and wants a portfolio that proves it

for the elopement photographer who's ready to go all in on alaska adventure elopements, luxury adventure weddings, and real storytelling

Four days in Alaska. A helicopter ride straight to a glacier. A seaplane elopement. A luxury intimate wedding on a black sand beach and luxury A-Frame cabin wedding venue. Three couples, 5 shoots, one unforgettable week in Alaska.

This isn't a styled shoot where you pose a couple in front of a pretty view and call it storytelling.

This is the whole story.

SEWARD, ALASKA

ELOPE ACADEMY RETREAT

aLASKA

SEPtember 6-9, 2027

Photo by @graceelizabethphotos from the 2026 Elope Academy Alaska Retreat

what we're shooting:

FIVE SHOOTS:

3 couples: 1 ADVENTURE elopement, 1 LUXURY STYLED INTIMATE WEDDING, 2 casual adventure sessions & 1 OPTIONAL ADD-ON GLACIER HELICOPTER ELOPEMENT!

But let’s not just call them “Styled Shoots”. These shoots mimic real elopements. They are planned out from beginning to end, just like an actual elopement. You’re walking away with so much more than “pretty photos” for your hero website image and viral-potential insta post. You’re walking away with a full realistic gallery of a real elopement experience. We’re creating intentional images built upon our storytelling methods – allowing your potential clients to truly envision themselves in this story.

SEAPLANE
ADVENTURE ELOPEMENT

SEWARD, AK & SURROUNDING AREA

This is one of the most iconic things you can do in Alaska.

Taking place at a remote alpine lake near Seward, we are photographing the most epic seaplane elopement. Where the couple is going to be on, inside and around the seaplane, for the most adventurous iconic Alaska elopement yet.

Any photographer can photograph a couple by a lake. Very few can say they've captured an actual seaplane elopement. When you can say "I've done this," that's the difference between a photographer with pretty photos and the photographer couples specifcally travel out for.

This is the elopement every Alaska elopement couple has saved to their Pinterest board.

SALTED ROOTS A-FRAME CABINS LUXE inTIMATE WEDDING

BLACK SAND BEACH & SALTED ROOTS IN SEWARD, AK

This is a fully styled, realistic intimate wedding, set at one of the most sought-after intimate wedding and elopement venues in Alaska: Salted Roots Cabins.

The morning starts inside the A-frame cabins, tucked into the Alaskan mossy fern woods. Getting ready details, quiet moments, the kind of soft morning light that is so dreamy. From there, we head across the street to a private stretch of black sand beach, mountains towering behind, for the ceremony. A full Floral installation set up right at the iconic black sand beach.

As the day winds down, we're back at the cabins for a candlelit dinner tablescape set right in the woods. Then we end the night with s'mores by the campFire, string lights overhead.

This is adventure and luxury, in the same breath. A remote black sand beach ceremony, paired with the kind of styled, intimate details your luxury wedding clients are dreaming of.

GLACIER HELICOPTER ELOPEMENT!

PALMER, AK

This one's for the photographers who want to go even further.

After the retreat wraps on September 9th, we're heading to Palmer for an optional add-on adventure: helicoptering out to Knik Glacier. We'll land right beside the glacier's blue pools, microspikes strapped on, 360-degree views of remote mountains in every direction.

This is the most iconic adventure elopement you can photograph in Alaska. We're doing it all: cold-plunging into the glacier pools, the couple pack-rafting or paddleboarding across the glacial water, and capturing every bit of this once-in-a-lifetime landscape.

This add-on is completely optional, and available to anyone who wants to extend their Alaska experience just a little bit further.

Photos by @elopewithkaseyjo @sherylannephoto @graceelizabethphotos from the 2026 & 2023 Elope Academy Alaska Retreats

what we have planned:

3-nIGHT STAY AT SALTED ROOTS CABINS

SEPTEMBER 6-9, 2027
SEWARD, ALASKA

Salted Roots Cabins is the hidden gem of Seward, Alaska - set right on a black sand beach with jaw‑dropping mountain views on Resurrection Bay. These modern A‑frame & Bay View cabins feel like your own private slice of Alaska, blending cozy, design‑forward interiors with a backdrop so stunning it feels surreal. It’s not just a place to stay - it’s a prime small wedding venue, built for couples who want dramatic mountain peaks, ocean views, and one of the most exclusive AK elopement locations. And yes… we’re shooting there (because how could we not?).

