Elopements & Intimate weddings

Theres a bajillion of us photographers out there. I know. When I put myself in your shoes I get overwhelmed just thinking about all of the google searches and instagram hashtags you’ve gone through to even get to my website. And there’s so many things the blogs have told you to ask us - - “How long have you been shooting?” “What equipment do you use?” “Do we have to feed you?” and a bunch of other questions that don’t freakin matter because none of that tells you who we really are or why we should work together. You already know that I take amazing photos, not unlike the other 10 photographers you’re planning to contact. My prices are listed. When you decide to schedule that live chat with me or any other photographer, the questions no one thinks about, but are probably the most important are:

“Will I love working with them?”

“Will they make me feel comfortable when I’m freaking out about being photographed?”

“Will they capture the feeling of the day?”

“Will they help me zip up my dress?”

“Are they the professional I will need them to be on the most important day of my life?”

“Looking back through our album makes me feel like I am experiencing the day all over again.
If you are looking to capture authentic moments and raw human emotion from your big day, Kelley is the one.“

- KAT C

My main goal, besides making sure you’re always having a freakin blast, is to make sure you remember how much of a blast it was. When the sparklers have been extinguished, and the shoes have been kicked off, and the champagne bottles are empty, memories are all ya got left. So I make sure I capture it all. The hugs, the tears, the outtakes, the dancing (or lack thereof depending on who you’re looking at), the moments that were planned and the moments that weren’t, and about 80 million things you will never see with your own eyes….until you flip through that album and relive every moment as many times as you want.

“Kelley just made us so comfortable and we knew we were in good hands.”

- TARYN

“She listens, she cares, she connects and she captures the real moments of your day.”

– KAT G

I can honestly say I do have a way with making people comfortable very quickly though, I learned it at a very young age when I moved around alot and subsequently started a new school every year up until the age of 10. It was imperative that I befriended at least one person by lunchtime on the first day of school. So I’ve had a few years of practice with making friends fast. Being comfortable with your photographer is the difference between looking like real you and looking like the cardboard cutout version of you. And I cannot have you walking around here looking like cardboard. Stiff, unwelcoming, cold photos are just not my thing. Neither are stiff, unwelcoming, cold people to be honest. But if you’re here, Im sure thats not you, you wouldn’t have made it this far. Im all about fun, chill energy and good vibes, hence the tag line up under my logo. Im not saying it just to say it.

“She made everything incredibly easy by providing detailed and informational guides for everything you would need to know for the day of the wedding.
I wish all my vendors had that! “

- HILLARY

Organization makes the world go round! Or maybe its gravity, but either way, preparing my couples for their elopement day is a top priority. If you have a question, I have an answer. And my Elopement Day Prep Guide will make sure you rock your wedding day from beginning to end. From portraits, to quick family photos, to how to pick the best hotel suite for prep shots, to what to do with your hands, I’ve bottled up 6 years of experience and present it to you in a cute little digestible online guide that you will thank me for later.

“My mom, sister, and I felt like we had known Kelley + Fallon forever.
My normally camera shy husband had a blast with Kelley and she shot the most adorable images of him I've ever seen in my life.”

– LEAH

“Kelley was the first person we booked, we FaceTimed her for 10 minutes and knew we needed her at the wedding.”

- MITHILIA

Connection. It’s important. When you hire me, you’re hiring a 6, 8, or 10 hour 3rd wheel. Im there when you’re standing in your underwear trying to get your dress on and simultaneously helping you fight off a silent anxiety attack because it’s almost TIME, and Im so sorry Im probably adding to your anxiety right now, ah! Im the person you trust-walk it with to see your hunny for your first look, making sure you don’t trip on anything along the way. It’s me + you two al day. So connection is important. As you’re planning your elopement or intimate wedding, it may seem like you’re just hiring a whole bunch of ‘vendors’, but Im not just a vendor. I cant be. Not if I want you to have the best day ever. I have to be more than a vendor, it’s only fair.

“Her ability to capture special moments in real time is unmatched. When we think of all the vendors we worked with for our wedding, you [Kelley] stand out.
We never stressed about our photos.”

- LAUREN

You’re not planning to stress about your wedding photos, right? Like, you hire a professional literally so you don’t have to do that. I know you love candids, so I will take alllll the candids. I don’t want you to stress about your photos. If you’re stressing, stop right now.

“Can’t count how many friends and family members told us how much they loved our photographer!”

– OLIVIA

“Our wedding guests raved about how much fun she and Fallon were to be around on our wedding day.” 

-MEGAN

Chilling with your immediate family or close friends is one of my favorite parts about capturing any intimate wedding day. I have a blast connecting with the people that have known you since you were in diapers. I also fully appreciate any embarrassing childhood stories your family and friends offer up for obvious reasons. I’m not just here to take a million photos of you two, which Im sure you wouldn’t want us to. I’m also here to capture your life - past, present and future - all in the same super awesome location, through the hearts that love you most.

“Everyone's style is different, but I love how Kelley captures the natural, authentic moments of the day versus having too-heavily staged photos.”

– MEL

Im a wedding photographer, yes, but I’m an artist first. And Im always looking for the shot, even when you aren’t. I shoot with intention. I shoot so you’ll remember. How you felt. How the lights twinkled. How your heart was in your chest. How their hand felt in yours. How tight you squeezed each other. How delicious that champagne tasted. How epic the day was. I shoot so you’ll never forget………

And what’s more important than that?

YOU ARE HERE, SO I’M GUESSING YOU WANT TO have the best love celebration ever.

am i right?

It's my job to make sure you feel comfortable in front of the camera, long enough to get those real moments, real smiles, real laughs, and real feels. And I take that job very serious, dahling. And I already know what you're thinking, "But we're so awkward in front of the camera, I don't want to look stiff and posed." Look around my website! Do you see awkward? Do you see stiff and posed? Hell nah! Do you see rockstars? Um..hell yea you do!
I make taking couples portraits a BLAST, and your elopement day one to remember.
So whether it’s just the two of you, or 5 of your closest people…

I gotcha covered.

Other stuff you can add on:

Day Before or Day After “Engagement” Session
Up to 2 hours
Availability will be based on my flight arrival or departure time
Complimentary!

-

Additional Elopement Day Coverage
$400/hr (up to 10 hours)

“Let me tell you sumpthin' about Kelley Raye.

Not only is she a wedding photographer, she is a true blue photo artist. Her photographs are authentic snapshots of moments in time, and her work with lighting is stunning. She shot our intimate mountaintop wedding at sunset, and the photos are the perfect combination of beautiful green mountain landscape, a sherbet sky, and painted portraits of the emotions of that day. We were so lucky to have such a talented, flexible, light-hearted, and easy-going human to work with. Looking back through our album makes me feel like I am experiencing the day all over again. The world (and folks getting married) are lucky Kelley Raye exists. If you are looking to capture authentic moments and raw human emotion from your big day, Kelley is the one.”
-Kat

See tons more five-star reviews here!

I’m here to make all of your wedding photo dreams come true.
I’ve been a full-time professional third wheel for SIX years and counting.
Year after year, couples trust me to take care of them and deliver their most precious moments, and I absolutely do.
I’ve worked with amazing individuals, rad celebrities, and now YOU?!
It don’t get no better than that.