For Julia and Adam, their Hocking Hills elopement was built around keeping the day focused on themselves and the people they loved most. They wanted to minimize outside pressure and make space for the parts of getting married that mattered to them, eventually creating a celebration that moved from an adventurous morning in the park to an intimate evening ceremony at their Airbnb.

Their day began with a hike through Hocking Hills, where recent rain had left the river flowing and the March landscape showing fresh green. By evening, they had gathered with their children, family, and close friends for a ceremony lit by more than a dozen candles. The contrast between the open landscape of their morning and the candlelit darkness of their vows became one of the defining parts of the day.

Elopement Photography by Danielle Oney | Danielle Williams Photography

Julia and Adam chose to elope because they wanted to minimize outside pressure and the people pleasing that Julia felt could come with a traditional wedding. Most importantly, they wanted to keep the moment about them and for them. That intention carried through the entire planning process, from choosing their location to deciding how they wanted their ceremony to feel.

Their search began with a wide range of possibilities, including international destinations, national parks, and venues near areas they could explore. Because they still wanted some of their loved ones to be present, they eventually set a travel perimeter that would make it possible for family to attend. Hocking Hills became the choice, with an Airbnb providing a private place for their evening ceremony.

The planning itself stayed relatively simple. Julia described their priorities as finding a location that excited them, choosing a rental home that offered both the beauty of the area and the intimacy of a private elopement, and finding a photographer who could bring the vision together. Since Julia had never visited the property where they would stay, she relied on photographs, imagination, online research, and conversations with Danielle to piece the day together.

Hocking Hills was already on Julia and Adam’s list when they reached out to Danielle. Their Airbnb was secured, and they knew they wanted to spend part of the day hiking before returning for their evening ceremony.

Choosing the specific hiking area became a collaborative process. During their planning conversations, Danielle showed Julia images of different parts of the park, and Julia shared what she liked and did not like about each trail. Together, they narrowed their options down to the area that best aligned with the experience and atmosphere she had envisioned.

The location also offered the flexibility they wanted. They could spend the morning exploring the park together, then return to their Airbnb to gather with their children, family, and friends for the ceremony.

Hocking Hills requires a permit for couples holding their elopement ceremony within the park. Couples are given a ceremony time, but the park does not close the area exclusively for the event, so hikers will still be coming and going on the trails. Planning ahead is important, especially when couples already have a preferred area, date, and time in mind.

Leave No Trace is also part of the experience at Hocking Hills. Couples are expected to stay on designated trails, leave no waste or trash behind, and respect the local wildlife. These principles are especially important when spending time in the park’s natural areas, and following them helps protect the same places that make Hocking Hills meaningful for future visitors.

Danielle recommends deciding on the area of the park where you want to hold your ceremony early enough to obtain the necessary documents. She also advises couples to finalize communication and plans with their vendors before arriving because there is no cell service in the park. Hocking Hills is beautiful year round, so couples can also think about what kind of landscape they want to experience, whether that means snow, fall foliage, or the lush greens of summer.

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Danielle has been visiting Hocking Hills for more than 13 years and has photographed many elopements and sessions throughout the area. When couples express interest in eloping there, she begins by learning about their vision and whether they want to hold their ceremony in the park or use another location, such as a cabin or local chapel, before heading into the park for portraits.

She also helps couples think through the season they want. For Julia and Adam, their conversations included visual references and discussions about the types of trails and landscapes that appealed to Julia. Danielle provided verbal and sometimes visual examples of different hiking options, then helped them consider how much time they wanted to spend hiking and which areas they were most drawn to.

Closer to the elopement, Danielle scheduled a final timeline meeting to discuss the day from beginning to end. She then created a photo timeline based on their priorities and the plans they had made together. Since Julia and Adam were not local to Hocking Hills and had not visited in a long time, their FaceTime conversations gave them a chance to work through the vision before arriving.

The Morning Hike: Fog, Light, and Vision

Julia’s vision began with a hike in Hocking Hills with just the two of them. When they arrived around 11 in the morning, Julia and Adam were already dressed in their full wedding attire. Danielle had initially discussed hiking in more casual clothing, but they ultimately decided to wear their wedding attire for the adventure.

The timing and weather created conditions Danielle had never experienced in the park quite this way. After a week of rain, steam and fog were rising through the trees, while the river flowed from the recent rainfall and the March landscape began showing fresh green. The atmosphere closely matched the moody inspiration images Julia had shared during their planning conversations, filled with fog and rays of light.

Danielle had photographed Hocking Hills through many seasons and conditions, but she had never seen the park look quite like it did that day. Julia had trusted her to create the mood she envisioned, even though Danielle had explained that those exact conditions were not something the park consistently offered. On their elopement day, the weather and landscape came together unexpectedly, giving Julia and Adam the adventurous experience they wanted while creating the atmosphere Julia had hoped to capture.

