Sage & Drew’s Intimate Beach Wedding in Turks and Caicos
As a Virginia and DC wedding photographer, I spend most of my year documenting weddings close to home. However elopements like Sage and Drew’s remind me why I love traveling for couples who want something simple, intentional, and rooted in their faith. They invited me to Turks and Caicos for a full week, giving me the chance to document not only their elopement day, but the quiet in-between moments that made the entire experience feel personal and real.
A Simple Elopement on the Beach
Sage and Drew planned a small beach wedding with just their closest friends and family. No décor, no styled setup. No timeline built around anything other than their priorities: honoring God, honoring each other, and keeping the day focused on their covenant.
On the morning of their ceremony, the weather changed fast. What was supposed to be a calm beach setup turned into rain sweeping across the shoreline. Instead of letting it derail anything, they took off running—barefoot, laughing, and completely unfazed—along the cliffs!
A Cave Ceremony That Felt Exactly Right
After waiting for over an hour for the rain to let up, we headed into a diner on the beach. Everyone in their wedding attire, asking the waitress there where we should go. She pointed to a path along the cliffs, saying that if we followed it there would be a hole, leading to a large cave right on the water.
I’ll always remember running along the cliffs in the rain, watching drue and sage laugh as they huddles under towels and ran to their ceremony.
There were no decorations and no distractions. Just Sage, Drew, their pastor, their family, and the sound of waves echoing through the space. It wasn’t planned, but it aligned perfectly with the heart behind their elopement—simple, sacred, and honest.
Celebrating Under Soft Light
After the ceremony, everyone gathered under a small tent lit with lanterns and twinkly lights. About fifteen people—family, lifelong friends, the people who mattered. They shared dinner, prayed together, laughed together, and danced on the beach as the sun went down.
The scene wasn’t lavishly styled. It didn’t need to be. The focus was on connection, and that made the entire reception feel grounded and real.
Why I Photograph Destination Elopements
Even though I’m based in Virginia and Washington, D.C., elopements like this are a huge part of my work. I love documenting weddings at home, but traveling for couples who value intentionality gives me a different kind of creative space. When I’m invited into a week-long experience like this one, I’m not just showing up for eight hours. I’m learning who they are, how they love, and what matters to them.
For couples searching for a destination wedding photographer, a Turks and Caicos elopement photographer, or someone who will travel with them for the full story—not just the ceremony—this is the work that excites me.
For Couples Planning a Turks and Caicos Elopement
If you’re dreaming about a destination wedding day that’s simple, faith-centered, and free from the pressure of traditional timelines, Turks and Caicos is one of the best places to plan an intimate elopement. The cliffs, the quiet beaches, and the natural light give you space to create a wedding day shaped around your priorities—not trends.
And whether you’re based in Virginia, D.C., or somewhere else entirely, I travel for couples who want their wedding photography to feel honest, modern, and editorial.
Sage and Drew’s elopement wasn’t about perfection. It wasn’t about details or design. It was about a covenant, a community, and a week focused on the things that matter most. Photographing their day reminded me why I love this work—and why destination elopements will always have a place in my business.
If you’re planning an intimate beach wedding like this one, or any sort of elopement—whether in Virginia, Washington, D.C., or across the world—I’d love to document it with the same intentional, documentary approach.
