Sam Starns | Elope Your Life®️

Sam Starns | Elope Your Life®️

Based In: Southern Oregon
Business Attributes: LGBTQ+ Owned, Woman Owned
Photographer: Sam Starns | Elope Your Life®️

Sam Starns | Elope Your Life®️

Based In: Southern Oregon
Business Attributes: LGBTQ+ Owned, Woman Owned

SO MANY PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES ACCORDING TO OTHER PEOPLE’S EXPECTATIONS…

And that’s bullshit. Especially on your wedding day.

 

You and your relationship is unique in every way, and it’s BS that the wedding industry puts us in boxes that we just aren’t born to fit in. You were born to stand out.

 

I’m Sam, a TEDx speaker, author, and local adventure elopement expert for Oregon. I’m here to make sure you don’t half-ass your elopement day because that’s what the world is telling you to do.

Think about this: What makes you, you? I’m betting part of it includes your passions, your desires, your dreams, the places you want to see and the things you want to do. Then ask yourself why your elopement day shouldn’t include exactly that.

My couples use that empowerment to create a one-of-a-kind elopement day to transform the rest of their lives.

READY TO ELOPE YOUR LIFE?

Let’s do this, shall we? If you have any questions, submit the contact form below, our reach out via my website: samstarns.com

Sam cares SO deeply about every couple she meets. From the first conversation we had, the first thing she did was get to know us as people and what we wanted, past the epic images. – Katherin & Clay

 

***See my ultimate guide to eloping in Oregon from a local***

 

ELOPEMENT COLLECTIONS INCLUDE

  • Custom client portal
  • The ultimate elopement guide (including all resources from my book “Elope Your Life”)
  • Extensive planning consultation/assistance
    • Planning Zoom calls
    • Your own custom day-of timeline
    • Custom vendor referrals
    • Vetted location recommendations and stats on each
    • Getting to Know You Questionnaire and Zoom calls
    • Marriage license resources
    • Permitting information
  • All hi-res edited digital images
  • Heirloom album to display in your home
  • Photographer travel included

Starting pricing and more info about the Elope Your Life experience is available at samstarns.com/experience!

 

She knows what she’s doing, a true professional, but it was also so genuine. She wrote a book. She even did a TEDx Talk on eloping!! We were both like whaaaaat!!! Yes, woman, kill it! Seriously, hire Sam, great pics are sooo important, but it was more than pictures, it was an experience. It was worth every penny. I honestly cannot recommend her enough. – Nikki & Evan

FEATURED IN:

TEDxRoseburg
NBC King 5 Seattle
CBS Good Day Sacramento
ABC AM Northwest
NBC WFLA Bloom Talk Show
Kleinfeld
Gay Weddings Magazine

 

All the locations in the images below are in Oregon or just over the border in the Redwoods – there’s a reason why they call it the Iceland of the United States!

 

REACH OUT AT SAMSTARNS.COM/CONTACT

California Redwoods
California Redwoods
Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
Oregon
Oregon
Oregon Desert
Oregon Desert
Crater Lake
Crater Lake
Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
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Sam will give you the most exciting, adventurous, unique, grounded, and joyful wedding experience. The long version: Sam is one of the coolest chicks in the country, hands down. It becomes clear that she works hard, cares hard, and loves hard from the minute you begin working with her. Our first phone conversation with Sam felt like meeting our new best friend, but it was also exciting to find out what a strong listener, savvy adventurer, and thorough photographer she would be! No detail went unaddressed, no stone unturned as we decided what to do and where to go on our big day. We settled on a jam-packed schedule up and down the Oregon-California coastline with everything from first looks to beers to surprise sea lion sightings and the whole time, Sam had us cracking up and we had hours of amazing conversation. My husband and I are naturally a bit camera-awkward, but that’s no match for Sam’s expertise! Our album is full of the most meaningful, powerful, and artistic photos, and honestly the day was everything we could have asked for and more. We can not recommend Sam enough. Read her book. Book her for your engagement or elopement/small ceremony photos. You simply will not be sorry!

Whitney Adams

Sam is the absolute best! She is a stellar photographer, communicator, planner, and overall human. She gave us the best day ever at our Oregon coast/ redwoods elopement. Words really can’t describe how much of a dream the day was and the entire process of planning the day. From the moment we hired Sam I didn’t have to worry about a thing, and our day went flawlessly. We met Sam in 2018 and still keep in contact with her on a regular basis. I tell every friend and relative to elope, and specifically to elope Sam!

