It is mid-November and wedding season has ended. Yes, there is a wedding season. It typically begins around May and ends around October or November. During wedding season, we here at Chapel of the Pines can do as many as 10 elopements a month, like we did recently in October of 2025. Once November and winter sets in, things slow down for us. Of course, because we do only elopements, lead time ranges anywhere from one day to, at most, a month or so, so I anticipate a few weddings to come during these slow times.

During these slow times, I rest, read and write. Today I read a passage from a booked called The Book of Awakening, by Mark Nepo. He said, “It is interesting that the nautical definition of marry is “to join two ropes end to end by interweaving their strands.”

And I was reminded of when, as a teenager, I worked in a restaurant. One of our daily tasks was to “marry” the condiments. We had to take partially empty bottles of ketchup, for example, and pour the contents of one bottle into another, creating a full bottle to put on the table for the next day.

As I think about these different ways to illustrate marriage, the one thing I find in common with all of them is that, once married, they can’t be separated.

Even if the relationship changes forms, there will always be a tie.

This is why I take every wedding seriously. This is why I acknowledge that within the sameness of things that always happen at weddings, such as vows, each wedding is different because each couple is different, and I honor that.

Even though we only do elopements, that doesn’t make the wedding ceremony any less special nor any less of a commitment. I love getting to know my couples, even if they call me one day to get married within 24 hours. There is always a reason that makes an elopement no less special than one of those big weddings.

I want to know what that reason is. I want to speak to it during your ceremony. I want your day to be as special as you are.

There is another thing we consider special: the photography. When you select our Elopement Special package, you are guaranteed professional level photographs, not snapshots. This means we bring lighting. Which means you are not limited to getting married at sunset. Schedule your ceremony for whenever you want, we guarantee well made images.

Here's just a sample of some ceremony photos from a few recent weddings.