Alaska Floatplane Elopement
There’s something surreal about taking off and landing on a body of water. Add in the incredible mountain views of Alaska, remote alpine lakes, and a beautiful rainbow and an Alaska Floatplane Elopement is a real “pinch me” feeling.
When Vicki and Ben mentioned including a floatplane in their elopement day, we were over the moon excited. This blog recaps their elopement day and includes information on where to stay in Homer, Alaska, the incredible pilot we had on this adventure, and so much more. If you’re dying to know how we got these insane photos, keep reading!
Where to Stay for Your Homer Alaska Elopement
If you’re looking for a super cute spot to stay in Homer, Alaska for your floatplane elopement day, we highly recommend checking out Ben and Vicki’s Airbnb that they rented. It’s a beautiful log cabin with awesome views of the bay and the mountains, plus a beautiful deck on the front of the house. It has two spacious bedrooms and two bathrooms, so plenty of space if you’re inviting guests, or just want room for you to get ready together.
They spent the morning getting ready here, with Vicki’s mom and sister. Vicki’s mom buttoned up the back of Vicki’s dress and gave her a hand stitched handkerchief. Once Vicki was ready to go, she met Ben outside on the deck for their first look! With the views overlooking the mountains and the bay, it was such a beautiful spot for the big reveal.
Instead of having real flowers, Vicki opted for some wooden flowers from Sola Wood Flowers and they were so incredible. We asked Vicki if she and Ben were going to have any sort of cake or treat and she let us know that she had a gluten allergy so she didn’t think anywhere in Homer would have something gluten free. But we did some digging and discovered that Two Sister’s Bakery offers gluten free options so they had some special cupcakes made for their day!
Bishop’s Beach Wedding Ceremony
After a beautiful first look, we made our way to Bishop’s Beach for their ceremony. If you aren’t familiar with Homer Alaska, it’s a coastal town that sits right on the Kachemak Bay. Across the bay is Kenai Fjords National Park, aka huge mountains, glaciers, and wilderness and where we would be heading on our floatplane elopement adventure! Bishop’s Beach has all of those mountain views in the background, making it a really great spot for an elopement ceremony!
Becky performed a short and sweet ceremony as Vicki’s mom and sister watched on. After their I Do’s and first kiss, they took a stroll along the beach. We always love encouraging couples to take a moment alone after their ceremony and throughout the day! It’s such an intimate time in your relationship so it’s good to let the feelings and emotions sink in and be present.
After a private stroll, they came back for some group photos and went to find some fireweed for photos! Fireweed is the “unofficial state flower” in Alaska. It’s a tall purple flower that blooms across the state from July-September, with its peak time around late July-mid August. Lucky for us, the trails around Bishops Beach are overflowing with fireweed so we had fun taking photos with it!
Ready to start planning your own floatplane elopement in Alaska?
We are so excited to help you start dreaming up your own elopement day. Not only are we here to capture every moment, but we’re also here to help make those dreams come to life!
Floatplane Elopement
After exploring Bishops Beach and enjoying time with family, it was time to head off on our floatplane elopement adventure. We made our way to the Beryl Air dock where we met with our incredible pilot Stephanie.
One thing about Stephanie that was super helpful when planning this floatplane elopement was how knowledgeable she was about the area. Vicki and Ben wanted to find somewhere remote, quiet, and beautiful and Stephanie definitely delivered. We can’t recommend reaching out to Beryl Air enough for your floatplane elopement!
Once we got loaded into the floatplane, we started our take off across Beluga Lake. Before we knew it, we were in the air cruising over Homer and across the bay. Seeing Kenai Fjords National Park from the sky was so incredible and definitely a must do on your elopement day.
As we flew over the mountains and glaciers, we saw a small lake approaching. Stephanie landed us on the lake with such ease you couldn’t even tell you were landing on water! She docked the boat and we were able to walk to a small beach.
Packraft Adventure on a Remote Lake
Something you should know about Brian and I, is that we will do everything in our power to make your Alaska elopement day really special. When we finalized the plan to take the floatplane over to the lake, we suggested bringing some packrafts along so that Vicki and Ben could paddle around the lake after we landed. So we called up a few companies in town and found somewhere that we could rent some packrafts from.
Becky started inflating the boats with Stephanie’s help while Brian explored the shoreline with Vicki and Ben. They scrambled up some boulders, danced on the shoreline, and watched a rainbow appear from behind the mountains.
Once the boats were inflated, they headed out across the lake for a peaceful paddle, all while this rainbow shined above them. It was really incredible! After paddling for a bit, they came back to the shore for a very “Top Gun” photo session with the floatplane. Ben looked like he was straight out of the movie wearing his aviators and leaning against the plane.
Floatplane Elopement Photographers
Vicki and Ben’s floatplane elopement day was one we’ll be talking about for years to come. There’s no better feeling as elopement photographers than having you (the couple) trust us when it comes to your big day.
If you’re planning your own floatplane elopement, we would love to help you figure out all of the details. Brian and I have so much fun hearing your ideas and dreams and making them come to life. Head over to our elopement packages page to learn more about our process and how things work. And when you’re ready, send us a message, we’d love to hear from you!