An Afternoon Pause

At noon, the morning hike came to a close. Julia and Adam returned to their cabin while Danielle went to one of her favorite local coffee shops to sort and edit the photographs from their hike.

The break gave the couple time to spend the afternoon with family before the ceremony. Julia had also received a meaningful surprise from Adam, who had arranged for her aunt and uncle to fly in, stay with them, and participate in the wedding by officiating.

By sunset, Danielle returned to their Airbnb, where their children and a few close friends and family members had gathered. The pace of the day shifted toward the evening ceremony Julia had envisioned.

Elopement Photography by Danielle Oney | Danielle Williams Photography

Julia had always wanted to exchange vows after the sun had gone down, with the ceremony illuminated by more than a dozen candles. The couple spent time preparing the ceremony space before gathering with their family and friends.

Before the ceremony, Danielle photographed family formals. Then, as the sun went down, everyone gathered on the back patio to watch Julia and Adam say their vows.

Their children were an important part of the ceremony. Julia and Adam each wrote vows specifically for their children and spent a few minutes during the ceremony reading them aloud. For the couple, including their children was one of the most meaningful parts of the day and reflected their desire to celebrate the family they were building together.

Nighttime Portraits and The Creek

After the ceremony, Julia and Adam continued the evening with nighttime portraits. Danielle described the darkness as one of the most challenging aspects of photographing the day because Julia was very intentional about having the ceremony at sundown and requested that Danielle work without flash.

The evening eventually moved down to the creek, where Julia and Adam played with their children before dinner. After a full day that had already included hiking, family time, a candlelit ceremony, and nighttime portraits, the creek gave them another opportunity to simply spend time together.

The most significant personal element of Julia and Adam’s elopement was their children. The couple intentionally made space for them during the ceremony, writing individual vows for each child and incorporating them into the evening.

Julia also chose to wear her full wedding attire for the morning hike. The decision was discussed during planning, but the couple ultimately decided that wearing their wedding clothes throughout the adventure felt right for their day.

Their ceremony was also shaped by their desire for intimacy. Instead of following a set tradition, they created an evening that reflected what mattered to them, including their children, the family members who traveled to join them, and a ceremony held in the darkness by candlelight.

Danielle remembers Julia and Adam as warm, kind, adventurous people who trusted her to guide them through Hocking Hills. She had first connected with Julia in January, only a couple of months before their March elopement, and they quickly began working through the details of the day.

“Working with Julia and Adam was an absolute delight,” Danielle says.

For Danielle, the experience felt personal. She described the energy they brought to Hocking Hills as unmatched and said that by the time their elopement arrived, it felt like she was showing friends some of her favorite places. “Everything Julia envisioned for their day was intentional, led by love for one another and their kids and attending family.”

One of her favorite memories was watching Adam help Julia walk along a rail edge while they played and laughed together. She also remembers Julia trusting her to photograph her alone in the rays of light and the decision to hold such a distinctive nighttime ceremony. Most importantly, Danielle felt that Julia and Adam did not make choices because they thought they were supposed to. They created a day that felt original to them.

If a day that feels like you is the goal, explore our WanderSelect packages to begin planning.

Julia’s advice is simple: keep the day focused on what matters most to you. She encourages couples to minimize the pressure around creating a traditional wedding and maximize their experience with their future spouse and the people they love.

She also recommends investing in your photographer. For Julia and Adam, that was one of their biggest investments, and she said she had no regrets about it. Having someone who understood their vision and remained present throughout the planning process was an important part of bringing their day together.

For couples considering Hocking Hills specifically, Julia recommends eloping on a weekday. Their Friday morning hike had very few people on the trails, while the park became noticeably busier later in the day with hikers, families, and tourists. She also emphasized that the season, weather, and time of day all contributed to the photographs Danielle created.

Elopement Photography by Danielle Oney | Danielle Williams Photography

Julia and Adam did not need their wedding day to follow a predetermined formula. They wanted to minimize the outside pressure surrounding a wedding and maximize the parts of the experience that mattered to them. That intention shaped everything from their decision to hike in their wedding attire to their choice to wait until darkness for their ceremony.

Their day also made room for the people who mattered most. Their children were part of their vows, their family traveled to join them, and their closest friends gathered at the Airbnb to witness the evening. Even with an intimate elopement, they were able to create a celebration that included the people they wanted beside them.

Looking back, Julia described the entire day as more than she could have imagined. The morning hike, the afternoon spent with family, the candlelit ceremony, and the time with their children all became part of one experience that was intentionally theirs.