There are some couples you just click with, and Janelle and Brandon are definitely one of those couples. When we first met up together for happy hour, what was supposed to be an hour turned into two because we were just having so much fun. It’s literally impossible to have a conversation with them without laughing because their joy and good-naturedness is so contagious. These two are also just head-over-heels crazy in love and it made photographing their intimate Maryland elopement all the more amazing.

Right from the start, Janelle and Brandon knew they wanted to elope before Covid was even a thing. However, the initial plan had been for them to surprise a small group of their friends and family with an elopement back in April. Then Covid struck and we were all under a stay-at-home order when the day of their elopement arrived. It took two long months of waiting until they were able to get married, but as soon as they were allowed to they decided to hold a small, sunrise elopement with just Janelle’s sister and Brandon’s brother in attendance. It was a beautiful morning at Black Hills Regional Park for their wedding day and Janelle and Brandon were so sweet as they vowed to spend the rest of their life together.

Janelle was one stunning bride! She did her own hair and Danna Selene did her makeup.

Brandon was looking quite handsome as well, I love the white pants with the gray jacket and matching gray shoes.

There’s nothing like the first time you see each other on your wedding day.

This was the first time I’ve seen the “jumping the broom” tradition which happens at the end of the ceremony. It represents the start of a new beginning and the sweeping away of the past, plus it’s just fun!

The wonderful thing about elopements is everything can happen on your own timeline, and you don’t have hundreds of people pulling you in a bunch of different directions. After their ceremony, Brandon and Janelle really wanted to spend a couple hours getting romantic portraits of the two of them around Black Hills. We started right at the ceremony site because the light was so pretty. I love this series of them in the wildflowers.

Janelle also really wanted to get a few more intimate, sexy wedding photos of the two of them together on their wedding day. So they showed me a beautiful, private spot by the water that they had scouted out beforehand where they could just be themselves without worrying about a bunch of nosy onlookers.

I love, love love when my couples are willing to run with my crazy ideas and be adventurous! From the moment Janelle told me she wanted sexy photos in the water, I had visualized something like the images below. I just waited to suggest it until we had taken all the other pictures and Brandon and Janelle were having tons of fun and super relaxed. It only took them a couple seconds to think about it and then they ran with it and I just let them do their thing while I documented with my zoom lens. The results were magical.

Congratulations Janelle and Brandon!! I am so happy that you two are finally married!!

Maryland Elopement Pictures by Annapolis Maryland Wedding Photographer, Mary Sarah Photography

Enjoy these intimate elopement pictures wedding pictures provided by Maryland wedding photographer, Mary Sarah Photography.

Mary Sarah Photography desires to tell your wedding story in a way that authentically reflects the love you share as a couple. By creating imagery that is authentic, timeless, and vibrant we will capture the most precious moments of your life and transform them into memories that will last for generations. These memories will be preserved in a gorgeous, handcrafted album that will forever tell the story of the day you and your spouse vowed to spend the rest of your life together. Fifty years from now, your children and your children’s children will love sitting with you on the couch, slowly turning each page of your album, and admiring your most precious family heirloom.

This is Annapolis Maryland wedding photography at its best.  Mary Sarah Photography offers wedding coverage in the DMV area including Frederick, Leesburg, Loudoun County, Northern Virginia, Annapolis, Baltimore, Washington DC, and destinations worldwide and accepts a limited number of weddings each year.  Please head here for more information about this Maryland wedding photographer.