This session was shot by GMP founder and Principal Photographer Elizabeth Millar

Daniel and Kathleen planned to elope at the Orange County Courthouse in downtown Orlando, but they forgot some vital paperwork so we did their session anyway and they got married in their home county the next day!

Hey, listen…you’re thinking about eloping at the courthouse because you’re chill folks who know that, while this will be one of the most important days of your life, it’s probably not THE most important day of your life.

Don’t get me wrong. Choosing who you’re going to marry is the single most important decision of your life. But which day it happens, and how you choose to do it, may not end up being the single most important day once you start living your lives together and have many many more incredible, important, and life changing days in your life together.

“We’ve spent our relationship so far planning and preparing for a marriage, not a wedding” -Daniel

Even though they’re only in their 20s and just starting out, Daniel and Kathleen intuitively knew this when they decided to get married at a courthouse. In fact, while we were waiting for Kathleen to arrive for their first look, Daniel said to me, “we’ve spent our relationship so far planning and preparing for a marriage, not a wedding”. And I LOVE that for them. People with this mindset are very much part of the reason I pivoted into doing smaller more low-key weddings.

So it didn’t rock their world at all when they discovered that they’d missed a vital step in their plans to get their license and get married on the same day which was to take the online pre-marital course. Having that certificate is how Florida residents are able to get their marriage license and their marriage ceremony on the same day. Without that, there’s a 3 days waiting period after getting your license. If you don’t live in Florida, this is not a requirement.

So we decided to spend the rest of our time together on their photo session outside the courthouse and they would get married in their home county the next day. While I’m sure it was disappointing, they effortlessly pivoted and enjoyed the rest of their day which included their photo session and a reception dinner at home in Lakeland with friends and family.