Adventure Instead

If you are considering having an alternative wedding experience, LOOK NO FURTHER. I had stumbled across Adventure Instead (previous Maddie Mae Photography) four years ago, and ever since I dreamed of having an adventure elopement. I never thought it would come true since I have a large Indian family who would traditionally have a large wedding. We had gotten engaged literally the day quarantine started, so we postponed any plans of getting married until things got better. Unfortunately, circumstances did not change even a year later, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to have an adventure elopement with Adventure Instead, especially since we did not want to put anyone at risk with a larger wedding.

And we decided just to message them through their website, and we received a prompt email back. **I definitely recommend messaging them even if you are not sure about when/what location, they do an amazing job at working through what the perfect elopement looks like for you! Also don't be intimidated and think that you have to be super adventurous couple or avid hikers to do an adventure elopement, they do a fantastic job at finding beautiful locations that are within your comfort level (which was great for us especially since we had acquired quarantine bodies).

Both Tori and Amber were super helpful in decided which location and dates, since we were considering either Joshua Tree NP in CA or Colorado. My partner and I decided to go with Colorado, and with the help of Amber, we were able to plan the elopement in under 3 months! The whole process was so streamlined and so easy (since Amber did most of the work), all we had to do was pick out outfits, a cake, AirBnB, and drive to CO! It was truly a magical experience, even though we had never had our pictures taken professionally. What Amber does with her camera is insane, we never thought our awkward selves would look like art!

All in all, if you choose Adventure Instead, you will have an unforgettable wedding day, all about you and your loved one, with absolutely no regrets!

The women at Adventure Instead helped us plan our perfect day. They provided us with step by step information while making it personable. No stress, just excitement through the whole process. Amber was our amazing photographer! She was so kind and patient with us. On top of their excellent service, the photography is stunning!! We're going to print out all our photographer. We highly recommend eloping with Adventure Instead. Thank you for providing us with such treasured memories!

We worked with Tori from Adventure Instead. From the start she was kind, quick to respond, and excited to help us with the process. She is obviously very experienced with elopements. They are not only photographers but also help you plan the entire day/trip. They tell you if you might need permits, a general packing list, give you a huge list for location/vendors/housing options, and more. She had so much back up supplies in case we forgot something. She was taking pictures of us the entire time and was professional the whole day. Everything was candid, nothing was forced, and there were none of those awkward "how should we pose?" moments. 100000/10 recommend Adventure instead.

My wife and I eloped in Aspen, Colorado as our wedding plans were canceled due to the pandemic. It was a blessing in disguise. We were able to drive to Colorado with our two pups (our officiant and witness since Colorado is a self-solemnizing state) and got married in a beautiful alpine lake setting. The whole process with Amber was easy, exciting, and stress free. We found a great hike in Aspen and Amber was great to communicate with the whole time. Our experience with her on the wedding day was also amazing as she was pleasantly interactive but also made us feel like there wasn't even a third person there and we were able to share intimate moments together. Our photographs came out beautifully and we were ecstatic about our whole experience. Amber went above and beyond that day too as we accidentally dropped our ring into the lake and she helped to get it out! We also went over our allotted time but Amber said nothing of it and we were never rushed. I would highly recommend eloping in an adventurous location and definitely recommend hiring Amber to capture the beautiful moments of that day.

Tori was an absolute dream to work with! She made our day flow so easily with no worries at all! Tori was there to help every step of the way with our elopement, including recommendations on things outside of our elopement day! She focuses on making sure that your and your partner feel comfortable and yourself so that the photos are so genuine. I could not recommend Adventure Instead enough! If you’re on the fence about hiring them, do it! You will not regret.

My husband and I eloped back in August in CO. We got the honor to work with Amber, and she was amazing. Down to getting to know us, helping find the perfect location, to the photographs she took. She was such a sweetheart to work with and made this whole process so easy and fun. I highly recommend Adventure instead to anyone looking into it!

