An Intimate Porter Beach, Indiana Picnic Elopement Style Shoot

Planners Lexi and Shelby of Becoming Designs Events wanted to showcase an intimate beach elopement after having many of their couples cancel or downsize their weddings. "In this time of COVID, more couples have decided to elope with only a few family members or friends present. We wanted to show that no matter how big and extravagant or how small and intimate your wedding is, it can still be beautiful, extraordinary and special," Lexi and Shelby explain. The main goal was to focus on a couple spending the day together and getting real quality time on their wedding day.

The allure of using the Indiana Sand Dunes National Park as the venue for this styled elopement was the beauty of the beach. Lexi and Shelby rave, "We love that we have access to beautiful beaches here in the Midwest and that couples are able to see that they can plan elopements here without having to travel far to the ocean!" The only issue with the locale was that day of, it rained all morning. Luckily, it stopped just after the brides were done getting ready.
 

"We wanted a dress that was casual and comfortable but still romantic and special—the type of dress that you could freely run and twirl down the beach in with your spouse!" Lexi and Shelby gush. We think they found the perfect dresses to make this shoot romantic and fun at the same time. They also envisioned their brides with natural beauty instead of statement-making glam. The hairstyles were meant to show that you can still have fun and gorgeous hair even if it's too short for a glamorous up-do.
 

Since they wanted to design the shoot centered around the couples, Lexi and Shelby kept the décor simple and complementary to the dunes. "We chose to not have too many decorations but instead played off of our surroundings and kept it simplistic! We provided a simple picnic set up with blankets and pillows, but no rental décor was needed," Lexi and Shelby say. The color scheme was also meant to complement the scenery, utilizing lots of greens and a few peachy pinks!

 

Lexi and Shelby both knew they wanted to incorporate a charcuterie board instead of a traditional cake. They have seen this trend grow in recent weddings, and it fit so well with the picnic vibes! Another interesting addition to the shoot was the mobile beauty suite! "Having a mobile bridesmaid suite is such a fun new idea and we were so excited to have them there as we got ready and of course to hide out from the rain," Lexi and Shelby admit.
 

 

 

 

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