EXPERIENCE ELOPEMENT ACTIVITIES

photograph a seaplane elopement, ride in a helicopter, land on a glacier, and so many more iconic alaska things! 

One of the most valuable things you can walk away from this retreat with isn't just the photos. It's the lived experience of actually doing these things.

When you've photographed a couple on a seaplane on an alpine lake, ridden a helicopter out to a glacier, cold-plunged into glacier pools, and spent your evenings on a black sand beach surrounded by mountains, you can sell that experience to your couples in a way that no amount of pretty photos alone ever could.

Because couples who want an Alaska elopement aren't just hiring a photographer. They're hiring a guide. Someone who's been there, done that, and knows exactly how to make their day feel as epic as they're imagining it.

This retreat gives you that. You're not just photographing these experiences, you're living them. And that depth of experience shows up in everything from how you talk about your packages to how you shoot on the day itself.

The photographers who book the most epic Alaska elopements aren't just the best at their craft. They're the ones who can say "I've done that. Let me show you."

WELCOME DINNER AT THE FLAMINGO LOUNGE

RETREAT WELCOME PARTY

Arrival day, but we're not wasting any time getting this retreat family together.

After you check in and get settled at Salted Roots, we're heading out for a group welcome dinner at the Flamingo Lounge in Seward. Good food, good drinks, and the people you're about to spend four days adventuring with. This is your chance to meet your retreat family before we dive into anything else.

After dinner, we're heading back to Salted Roots for campfIre hangs, s'mores, and sauna sessions under the Alaska sky. Most attendees arrive not knowing a single person, and leave with friendships that last way beyond the retreat.

We do this intentionally. Because the best shoots happen when everyone is comfortable, connected, and actually excited to be there together.

HEADSHOTS

YOUR OWN BRANDING PHOTOS DURING THE WHOLE RETREAT!

How many times have you come home from a shoot or a trip and realized you have zero photos of yourself? You were so focused on capturing everyone else that nobody captured you.

During this retreat, we are building time in specifcally for that. Photos of you shooting. Photos of you in these epic locations. Behind the scenes moments of you actually doing the thing - in the mountains, on a glacier or in front of the seaplane. The kind of content that makes someone land on your Instagram and immediately trust you before they even click your website.

Showing your face in your business matters just as much as the galleries you create. Your future couples want to know who they're hiring. They want to see you in your element, doing what you do, in the places you shoot.

You're going to leave this retreat with fresh portfolio content AND a whole new set of branding photos that actually show the photographer behind the camera.

Intimate Retreat Experience

This is an intimate retreat - Because we’ve all been there – knocking elbows  for the center shot. But that won’t be here. Our shooting groups will stay small. And the photographer’s you’re shooting alongside? You’ll call those your friends. An intimate setting for fun adventurous excursions & creating an adventure of a lifetime.

diversity & inclusivity

all are welcome here 🏳️‍🌈

Eloping is for everyone. And it’s important for us to showcase that in every single aspect of our businesses. Elope Academy prioritizes  BIPOC & LGBTQ+ couples when selecting models for the retreat.

networking, community & ATTENDEE GROUP

You’re going to be immersed in this retreat experience with other elopement photographers who are exactly where you are. You’re going to leave this retreat with so much more than just content & a unique experience. You’re going to leave with lifelong friends and elopement-industry connections. It’s not something that most attendees think about before attending, but it’s a takeaway that ends up becoming priceless.

You’ll get immediate access to a VIP group with all of your fellow attendee friends! Most attendees come alone – not knowing anyone that’s going! This is a great way to meet the others & plan any shared travel!

Flights,  Transportation & Meals are not included.

you'll also receive:

THE ELOPE ACADEMY RETREAT COURSE

everything you need to know to book alaska elopements

This retreat includes exclusive access to The Elope Academy Retreat Course focused entirely on booking destination weddings and elopements.

