Alena & Nathan’s Adventure Elopement in an Epic Getaway Car Exploring Big Bend, TX

In Big Bend National Park, Alena and Nathan’s elopement unfolded with a breathtaking dawn ceremony at the summit, where they shared their first look and kiss as the first light kissed the hills. Their day continued with awe-inspiring encounters, from a herd of aoudad to a cozy coffee and burrito break in town. As the sun set, they explored another park trail and ended their day cruising the desert backroads, their project car perfectly at home against the stunning backdrop of their newlywed adventure. Get all the details below.

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About the Elopement

Photography by Anna Claire Beasley

“Alena and Nathan changed into their wedding clothes at the summit, did their first look at dawn, and shared a first kiss as the first light came over the hill. It was a moment of gravity and levity, sweetness and happy tears. Down on the rio below us, two white horses stood, witnesses to their promise.

We soaked up all the morning light, thawing out from the chill and feeling elated by how perfectly everything came together. On our hike down, the adventure continued. We surprised a group of 60+ aoudad; They ran down the cliffs on our left, across the trail, and back up the cliffs on the right. We stood, watching, in awe of their skill and stamina. We all agreed we wished we could scramble across the trail as easily as they did. When we got back to the parking lot, the marriage license was signed and we headed into town for coffee and burritos. A perfect morning.

Alena and Nathan and I met up for a sunset adventure at a different spot in the park, exchanging our morning desert views for one’s of the Chisos. I told them this spot typically had lots of bear activity and that all my fingers and toes were crossed that we would see one. Their getaway car— a project car they’ve been working on together over the years— looked right at home in the desert. We stopped to take some photos on a long, winding dirt road on our way to the trailhead. Hiking through alpine flora provided such a stark contrast to the landscape of the morning.

We hiked back, the belly of the sun having long since sunk behind the Chisos. The sky going from turquoise to a soft baby blue. We hung onto the last light of day, stealing some moments of A & N with their getaway car— cruising down the backroads of Big Bend, married.” [Anna Claire, the photographer]

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Planning Your Elopement in Big Bend

“A special use permit is required for all ceremonies in Big Bend National Park, regardless of size.

Big Bend National Park is a remote location with very little cell service. Make sure to download all your maps so you can have access offline and expect that once you’re in the park you will be navigating and adventuring off-grid! This remoteness is a huge draw for many couples but can also be a logistical difficulty if you’re trying to coordinate with vendors or guests for an intimate wedding.” [Anna Claire, the photographer]

Learn more about eloping in Big Bend.

About the Couple

“Some couples inquire with me for their Far West Texas elopement already knowing exactly where they want to get married. Many don’t. Alena and Nathan were moving to Texas from out of state in the week leading up to their elopement and so they were feeling super open about locations for the ceremony and portraits. They just requested it be a morning hike in the dark so that they could spend time grounding together through movement and breath, anticipating the vows they would share at daybreak. They also shared that they hoped it would be a private location with a top of the world kind of feel.

Often with locations, we can check most of the boxes but not all of them. In Alena and Nathan’s case, I knew of a special spot that checked every single one. I didn’t even have a ton of photos to share as examples of the location as I had only hiked it once before myself, but I told them to trust me, this was the spot, and they did and oh my goodness was it a memorable morning.” [Anna Claire, the photographer]

Memorable Moments

From the photographer:

“The morning’s location felt open and wild and free; The kind of place where you want to throw your arms open and tilt your head back to the sun. Our evening location felt different; it felt meditative. The hush of the forest and the crunching of leaves made the whole hike feel intimate and wondrous. We scanned every tree line for a bear the entire hike up— but no luck. We made it to the end of the trail right around sunset. Knowing we still had a long drive on a primitive road awaiting us when we got back, we spent a few minutes at the summit and then started our hike down. I was feeling a bit sad we didn’t see any bears. Then, from up ahead, I see A & N stop and look back towards me with delight; “a bear!” Off-trail, about 20 yards away, a Mexican black bear nosing around in the leaves. We stayed watching it for a while, and it looked right back at us. It eventually got bored of us and went back to sniffing around and pawing at the earth. A perfect evening.”

Final Words of Advice

“Both locations we explored are ecologically sensitive and extremely remote and have lots of risks to get to. As a local to the area, it’s so important to me and my community to keep these areas accessible for future generations, and I don’t want my business to have a negative impact on the region and the locations we love so dearly.” [Anna Claire, the photographer]

Learn the importance of leaving no trace and working with an experienced elopement photographer during your adventure.

Photos From This Elopement