New Zealand mountaintop elopement

We hear a lot of sweet love stories around here, but Tori + Jason’s will sure stick out in our minds. It’s not very often that a couple starts off planning a big, traditional southern wedding and ends up exchanging vows on a mountaintop in New Zealand, you know? Thanks to bride Tori for telling their story alongside these epic photos from Forged in the North…

Tori tells it, Both being from the deep South, we just assumed we would have a big, traditional wedding. As we started planning our wedding everything fell apart—even our venue caught fire! That’s when we decided to make our big day the most adventurous, unforgettable day we could imagine. Jason, being a pilot and an adventure nut, loved the thought of New Zealand. It took some convincing on my part, but turned out to be the best decision we ever made.

When our actual wedding day approached in Queentown, it was rained out! So a day after it was planned, we laced our boots up, I put on some lipstick and a white dress, and we began our wedding day. Our first location, Skipper’s Canyon, was where Jason and I did our first look. In the midst of seeing each other for the first time, we stood among native mountain sheep and vans of tourist onlookers. I have always found Jason to be a hunk, but that day, in Skipper’s Canyon, in his J. Crew suit—I knew I found the right one!

Our second location, the Remarkables, required a little help getting there. So we loaded up into a helicopter and found the highest point on the mountain range. As we captured the day in photos, I realized working with Ryan and Heidi was like being with old friends. To say they are talented photographers is an understatement—they are storytellers. They truly breathe each shot they take. Their way of capturing our day made it even more unique and special.

In the end, we said our I Dos over a brilliantly painted New Zealand sunset and a bottle of champagne. In those few breathtaking moments, I realized that stepping out of our comfort zone for the biggest day of our lives made for something even grander than we had ever imagined.