Embarking on an extraordinary elopement adventure that involved a multi-landing helicopter adventure as the main event, Megan and Todd chose the breathtaking landscapes of Seward, Alaska for their special day on September 5, 2023. As an experienced elopement photographer and videographer and fellow lover of The Last Frontier (seriously, Alaska is like my favorite place in the world), I was honored to capture the magic of their elopement in the stunning Alaskan wilderness.

from the couple:

“Caleb Clayton Film and Photo was PERFECT for our helicopter elopement in Alaska!
We originally found Caleb and Amy from a recommendation from our elopement photographer. We checked out their website and watched their films and were pumped to get on a Zoom call to meet Caleb and Amy to make sure it was the right fit. They had an awesome vibe that we wanted at our elopement.
Booking was super easy. Caleb and Amy kept in touch in the months leading up to our elopements.
The amazingly positive and chill vibes that Caleb and Amy brought to our elopement day were AMAZING. They are just so kind and cool people, which is a huge reason why we hired them in the first place.

And the film...Absolutely EPIC. It captured all of the moments from the day, but more importantly it portrayed the vibe and feels. It had a perfect combination of wide, details, getting ready, drone, adventure, and ceremony clips, all edited wonderfully with our vows overlaid. It is so good!

Caleb Clayton Film + Photo CRUSHED it!

I 100% recommend Caleb and Amy for your adventure elopement!”

M + T

Choosing the Peak of Elopements: Seward, Alaska

Megan and Todd made the adventurous choice of Seward, Alaska, as their elopement destination for a special reason. Both Megan and Todd are elopement photographers and videographer themselves, having traveled to all parts of the Western US to shoot elopements. When deciding on what location to have their elopement in, they decided they wanted to have it in a place neither of them had ever been too. Since they were both lovers of mountain landscapes, having an Alaska Elopement seemed like the right way to go for them. Having witnessed my previous elopement films from Alaska, they knew I could capture the essence of what would undoubtedly be an unforgettable day.

Seward, Alaska also has a special place in my heart. It was the first place in Alaska I ever visited. For my birthday one year, my wife Amy planned a surprise trip for me. While I knew the trip was happening, I didn’t know where the destination was until the day we arrived at the airport. Alaska at the time had been a place I had wanted to travel to my whole life but had never gotten a chance to visit. But lo and behold she had planned the trip to Seward and my soul was immediately at home in the expansive wilderness.

Salted Roots Cabins and First Look on Resurrection Bay

Colorado Elopements are typically what I call home. I am always open to travel for an awesome opportunity and absolutely thrive on getting to experience incredible natural scenes with passionate couples on their elopement days. Over the years I’ve filmed and photographed elopements in Colorado, Arizona, California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Alaska. With the opportunity to travel with Megan and Todd up to their Alaska elopement, I was definitely on board.

On the elopement day, we rendezvoused with Todd and Megan at the picturesque Salted Roots Cabins, located on Resurrection Bay's southern shores. Megan had found this cabin years before and had always dreamed of beginning her elopement day here one day. Megan prepared upstairs, while Todd got ready downstairs in an open-air main room with panoramic views of Resurrection Bay and the surrounding mountains.

Once they were dressed and ready, it was only a short walk to where they shared their first look out on the rocky and gray pebble shores of the bay. It was emotional and personal with the landscape behind them being beyond epic - which would only be the theme for the day.

After a quick bite to eat at a Seward local favorite they had discovered, it was time for the main event of the day.

Multi-Landing Helicopter Adventure: Bear Glacier Lagoon, Glacier Views, and Vows at Unlikely Valley

After the first look, we headed to the Helicopter adventure company for a multi-landing journey that Megan and Todd had planned. Flying in two helicopters, we captured epic shots of Todd and Megan soaring over the open bay and mountains as our helicopter pilots guided us around. Our first landing was at Bear Glacier Lagoon - a stunning iceberg-filled lagoon nestled up to the foot of mountains on Kenai Fjord. We hiked and explored around the unreal shore with Megan and Todd, and I captured some truly grandiose drone footage of them here. After this we took back off in our lovely red helicopters to make a stop across the massive bay and into the mountains by the foot of a glacier, where they celebrated their elopement day with some of Todd's special margaritas.

The final destination was Unlikely Valley, a secret mountainous landscape only accessible by helicopter with high alpine lakes and breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks that provided a mesmerizing backdrop for Megan and Todd's heartfelt vows.

As the moody weather transformed the landscape, their personal vows echoed against the backdrop of Resurrection Bay and surrounding glaciers. Piling back into the helicopters as darkness fell, we made our way back to Seward. Todd and Megan's elopement day, etched into the grandeur of the Alaskan wilderness, stands as a testament to love's adventure, and I am honored to have been part of this unparalleled experience.

Megan and Todd's Alaska elopement day was unlike anything else, a love story forever embedded in the vastness and grandeur of the Alaskan wilderness. As an Alaska elopement photographer, I felt privileged to capture and be part of their extraordinary day.

Check below to watch their Alaska Elopement Film and see the vendors involved!

Thank you to these awesome vendors who helped make this day unforgettable.

Photography: Henry Tieu

Floral Design: Honey Bloom Florals

Venue: Salted Roots Cabin

HMUA: Vibe Artisty

Dress: Rue de Seine

Suit: State & Liberty

Calligraphy: from Ashley Calligraphy

Custom Seward Tie: Kind Design

Rings: The True Gem, Larry Martinez Jewelry

Helicopter Company: Seward Helicopter Tours