We had such an amazing experience with Amber & Adventure Instead from the very beginning! We especially appreciated the thoughtfulness and care that goes into the pre-elopement process where they send you questionnaires to get to know you and what you want from your day. Not only were they fun to complete together, but it meant a lot knowing the effort that Amber put in to getting to know us before photographing one of the biggest days of our lives! Amber is so discreet and skilled at what she does that we actually wondered if she took enough photos when the hike was over, because we hardly noticed her taking them! Of course once our sneak peek photos came in...WITHIN 24 HOURS...we realized how many awesome shots she had gotten. Then....there's COVID. Amber and the rest of the team worked with us to adjust our package when we realized our family couldn't travel and it was just going to be the 2 of us. From waking up in the middle of the night to meet us for a sunrise hike...to running back UP the mountain on our way down when we realized we lost my husband's boutonniere(!)...to turning over our sneak peek photos in 24 HOURS and the rest of them within a month...Amber is the best and we would recommend her to any couple looking for an intimate, unique, unforgettable elopement experience!

As someone who is a photography aficionado myself, I set the bar really high when it came to finding a photographer for my own elopement. Someone who can get the perfect lighting, play with angles/depth-of-field, capture us in our best element, get the perfect exposure…my partner and I went through a lot of photographers’ portfolios, but Adventure Instead’s photos jumped out with their punchy yet natural editing style. Their images were vivid, warm, natural, clean, and composed to feature the couple without losing sight of the stunning scenery. We submitted a request on their website, and very quickly, Tori reached out.

From our initial consultation, Tori was friendly - and a trove of information. She explained the concept of an elopement and how it fit into our wedding vision. She also walked us through her packages and helped break down which worked best for the locations/timeline we had in mind (We happened to know exactly where we wanted to elope to, and how we envisioned our storyboard to look, but if you don’t - Adventure Instead can 100% help recommend/find you something/somewhere from scratch).

We booked with Tori in February 2020 for a July elopement. Shortly after, COVID hit, which put a cloud of uncertainty over our plans. Tori was immensely encouraging and accommodating throughout the process. Because we weren’t planning to bring any family or friends, and our elopement date was rather far away, Tori suggested that we continue preparing what we could for it, and that she’d help evaluate the go/no go situation as the date neared. From sending us guides on where to shop for dresses/suits, giving suggestions on props to bring, keeping track of COVID situations, applying for a national park permit…Tori played the roles of our elopement mentor, photography professional, friend, and confidant (with whom I gossiped about dresses, styles, planning, COVID worries, and so much more). Two weeks from the elopement date, Tori reached out to know that while she had everything booked and was ready for our big day, she’d only do it if we felt 100% comfortable. Otherwise, we could reschedule for a later date on her calendar without hassle/cancelation fees. We were bullish about the situation, so we greenlit the trip on our end, but we were grateful that she put our health/comfort level/best interests in mind.

Because of the multitude of email/phone exchanges we had with Tori, we felt like we were catching up with an old friend when we met her on morning of our elopement day. She was literally the nicest person you could find - during the shoot, she gave simple instructions, and nudged us to only do things that we usually do/interact normally as if we were spending time together on a regular day. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m one of the most awkward posers - so I was initially apprehensive about what to do in a “photoshoot” - but Tori did not explicitly ask us to “pose” at all. Her style is “you do you, and let me worry about the photos.” In hindsight, looking at the photos which Tori delivered way ahead of what the contract required, I was truly surprised by how candid, pretty, happy, and cute my partner and I look when we…show each other affection and interact in our normal way (hey, confidence boost!)

So, if you are looking for someone who is more than just a photographer (aka your new best friend), knowledgable about elopement, able to uncover your inner model that you didn’t know existed, makes you comfortable, creates a magical day, is accommodating, and delivers rad photographs you can keep for a lifetime, Tori is your girl! And going with Adventure Instead is one of the best choices I had made in life, second only to choosing my partner with whom I got to spend this wonderful elopement with.

From the first email to the delivery of our photos and beyond, Amber and the team at Adventure Instead helped make our elopement special and absolutely perfect! They were professional, responsive, patient, and helpful. Amber helped us pick the right location for the aesthetic we wanted, designed a timeline for us, and was available along the way. On our wedding day, Amber was there when we needed her, but otherwise a fly on the wall. The whole day felt so genuine and special. The photos speak for themselves. Just gorgeous. It takes a special person to facilitate someone else's elopement, capture tender and silly moments, do all the editing, offer helpful suggestions along the way, and not ever come off as intrusive or pushy. Amber was just so kind, a gentle energy, but also a powerhouse and so talented. The admin team at Adventure Instead is attentive and helpful. I can't speak for the other photographers, but I'm certain they share the same talent and professionalism. If you are considering Adventure Instead to photograph your elopement or small wedding, you should at least reach out! You won't be disappointed. We will cherish our photos and the memories we made that day for the rest of our lives. Thank you Amber, for making our day so perfect.

