An elopement is the ultimate in wedding freedom. When Kathleen and Stephen first began to plan their Yosemite wedding, they suddenly realized all of the wedding details that demanded answers. It wasn't long, they told me, that they knew that the freedom of an elopement was right for them. All at once, questions about the appetizers and musicians melted away leaving them to have their wedding. When you're having a wedding on your own terms, you only see each other, not the seeming obstacles.

That's why when I first saw the weather forecast for their wedding day, I knew the wedding would not be postponed. Kathleen and Stephen were not going to let a little bit of rain and sleet stop them. Instead, we embraced the rain and moved forward. The way that they looked at each other as the rain drenched them was simply poetic.

For me it was a challenging day to say the least, I've never shot all day in the rain. In the back of my mind I kept wondering what a "weatherproof" camera really meant. But not even once did I have to tell Kathleen or Stephen to force a smile or look happy. And for your family Kathleen, I was there and it did happen - they got married!