Brooke Lewis

We had a great experience working with Sam. From the very beginning we loved her enthusiasm and how personable she was - after all, you're spending an entire day with this person, you want to get to know them and feel comfortable with them. We traveled from the east coast to the west coast and having never been to the area where we were going we put our full trust into Sam to help guide us, and she did not disappoint! The locations she took us to were breathtaking and exactly what we wanted - she nailed it and we couldn't be more thrilled with how our photos turned out. We loved that the day felt truly like an adventure and not just a photoshoot, or business transaction. We would highly recommend eloping to anyone that is considering it (your day is actually about the two of you!), and highly recommend Sam to capture your special moments - her work is stunning. I also have to say, I love how organized she is and all of the reminders and helpful tips she provides along the way. Little things that I never would have thought of, she had us covered every step of the way.

Katie & Cormac

SAM IS AMAZING!!!! From the moment we got off of our first phone call with her, we were sold. She had the best recommendations from day one, and provided us with so many resources we never had to look elsewhere. Seriously, every single one of our vendors and even our Airbnb was from her list of recs. Use the planning portal!! It's awesome and full of resources that you can use and even to send to your guests(if you choose to have any), including local things to do and places to eat. Sam covers all the things so well, from permits to prepping officiants especially if you’re having a friend do it. Even though she's a photographer and not an actual full-service planner, her planning portal and book are so helpful and she is there to answer any and all your questions along the way.

As far as day of, anything that I was worried about Sam had already thought of, which was so relieving to not have to worry. Sam really makes sure you are prepared by having a timeline in place making sure we had the most epic day in the amount of time we had! We had great activity/location recommendations for our day. One being the Redwood canopy walk! Definitely not something a typical wedding would include, but for us, it was perfect. If you’re eloping in the Redwoods, highly recommend the canopy walk at the Sequoia Park Zoo.

After the big day, she got us our sneak-peeks in the first couple days and got us so excited for the rest of the pictures! Don't get me started on HOW.AMAZING. THE. EFFING. PICS. ARE. JUST LOOK AT THEM. Sam made us feel/look like the COOLEST people ever in our pictures.

We’ve gone to a few weddings since our elopement and we kept looking at each other, saying, “We’re so happy we eloped". It really hit home that we made the right choice and we are so happy we chose Sam to be apart of that!! Don’t be afraid to think outside the box for your day and do exactly what YOU want and Sam will be the first one to support you and hype you up along the way!

Haley & Sal

Magical, Fairytale, Epic these are all words we heard after revealing the stunning images Sam captured for us. These are also words that describe Sam and the experiences she helps create for you. From the very first time we spoke with her on the phone a quick getting to know you call had turned into 2 hours of friendship, excitement and day dreaming about our wedding. We knew right away we wanted to work with her. We could tell how passionate and invested she is about her work and clients (who quickly turn into friends). Not only does she bring this amazing passion and excitement to your photos but she also lives it everyday and encourages you to do the same. We reached out to Sam because of her incredible work but fell in love with her personality.

Not knowing what to expect we put our hands and faith in her and had the adventure of a lifetime. We were so comfortable and carefree there was nothing to worry about. Our focus was on each other, we were able to enjoy a day designed around everything we love as a couple all with Sam's help and guidance. Her endless resources, open communication, and recommendations led us to our most memorable day and the gallery/album reveals allow us to relive it as often as we like.

She is truly a magnificent person and her talent goes beyond the photography (although you should see her snapping from the back of a horse or in a kayak mid-ocean). The Elope Your Life experience is more than just photos and if you're looking for an epic experience this is it.

Corinna & Dustin

Choosing a great photographer is the most important wedding decision to make, second only to choosing your spouse. We could not be happier in choosing Sam as our adventure elopement photographer. It was the best decision we made for our day. I went to do some research on Reddit when my (now) husband and I started to consider eloping. The very first post on the Eloping subreddit that day, someone mentioned her and linked to her Wandering Weddings page, where I then found her website. We were immediately sold, and this choice went on to shape the best day of our life. Sam really helped curate the day and make our vision come alive, just like we imagined. Even better, really. Our day was light, fun, romantic, and we felt so ALIVE. Sam’s direction was fantastic, and we loved her games like, “The Floor is Lava” (if you know, you know). It didn’t even feel like “direction”. We now recommend Sam before anyone can even ask. We’re always looking at our pictures all googly eyed, and it’s great to have tangible memories that we can share with our family and friends. There were so many intimate moments captured together, so many smiles, so many laughs. It was an incredible experience. It was an unimaginably perfect, PERFECT day. She knows what she’s doing, a true professional, but it was also so genuine. She wrote a book. She even did a TEDx Talk on eloping!! We were both like whaaaaat!!! Yes, woman, kill it! Seriously, hire Sam, great pics are sooo important, but it was more than pictures, it was an experience. It was worth every penny. I honestly cannot recommend her enough. Break from tradition and do something for YOU that you can share with each other.

Nikki & Evan
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Wandering Since 2018
Sam Starns | Elope Your Life®️
Sam Starns | Elope Your Life®️

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