I am so happy i came across Adventure Instead on Facebook. I didn’t want a big traditional wedding(love straying away from the norm), and their photos are INSANE. Truly talented. I had the pleaser of Amber being our elopement guid & photographer and she was amazing!! Everything went to smoothly and felt so comfortable on such an important day

Having Maddie as our photographer at our elopement was like a dream come true. I had followed her and Adventure Instead for a few years already and when I showed my husband her profile we immediately decided to reach out to her. We were so excited when she decided to pick us!

There was an instant connection from the first Skype call, she is enthusiastic, professional and you can tell she has a ton of experience to help you have an epic elopement. From brainstorming locations, to accomodation, to suppliers, to activities on the day. There are no questions she and her team can't answer.

We can't express our gratitude enough on how flexible Maddie was with having to reschedule our elopement due to travel restrictions in 2020. She frequently updated us on the situation and other options. It really helped us stay positive and keep looking forward to our big day.

During the elopement we love how natural she was around us, giving us some guidance but at the same time seamlessly fitting into our day and letting us be completely ourselves. The day flew by and the pictures she shared with us are a true reflection of how we remember the day. That is an incredible skill!

If you made it this far down my review, then I don't know what you're waiting for. Book Adventure Instead, it will be the best decision you've made for your wedding day!

Getting eloped with Adventure Instead and Amber was the best decision we ever made. It was truly an adventure and such an amazing experience we will never forget. Amber was awesome at every step along the way, with all of our questions, needs, and awkwardness in front of the camera!

We fell in love with the Pureness of the Adventure Instead photos we saw on instagram and reached out to them . Maddie made our dream day possible!
Right from our 1st phone call everything about the way Maddie guided us was perfect and tailor made for us and our personalities.  We had so much fun and Maddie is the best guide , friend , and photographer that we could ask for on our wedding day! Her fun personality, compassion , knowledge and enthusiasm did shine through everything she did.
There are guides (for location scouting, vendors etc), checklists and advice provided through out and Maddie and the Adventure Instead team were always very responsive and lovely. Our marriage day was magical! On our marriage day all we had to do was relax and enjoy thanks to her taking care of everything around us.
The photos are SO gorgeous, true to our vision and we absolutely love every moment Maddie has captured. We are reliving our dream day. Maddie is the BEST! We definitely plan to work with Adventure Instead again in future. They have exceeded our expectations. 5 stars!

We worked with Amber and had an excellent experience. Our elopement plan was somewhat unique and she was incredibly open to helping us make it work. She really went the extra mile, including camping on her own for two nights, to make it possible and we were extremely appreciative of that. Going into this process, we were worried about whether it would feel awkward to have a stranger along with the two of us on our wedding day, but with Amber it was not an issue at all. Her easygoing nature made it feel like we were on a hike with a friend, and over the course of the day she struck a perfect balance between being present with us and giving us space to share special moments together. This applied to her photography style too – she provided us with direction to get some great posed/planned shots, but for most of the day she was just capturing us naturally. This allowed us to be relaxed and just focus on each other without feeling like we had to perform to a camera all day. And the pictures came out perfectly – she is a really skilled photographer and her unintrusive style makes for photos that feel like incredibly genuine representations of who we are and how we were feeling on that special day. Overall, our elopement experience ended up being even better than we imagined; it felt like a truly authentic expression of who we were and how we wanted to celebrate, and we will always be grateful to Amber for helping make it possible and documenting it so perfectly. We are so glad that we chose to work with her and would encourage anyone reading this to do the same!

My husband and I eloped in WA with immediate family this past summer. Adventure Instead helped us plan the whole thing, from picking a perfect spot to day of logistics, Tori was amazing. We had some specifications for our spot, particularly wanted to be easily accessible for loved ones, but also wanted a nearby hike with big views for just us + Tori to go on and she did not disappoint! Even when we found out three weeks before our wedding that our original location couldn't accommodate us, she quickly found us just-as-amazing plan B and C options that also met our specifications and even recommended nearby lodging/restaurants. During the day of, Tori made us feel comfortable and completely ourselves and it came through authentically and beautifully in the photos. Cannot recommended them enough!