A Rustic Elopement at Eldorado Canyon in Searchlight, Nevada

This couple went above and beyond to make their elopement beautiful, just like them. Longtime sweethearts Mary Chin (30 and a stay-at-home mother and a chef) and Christian Chin (31 and a radiology tech assistant) got married in secret in Searchlight, Nevada, at the suggestion of their photographer, Jenna Ebert Photography. “With the rustic charm, desert and Rocky Mountains, it was perfect,” the bride says. The couple’s wedding-day styles totally reflected their relaxed, laid-back nature. Mary wore an ivory lace knee-length wedding dress with a champagne sash and cowboy boots, while Christian wore a suit he already owned to be comfortable in his usual style. Their flowers, which Mary arranged herself, were especially significant. “I made our flowers by hand, so they would relate to who we are,” Mary says. She created her whimsical, rustic bouquet, her flower crown and her groom’s boutonniere using dried flowers and leaves, and incorporated three duck feathers from one of Christian’s hunts into his boutonniere. “The number three symbolizes our family,” Mary says. “That way, even though our daughter wasn’t with us on the trip, she was in our hearts.” The best part of the wedding day? The couple agree: It was the rain the whole day. “I know, sounds strange,” the bride says, “but it made the day perfect. Christian and I embraced it, just like we do with life.” During their ceremony, the officiant read an Apache blessing that couldn’t have been more fitting for their rainy day. A portion of the prayer read as follows: “Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other.” See the gorgeous details captured by Jenna Ebert Photography.