This is where the strategy lives. You’ll walk through how to position yourself for destination work, attract the right couples, price and package elopement experiences, and market your work from this retreat in a way that actually converts. It’s designed to give you the full backend understanding of destination bookings before you ever arrive.

And here’s the important part: We are not sitting in a classroom while we’re in the mountains. All of the teaching happens before the retreat so that when we’re on the ground, we’re doing the work. Shooting. Exploring. Creating. Seeing how this all plays out in real time. This course exists so the retreat can stay exactly what it’s meant to be immersive, hands-on, and rooted in real destination experience, not slides and lectures.

This course is only available to retreat attendees and is not sold separately.

alaska Elopement Resources

SEO BLOGGING TEMPLATE, EXCLUSIVE LOCATION GUIDE, VENDOR / ACTIVITY / LODGING RECOMMENDATIONS, ELOPEMENT ITINERARIES AND MORE

I want you to walk away from this retreat with EVERY resource you possibly need to successfully market, plan and execute an elopement in Alaska. You are going to leave this retreat as an ELOPEMENT EXPERT on all-things Tetons. I am giving you a free SEO Blogging Template that is specifIc to successfully blogging the full-day adventure elopements that you will be photographing this week.

I am also supplying you with a full-comprehensive list of all of the top elopement locations within Alaska - something that YOU can provide your couples as an added value into your Alaska Elopement packages. I am also providing you with every vendor, activity, and accommodation recommendation for when you are assisting in planning an elopement with your couples. And to Finish it off, you'll also receive example timelines of pairing locations & activities of how you can craft your DREAM Alaska elopements for your couples. You are walking away with MORE than you can imagine - and truly setting yourself up for success.

HI, I'M KASEY JO

YOUR RETREAT HOST!

I used to be exactly where you are... feeling like I wasn’t good enough and never understanding what I was doing wrong, and getting nowhere trying to become that photographer traveling the world to most remote locations & photographing the most epic elopements.

I spent YEARS and more money than I can count doing allllll the things… offering my services for basically free, attending random workshops/retreats/content days that left me unsatisffIed and frustrated, applying every bit of knowledge that I got from any industry “educator” ... you name it, I tried it.

Then I learned the power of attending intentional and realistic adventure elopement retreats. And boom - it all clicked for me.

I’ve taken everything that I learned on my journey and put it into Elope Academy Retreats because it’s exactly what I wish I had when I was on my path to becoming an adventure elopement photographer.

It’s my mission to help as many elopement photographers as possible skip past by simply focusing on what works.

The Elope Academy Retreats would have saved me SO MUCH time & energy.

i can't wait to do the same for you 

you won't be the first. and you definitely won't be the last.

meet the photographers who took the leap and never looked back 👇

meet corey

Corey joined her 1st Elope Academy retreat years ago as a photographer who wanted to break into destination elopement work and build a business that actually took her places. She kept coming back — the Dolomites, Grand Teton, and beyond — investing in the experience and the community retreat after retreat.

And it paid off. Corey has offcially surpassed $200k in elopement bookings (and is on her way to $300k). She's shooting in her dream locations, the Grand Tetons, the Dolomites in Italy, Acadia National Park. The network she built at these retreats has led to new bookings, brand collaborations, and a social media presence that continues to grow. She even booked an elopement and proposal in the Dolomites directly from connections made at the retreat.

What started as a leap of faith turned into a multi- six-Figure destination elopement business doing exactly what she loves.

meet emily

Emily attended her 1st Elope Academy retreat 6 years ago as a photographer ready to take a leap of faith. She kept showing up, retreat after retreat, content day after content day, investing in herself and her business across Italy and the East Coast.

Seven events later, the results speak for themselves. Emily is a six-Figure photographer who gets paid to travel and capture love stories. She's gained knowledge in the craft, business education, posing, location scouting, and built a community of industry friends and connections she never would have found otherwise.

What started as one brave decision turned into the business and the life she'd always dreamed of.

meet jamie

Jamie attended the Elope Academy Alaska Retreat in 2023 as a Midwest-based photographer with a very specifc dream - to build a full season of bookings in the Pacifc Northwest without having to relocate.

