A Lake Powell Elopement in Page, Arizona
Allison (she/her) and Cami (she/her) have been together for 13 years. They’ve biked across states and countries, hiked thousands of backcountry miles, been charged by a bear, and watched each other grow into exactly who they were meant to be. After their June 2025 wedding surrounded by family and friends, they headed to Page, Arizona in November for a sunrise elopement shoot at Lake Powell with Wild and Eternal Elopements.
The day started with a 1 am alarm, a plumbing disaster at 3 am that sprayed sink water all over their wedding attire, and ended with them reading love notes to each other in the golden light of an Arizona sunrise.
When did time stop for you?
Cami: I remember the first time I ever saw her. It sounds so cheesy like a movie, but time just stopped. Everything around me slowed down and all I saw was her. It felt like I had already met her but excited to learn everything about her at the same time. We met at a job we both had in our early twenties. We were both in relationships at the time but grew a friendship. We took the time to get to know each other and as the years passed we both became single and realized that we always had a crush for each other.
We have been together for 13 years now and the time has just flown by.
How does your relationship keep getting better after 13 years?
Our relationship has changed over time. I think with every year that passes it just gets better and better. I always wonder how it can even get better than it already is, but it does.
We’ve grown so much, mentally and emotionally. We’ve celebrated big goals, seen wonderful things, and also experienced losses and heartache together. Everything we have gone through has brought us closer.
I think over time we have watched each other grow and supported each other for who we are and who we want to become.
What would you tell your younger selves about marrying a woman?
Cami: If I could go back in time and tell my younger self anything it would be that marrying an amazing woman one day will be possible. Since I was a little kid I never wanted to get married. The social norms of marrying a man and having children never appealed to me. I wanted something different but as a child I didn’t understand what that meant.
Allison: I would go back and tell my younger self that I can carve my own path. I can truly be my authentic self, and I can define that and redefine it as many times as I like or need. Things will get better, I will heal, and I will never be alone.
What’s it like adventuring in wild places with someone you love?
We both love the outdoors and that love grew exponentially once we got together. We’ve ridden our bikes across the state, in foreign countries, and raced them for days while eating gas station food and sleeping under the stars.
We’ve hiked thousands of miles in the backcountry just to explore and admire wildlife. We’ve hiked canyon bottoms, caves, deserts, and forests.
We’ve been charged by a bear, spotted rare birds, handled gorgeous snakes, and always stop to admire elk, deer, and pronghorn. Allison even saw her first mountain lion this spring as it moved from the brush next to her and walked away.
What could be better than exploring and adventuring in wild places with someone you love?
What happened at 3 am before your Lake Powell shoot?
We got married in June surrounded by our families and friends. In November that followed, we were invited to be a part of the Love on Earth Workshop and met Terrence with Wild and Eternal Elopements.
The night before our photoshoot we slept only three hours until a 1:00 am alarm to start hair and makeup with Wild Brides Backcountry. By 3:00 am we finished and we were almost out the door when Allison’s favorite earring fell from her ear and went straight down the bathroom sink drain.
After a moment of panic she made the split second decision to take apart the sink and get it back.
It worked!
She carefully poured the sludgy black trap water out, got her earring, and as she started to reinstall the pipe, Cami entered the bathroom and turned on the water to wash her hands. Imagine the chaos and screaming as the foul drain water sprayed every direction onto our wedding attire and makeup. The screaming was followed by hysterical laughing, just another hilarious moment that we can look back on.
We cleaned up fast and less than five minutes later we were on the moonlit desert road.
What was the sunrise photoshoot at Lake Powell like?
We stood in the dark early November morning holding hands, shivering, talking, and intermittently wrapped in blankets between images. Before we knew it the sunrise was coming up. We sprinted back to the vehicles and made it to Lake Powell as the sky turned a faint shade of blue with golden rays coming from the horizon.
The scenery took our breaths away as we were cast in a gorgeous golden light of an Arizona sunrise. Our cold goose bumped skin was relieved to finally feel the touch of warm sun as we posed on the shore. We read our love notes to each other, sharing some of our favorite memories and experiences.
Everything about this day was wonderful. The traveling, our friends old and new, and the incredible scenery.
We are so grateful to be able to share this elopement experience and celebrate our “second wedding” with incredible photos by Wild and Eternal Elopements that capture who we are as a couple.
Captured by Wild & Eternal
