You’ve probably heard of ‘golden hour’. It’s that hour of light before sunset that’s pretty damn magical. The light is soft. It’s warm. It’s everything someone needs to make photos look amazing. Most elopements I photograph are planned around that time for that reason.
There’s another version of golden hour that’s just as epic but far less photographed: the one just after sunrise. You see… Matt and Edina were supposed to get married on a Tuesday, but it was POURING rain and super stormy. Instead of trying to fight with the weather, they just decided to move it to sunrise the next day so they could head back to Idaho later that evening.
Best. Decision.
Not only did we get dry, sunny skies, we also had that amazing sunrise light and Big Sur basically to ourselves. Sunrise shoots can be a little tough if you’re not an early riser already, but they can be totally worth it to avoid the crowds. Pfeiffer Beach is normally swamped with tourists in the afternoons, but at sunrise, we were the only ones out there. Magic.
After their sunrise ceremony at Pfeiffer Beach, we went back to Glen Oaks and roamed around the redwoods. Sun was streaming through the trees like I’d never seen before. The mist in the air made this aura that was flat out unreal.
Anyway, I could ramble on forever but instead I should just let the photos do the work for me. Check it out – Matt and Edina’s Big Sur sunrise elopement at Pfeiffer Beach and Glen Oaks.
This is just a handful of my favs, but as always, feel free to check all the photos out here.
Also, if you’re planning a Big Sur elopement and want a hand figuring out the best time of day or how the weather works here, check out Part 2 of my Big Sur Elopement Guide on Big Sur Weather and Timing. Should help a ton 🙂
