location has its own FALLS. Literally, everyone fell. Especially me, lol. I went down about every 2 minutes and ended up crawling at one point! The snow was not your typically powdery snow; it was hard, crunchy snow. NOT ideal for our shins, especially our model! That shoot was so much fun, and we all made the most of it!
That evening a few of us brought our computers and started editing while dinner was cooking (We got Costco pasta and salad,.. SO GOOD.) It was fun to just sit around and talk and laugh about random things and learn about everyone’s photography experience! (Cheesy, I know. but it was really cool to see how everyone got into photography.) Also, since some of us brought our computers, we started editing photos from the elopement shoot, and WOW. Everyone is so talented! Soon after we ate dinner, we all decided to go to bed since we had an early morning ahead of us. Whitney, Selina, and I had the upstairs beds, and once we all headed up… we got scared. HAHA. An old retro cabin with random crawl spaces full of stuffed animals?? No thanks. Ultimately, the three of us decided to put the beds together and have the best slumber party! We stayed up laughing until like 1 am, and it was, honestly, MUCH needed!
The next day, we all made our way to the kitchen for breakfast before the couple arrived for the engagement shoot! Once they came, we started shooting so we could get out by 10 am for check out. THAT SHOOT WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. I might say that a lot or even about every shoot I do, but this one was hands down one of the best. We all had the best time rolling around in the snow and teaching Meghann what the “fireman carry” was, hahaha! Once we finished, it was time to pack up and head back home! So glad Meghann had the idea to do a RETREAT instead of just a content DAY. It allowed us all to get to know each other better and connect on a bigger scale!
I would also like to shout out all the vendors and models because it wouldn’t have happened without them!
Flowers: @posiesfloraldesign
Elopement Dress: @aw.bridal
Elopement Models: Madisyn + Dakota
Elopement HMUA: @cosmoerik123
Engagement Models: Lauren + Derek
Special shout out to the girls who came out to adventure with Meghann and I! Whitney, Selina, Bri, Callie, you girls are amazing and I am so glad I met you!!
