Halloween Elopement Editorial

This Halloween elopement editorial at Shaver Lake gave me allllll the spooky fall vibes!

Okay full disclosure: this Halloween elopement was definitely shot LAST fall, and I didn’t have enough time to blog about it before spooky season quickly blew right past us into the holiday season.

Around this time last year, a TikTok trend blew up of people putting pumpkins over their heads and taking photos in the woods. I wanted to add my own twist on the trend, and messaged one of my favorite wedding hair and makeup artists around, Sierra. One of her many passions is SFX makeup so she took my little idea and sprinted with it to the finish line of this shoot!

The next step was finding the perfect dress. Another full disclosure? There wasn’t a lot of room in our budgets for this editorial, so I found a lace dress on Amazon. I contacted two of my coworkers and asked them if they would be interested in modeling for this Halloween elopement editorial. Jenny and Jacob had recently begun dating, and were so excited to fill in for their roles!

While Sierra Jane Studios nailed this Halloween elopement, she is also an award-winning wedding hair and makeup company based in Fresno, California!

I recommend Sierra to all of my wedding and engagement clients. She does such an incredible job, and builds long-lasting relationships with her clients. Check out this review taken directly from her Wedding Wire profile:

“Sierra was so great! I reached out to her a few weeks before I flew into the Fresno area for engagement photos in Yosemite. She was super accommodating, flexible and so thoughtful! She really listened to everything I had to say regarding my make up preferences and it showed! I loved it overall and she made the experience so enjoyable! Would absolutely recommend!”

Shaver Lake is also my first recommendation to couples who want the aesthetic of Yosemite, but don’t want to make the drive. If you aren’t sold by these photos, check out another fall elopement at Shaver Lake.

Jenny surprised us all by her willingness to go right into the chilly water! She absolutely loved the photos, and we quickly began to refer to it as the La Llorona effect.

Read if you weren’t planning to sleep tonight. Feel free to skip if spooky isn’t your jam.

While the story changes a bit depending on who tells it, the idea is pretty much the same. The tale of La Llorona is said to be the spirit of a woman that died of sorrow after her children were killed, either by herself or by her family. Many say the woman drowned herself afterwards. Once she arrived at heaven’s gates, she was banished and told to find her lost children. She is now found haunting large bodies of water in a water funeral gown. La llorona translates to “the weeping woman”, which makes sense. You can find out more information here if you’re curious about the tale.

I will say that after researching the tale, I’m definitely feeling the spooky-vibes Jenny gives off.

Either way, this Halloween elopement editorial was an incredible shoot to join! A good portion of the credit goes to Sierra Jane Studios for nailing the exact vibe we envisioned. If you decide to book her for your wedding or elopement, just mention that you’re also booked with me! You’ll automatically get a discount with no spooky, Halloween vibes required.

Still looking for your Central California elopement photographer?

Yay! I’d love to work with you. The best way to reach me is to fill out my online contact form. I’ll get back to you really soon! While you wait, you can check out my Yosemite elopement guide to give you a few ideas in the meantime.