Sam Starns ElopementsOregon Coast ElopementRedwoods ElopementGlacier National Park ElopemenSouth Utah ElopementIreland Dingle ElopementIsle of Skye ElopementMoody Scotland ElopementRedwoods ElopementOregon Coast ElopementRedwoods ElopementAlaska Winter ElopementNorthern Lights ElopementRedwoods ElopementSummer Alaska ElopementOregon Coast ElopementIsle of Skye ElopementSam Starns Adventure ElopementAlaska Helicopter ElopementAlaska Glacier ElopementRedwoods Horseback ElopementWhite Sands ElopementAlaska Pack Raft ElopementAlvord Desert, OR elopementMaui ElopementRedwoods ElopementAdirondacks ElopementKauai ElopementOregon Coast ElopementSequoia National Park ElopemenCrater Lake ElopementDesert ElopementAlaska Adventure ElopementKauai Adventure ElopementSam Starns Adventure ElopementSam Starns Adventure ElopementSam Starns Adventure ElopementSam Starns Adventure ElopementSam Starns Adventure ElopementSam Starns Adventure Elopement
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About
SO MANY PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES ACCORDING TO OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS...
And that's bullshit. Especially on your wedding day.
You and your relationship is unique in every way, and it's BS that the wedding industry puts us in boxes that we just aren't born to fit in. You were born to stand out.
I'm Sam, a TEDx speaker, author, and adventure elopement expert. I'm here to make sure you don't half-ass your elopement day because that's what the world is telling you to do.
Think about this: What makes you, you? I'm betting part of it includes your passions, your desires, your dreams, the places you want to see and the things you want to do. Then ask yourself why your elopement day shouldn't include exactly that.
My couples use that empowerment to create a one-of-a-kind elopement day to transform the rest of their lives.
READY TO ELOPE YOUR LIFE?
Let's do this, shall we? If you have any questions, submit the contact form below, our reach out via my website: samstarns.com
ELOPEMENT COLLECTIONS INCLUDE Custom client portal The ultimate elopement guide (including all resources from my book “Elope Your Life”) Extensive planning consultation/assistance Planning Zoom calls Your own custom day-of timeline Custom vendor referrals Vetted location recommendations and stats on each Getting to Know You Questionnaire and Zoom calls Marriage license resources Permitting information All hi-res edited digital images Heirloom album to display in your home Photographer travel included
Starting pricing and more info about the Elope Your Life experience is available at samstarns.com/experience!
FEATURED IN:
TEDxRoseburg NBC King 5 Seattle CBS Good Day Sacramento ABC AM Northwest NBC WFLA Bloom Talk Show Kleinfeld Gay Weddings Magazine
LGBTQ+-owned
Woman-owned
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Sam is COOL. AS. HELL. Working with her and Rachel was great! All of us felt right at home as our goofy selves. We wanted to feel tiny among a vast world on our elopement day and Sam totally delivered. We weren’t worried about all these wedding logistics or family drama, instead we just had an epic adventure in Moab with our dogs, our moms, and some new friends. It was freaking magic!
We loved the whole experience, from our own personal client portal (use it, trust me!) filled with resources, planning and location inspiration to all of us building this really personal relationship. At the end, we had a stress-free "best day ever", images to remember it by, and a new friend to adventure with. Do yourself a favor: Elope Your Life and hire Sam and her team!
I would do this every year if we could! It was an absolutely magical day & we are so grateful to have her help us create such incredible memories. I'm writing this on our 1 year anniversary because time just flew by! But it's perfect time to reflect on just how amazing Sam & her whole team are!
+2photos
Jaclyn Sent on 06/15/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Our Perfect Day
Our day was so kickass. It wasn't stressful in the least, and the few loved ones the witnessed our ceremony had a great time too! Working with Sam was SO easy, she made us feel super comfortable in front of the camera and her resources were everything we needed. Looking to elope? Congratulations! Now go see Sam LOL!
Katherin Sent on 06/01/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Elope Your Life with Sam, You Will Not Regret It!
Due to COVID, we decided to forgo the traditional wedding and plan the adventure elopement of our dreams. But also due to COVID, we changed our elopement location 3 times! Not only were we impressed with Sam’s flexibility, but with each step, she had an incredible repository of recommended vendors and location suggestions that fit the bill for exactly what we wanted.
How can we put into a short paragraph how amazing our 2-day elopement was across the island of Maui? We got married at 10,000ft at Haleakala National Park, explored a red sand beach with a DRONE, hiked a bamboo forest, and so much more. Sam doing what she does gave us a super solid foundation and empowerment to make our experience exactly what we wanted: spontaneous, candid, and fun. She made it so comfortable, so 2 days flew by! Her direction in front of the camera was also a great balance of serious and funny moments. We’re still laughing at, “Every guy has a condition. It’s called ‘dead hand’.” On top of all that, she knew things about the planning process (like when Google was lying about drive time, or how we’d fit our day together perfectly) that made our life so much easier. Her timeline questionnaire and timeline she crafted from it just put our minds at ease.