In 2025 she signed onto 1:1 coaching to make it happen. And it did. Jamie is now consistently bringing in 5+ leads per week for the PNW and booking $10k+ elopements in one of the most competitive and coveted markets in the country - all from her home in the Midwest.

She didn't wait until the timing was perfect or until she lived closer. She just invested in the right support and did the work.

meet maddie

Maddie attended the 2025 Amalf Coast Retreat as a Pennsylvania-based photographer with a big dream - to travel internationally and photograph destination weddings. She didn't just dip her toe in. She jumped in, pairing the retreat with the Elope Academy Intensive program to build both the portfolio and the business strategy at the same time.

She has taken things even further by hosting and selling out her own retreats.

What started as a dream of getting on a plane with her camera turned into a full photography business and a new passion for bringing other photographers along for the ride.

meet christina

Christina attended the 2026 Alaska Retreat, 2024 Iceland Retreat, 2023 Dolomites Retreat  and several West Coast content days as a California-based photographer ready to get focused on her business. And that's exactly what she did. Using the content, the strategy, and the experience from her Elope Academy events, she honed in on her target audience right in her own backyard and built something real.

She's now bringing in multi-six Figures in her photography business, shooting the clients and the work she actually wants.

WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INSIDE OF THE aLASKA RETREAT:

five shoots: 3 couples: 1 ADVENTURE elopement, 1 LUXURY STYLED INTIMATE WEDDING, 2 casual adventure sessions & 1 OPTIONAL ADD-ON GLACIER HELICOPTER ELOPEMENT!

3-night stay at salted roots cabins in seward


experience elopement activities: photograph a seaplane elopement, ride in a helicopter, land on a glacier, and so many more iconic alaska things! 


welcome night: group dinner at the Flamingo Lounge


Headshots: your own branding photos during the whole retreat


intimate retreat experience


diversity & inclusivity


networking, community & private attendee group


the elope academy retreat course: everything you need to book alaska elopements


alaska elopement resources: everything you need to plan alaska elopements

extended financing available!
join for as low as $130/month

Request to finance your payment with Affirm! Subject to approval & APR.

1 payment of $4200

5 payments of $920

10 payments of $460

save $400!

Join us for the Glacier Helicopter Elopement! We will be departing from Palmer the afternoon of September 9th - after the retreat wraps up! This add-on includes your helicopter tour ticket & spot to join us at this elopement shoot! This add-on can be rolled into your monthly payments!

meet the photographers
 who have dreamed big
& made it happen!

DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: MONDAY, SEP 6

Arrival day! Check into Salted Roots at 4:00pm, get settled, and meet your roommates for the week. From there we're kicking off the retreat with our welcome party - a group dinner at Flamingo Lounge in Seward! After that wraps, we're head back to Salted Roots for campfre, s'mores & sauna hangs! Get some rest, we have a lot planned this week!

Today is our Salted Roots A-Frame Cabins Luxe Intimate Wedding day (and a casual couples session!). We're starting the morning with getting-ready & details inside the A-frame cabins, tucked into the Alaskan mossy fern woods. From there, we head across the street to a private stretch of black sand beach for the ceremony, complete with a full Floral installation and mountains towering behind. As evening rolls in, we're back at the cabins for a candlelit dinner tablescape set right in the woods, and we wrap the night with s'mores by the campfIre under the string lights.

This morning, we're shooting at our 1st location of the day near Seward. Then in the afternoon/evening, we're heading out for our Seaplane Adventure Elopement, photographing a couple with a seaplane on a remote alpine lake near Seward.

day 4: THURSDAY, SEP 9

Check out of Salted Roots by 10:00am. For those joining the Glacier Helicopter Elopement add-on, we're heading up North to Palmer that afternoon to helicopter out to Knik Glacier for one last iconic Alaska adventure before wrapping up the retreat.

Day 2: TUESDAY, SEP 7

Day 3: WEDNESDAY, SEP 8

if you've made it this far...

you already know.

This retreat was built for the photographer who's done waiting for the right time, the right bookings, or the right portfolio to fall into place on its own.

we'd love to have you.