Central Illinois Courthouse Elopement | Emily + Jared

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Emily + Jared’s courthouse elopement at the Sangamon County Clerks Office in central Illinois was everything they wanted out of their wedding day. Simple, intimate, and so full of love. Speaking of love I am in total love with their review!

“If you are looking for a professional photographer who takes beautiful photos, is super easy to work with and is an experienced wedding photographer- then Rachael is your girl!
She took our engagement and wedding photos and each sets of photos can be best described as dreamy. I seriously can’t stop staring at our wedding photos!
Both my husband and I are a little uncomfortable with the camera but Rachael makes it feel like you are hanging out with friends and put us at ease. She also helped me plan the timeline of my wedding- which was amazing and I don’t think most wedding photographers do as much for their clients as Rachael did for us. She knew the best way to make a wedding flow and she made our wedding day easier while also taking the most gorgeous photos and capturing all the little moments”

About the couple

Emily + Jared sorta fell into their first date. Emily + Jared and their friends planned to see The Giver at AMC one weekend. When the day came though to see the movie, all of their friends happened to cancel that night except for the the two of them! Halfway through the movie, Emily thinks to herself, “OMG, is this a date?” Once the movie was done, they weren’t done hanging out. They went to Culver’s for ice cream, and talked and talked and talked. Then they went to Colony West Part, and continued to talk. Their first date was 9 hours long. They say when you know, you know!

E + J’s Elopement at Sangamon County Courthouse

Knowing that they wanted to keep their wedding day simple and be surrounded by family, E + J planned their elopement to happen at the Sangamon County Courthouse. After deciding to elope, they reached out to me to check with my availability and then made their appointment at the Sangamon County Courthouse! Along with scheduling their appointment they also alerted their closest loved ones so that they could mark their calendars for their elopement date.

Traditional to many larger weddings, Emily + Jared decided to get ready separate and have a first look outside of the courthouse. This moment was so special and such a fun way to start off their elopement. Their elopement happened at a time when covid was still very relevant, so the courthouse was very restrictive. Everyone still had to wear masks inside the building with the exception of E + J.

Elopement Portraits

After their ceremony, their family members greeted them outside the portraits with bubbles to celebrate their marriage! We had so much fun walking out of the courthouse, snapping some photos and documenting the celebration of their marriage with the family members that were able to make it. After their exit, before they went to their dinner reception, E + J wanted to have photos in and around their home to celebrate their marriage. We took photos with their cats, and then wandered around their central Illinois town to take portraits in some of the spaces where they have had many dates over the year before heading to their reception dinner to celebrate with their families.

I’m so in love with Emily and Jared’s courthouse elopement in Central Illinois. E + J put together a day perfect for them and I’m beyond happy with how it turned out! If you’re as obsessed with their album as I am head to my contact page to send me an inquiry and we can start planning your wedding day together.