Sam cares SO deeply about every couple she meets. From the first conversation we had, the first thing she did was get to know us as people and what we wanted, past the epic images. Since we were all free, we met up the night before our elopement to just have dinner and talk (and share dog photos) and that really stood out to us about Sam’s process too. The whole elopement experience surpassed what we ever could have imagined.
Nikki Sent on 05/26/2021
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Doooo it!!!!!
Choosing a great photographer is the most important wedding decision to make, second only to choosing your spouse. We could not be happier in choosing Sam as our adventure elopement photographer. It was the best decision we made for our day. I went to do some research on Reddit when my (now) husband and I started to consider eloping. The very first post on the Eloping subreddit that day, someone mentioned her and linked to her Wandering Weddings page, where I then found her website.
We were immediately sold, and this choice went on to shape the best day of our life. Sam really helped curate the day and make our vision come alive, just like we imagined. Even better, really. Our day was light, fun, romantic, and we felt so ALIVE. Sam’s direction was fantastic, and we loved her games like, “The Floor is Lava” (if you know, you know). It didn’t even feel like “direction”.
We now recommend Sam before anyone can even ask. We’re always looking at our pictures all googly eyed, and it’s great to have tangible memories that we can share with our family and friends. There were so many intimate moments captured together, so many smiles, so many laughs. It was an incredible experience. It was an unimaginably perfect, PERFECT day.
She knows what she’s doing, a true professional, but it was also so genuine. She wrote a book. She even did a TEDx Talk on eloping!! We were both like whaaaaat!!! Yes, woman, kill it! Seriously, hire Sam, great pics are sooo important, but it was more than pictures, it was an experience. It was worth every penny. I honestly cannot recommend her enough. Break from tradition and do something for YOU that you can share with each other.
Rachael Sent on 11/15/2020
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Best. Day. Ever.
Okay, so Sam blended in SO well that G Pam (Matt’s grandma) thought she was a cousin, when she met up with us the night before our elopement for a game night at our Airbnb! The whole elopement process was seamless, from our client portal where I could go back and check out resources, to Sam’s “Elope Your Life” Facebook group, to the ways the two of us were able to get more connected in our relationship. Sam meshed so well, our few guests loved her, and we ended up with a new friend! Talk about a great elopement day. Our experience was pretty unparalleled.
Eloping was exactly what we expected, and even more than we could have imagined. We were real hype before, but in the moment on the day, I (Rachael) just knew that was where we were meant to be at that exact second in time. We really felt empowered with Sam doing what we wanted, and felt even more so afterward. It was very much a “fuck yeah, we did it!” type of feeling afterward, despite family members who were upset they didn’t get accommodated how they wanted to on our day. Absolutely no regrets!
Elope Your Life helped propel the “no emotional constipation” goal this year. It really boils down to doing what you want, even if it means having hard conversations. It’s really amped up what my game plan has been. Elope Your Life is a lot of big dick energy (it’s why it’s aimed to be one of your “best days ever”).
Elope (and hit Sam up). You won’t regret it!
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Lauren Sent on 10/29/2020
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
HOLY SH*T say YES to the Starns
Our elopement day in Glacier National Park was so beyond anything we ever could have imagined, that it needed a “buckle up” warning.
We didn’t want to be another couple spending more time stressing over our big day than enjoying it when it’s supposed to be fun! We’re both successful event planners in our respective jobs and we couldn’t seem to get this shit together – for some reason doing it for ourselves was a challenge. Sam made everything so smooth and seamless that it felt like we were on a mini vacation(and in the middle of it we liked each other that much more). The day went by so fast. Seeing everything and exploring, you lose track of time. All of sudden we were saying, “Has it been 8 hours already?!”.
Thank you, Sam. You really made everything easy for us and we absolutely stunned by our images. Sam really took care of so much and made things so simple that we thought we weren’t doing enough! Also, her expansive knowledge as we traversed the park was super educational. We love to know the story of the places we visit and Sam was dropping info bombs non stop. There was constant laughter, tears of awe and joy, views that were so unreal you felt small, and lastly our victory jump(dressed to the nines) INTO Lake McDonald to finish off our day.
As we drove along Going to the Sun Road, taking in the sights, I (Pete) turned to Lu and said, “Could you imagine being in Michigan right now shaking hands with 250 people?!”
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Shan Sent on 10/12/2020
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Sam was the guru of our perfect adventure wedding
We loved our Glacier National Park elopement with Sam!
She took the time to really get to know us through phone and video chats before we met up. The first time we got together in person was for our adventure session a few days before the wedding. We scheduled the adventure session at the end of a 2-day hiking experience totaling almost 20 miles, so we were pretty exhausted at the time. Sam's vibrant personality immediately perked us up and put us at ease. Her prompts were hilarious and we ended up having a fantastic time laughing together while taking portraits. The fun was genuine and it absolutely shows in the photos!
Sam had the knowledge and experience to take us to the right places at the right times to optimize our experience of Glacier's jaw-dropping settings. She was our unofficial guide about the park, sharing knowledge and tidbits along the way. She has such an eye for beauty and light, and was able to capture our special memories in the most beautiful way. Our small group of friends all had a great time with her and her husband, Brian. Our elopement day was full of fun, laughs, Goldfish crackers (Sam and both of us love them), adventure, and authenticity. We even got to go paddle-boarding in our wedding gear; how many people can say that?
Afterward, Sam and Brian joined us at our place for dinner! It was great hanging out with two new friends after experiencing one of the best days.
Nicolette Sent on 10/07/2020
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
adventurous bliss
So many times we thought “Thank goodness for Sam”. She was flexible with COVID, helped with our timeline, and was super responsive. We didn’t have to worry because she took care of us. I (Bret) wasn’t expecting that our photographer would be this involved and care enough to build a relationship with us, but Sam’s whole process, from the “getting to know you” Zoom calls to our wrap up call when we got to see our images and album draft, was fantastic and helped build connection between all of us.
Sam’s view on eloping really aligned with how we feel. Eloping really just reaffirmed that, while we do care what people think, there are days and times where we’re going to ultimately do what we feel is right for us, and that can be regarding any typical societal expectations, like buying a house or having children or how we get married.
Our elopement day was adventurous bliss. We wish we could recreate it again and again, and it was so fun working with Sam.
Gretchen Sent on 09/13/2020
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Amazing amazing amazing
From the beginning, Sam was more involved in our wedding and marriage than a typical photographer. She was invested in our elopement experience and even busted butt the day-of (with the help of our floral designer, Nicole) to create a whole new whale watching boat adventure when our initial reservations for a helicopter ride fell through due to COVID-19.
Our friends have either said they wished they got married how we did, or that our day is exactly like how they want to get married. After all was said and done on our big day, I began to think, “Why exactly was I so worried about what others thought in the first place?” I mean, I know it was societal pressure, but after the fact, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Sam's concept and book on "Elope Your Life" has really opened our eyes to doing things we want and not caring so much about what society and tradition says is “right” – including being a little bit more spontaneous in our everyday lives.
Something else we didn’t anticipate? Gaining a friend out of this whole thing. I read Sam’s reviews before and thought, “That surely won’t be us”, but we’re really all excited to be calling each other friends. We have someone to visit and hang out with in Oregon when we go back (and we definitely will be going back!).
On top of all of that amazingness, Sam's photos are breathtaking and we will cherish them forever.
Cindy Sent on 09/05/2020
5 out of 5 rating
5.0
Could not have asked for more...
"Huge shout out to Sam for making our elopement day PERFECT! Prior to the big day, she referred me (Cindy) to hair and makeup artists, vendors for florals, and answered all my silly questions for how to prepare. On our big day, she whipped out a mini tent from her car so I could change into my wedding dress. Then my honey and I went for a canoe ride while Sam followed us in a motorboat shooting awesome photos. Then she showed us the best that Crater Lake had to offer. We couldn’t have asked for more. We loved that our elopement experience was just for us. There was no one to please (except ourselves), and no one was around to judge.
On the topic of “Elope Your Life” – I have had a lot of time to think about the concept. I tend to not make a ton of decisions on my own. But since deciding to elope and knowing Sam, I’ve been more inclined to do what I want, knowing that I don’t really need anyone’s permission. In general, Elope Your Life has instilled more confidence in me and my abilities.
The cherry on top of this whole elopement experience is that we’ve gained a friend. Sam is da bomb!"
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
Samantha is wonderful - as an artist and a creative she knows how to get the best possible result from her work. She is fun and whitty; she is a joy to work with. I frequently recommend my brides contact her for their special day.
Sam Starns Elopements includes the following photography services in the starting price:
High-Res Images
One Event / Day
Digital Files
Sam Starns Elopements includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Albums
Digital Files
Sam Starns Elopements offers the following photography styles:
Natural
Photojournalism
Sam Starns Elopements offers the following photography services for weddings:
Additional Hours
Destination / Travel
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
One Event / Day
Second Shooter
Wedding Portraits
Sam Starns Elopements offers the following photography materials for weddings:
Albums
Canvas
Digital Files
Prints
Sam Starns Elopements is recommended by 100% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 5.0, with the same score awarded for quality of service, flexibility, value, professionalism and average response time.
