Paige And Judd's Bohemian Hawaiian Forest Elopement

The simplicity of eloping had always been alluring to Paige and Judd for their wedding, but for Paige it was even more than that. She’d always dreamed of something small and intimate, something that truly celebrated her and Judd and the relationship they share. Hawaii, as it turns out, was the perfect location, as it had the lush forest Paige had always envisioned and the white sandy beaches that Judd loved. Surrounded by palm fronds and the gorgeous scenery that Oahu has to offer, these two teared up as they exchanged vows and committed to spending the rest of their lives together, and the photos captured by Chelsea Stratso Photography are incredibly touching. The heartfelt emotion and joy between Paige and Judd spills out of the photographs and proves why elopements will always have a special place in our hearts.

The Love Story

Paige and Judd were both on family vacations in Florida when their paths first crossed. Paige’s brother-in-law was actually friends with Judd and invited him and his family over one night. “It was love at first sight when I saw him from the top of the balcony,” Paige says. “The 1,000 miles between Louisiana and North Carolina did not stop us after that.”

A little more than a year later, Paige was graduating from nursing school, and she scheduled a photo shoot with a photographer to mark the occasion as well as get some pictures of her and Judd together. “The location was Jetton Park on Lake Norman,” Paige says. “I took him there during his first visit to North Carolina, and it has been his favorite spot so far.” After Paige took sme photos in her nursing uniform, Judd suggested they walk down to the lake to take pictures of just the two of them. “We made our way down to the water during sunset, and he took my hand, got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife in the exact spot we realized we would be spending the rest of our lives together during that first visit.”

The Location

After Paige and Judd were engaged and the wedding planning had begun, Paige remembered something she had told Judd very early on in their relationship. “I told Judd in the first month of dating that it was a dream of mine to get married in Hawaii, I think because of the simplicity,” she says. “I always had a vision of making sure our wedding was only about our love for each other.”

While Paige had always imagined getting married in the lush Hawaiian forest, Judd had his heart set on the beach. So they found the perfect location nestled within the Sherwood Forest on Waimanalo where trees surrounded them and the waves crashed along the beach in the distance. “Not only did I want Hawaii, but I also wanted a wedding in the forest with a bohemian twist with a flower crown, of course,” Paige says. “I got just that and more!”

The Ceremony

With the decision to elope, Paige embraced the freedom to choose a wedding dress that didn’t fall under the umbrella of traditional wedding attire. “Having a wedding in Hawaii is different, so I had to go with a different dress — a two-piece wedding dress,” the bride says. She also envisioned something different for her groom and found a style that was complementary to her dress as well as the gorgeous setting in Hawaii. “I pictured him in khakis and a white button up shirt,” Paige says. “I even rolled up his pant legs and cuffs for pictures just like I imagined.”

Surrounded by a ring of palm fronds sprinkled with little white flowers, Paige and Judd exchanged vows in an intimate and emotional ceremony with only their officiant and photographers. “Our favorite part were the vows,” Paige says. “It was a very romantic and intimate moment between us two that we will never forget. We both had tears rolling down our faces along with laughter and jokes throughout. He has a way with words that were making the photographer and videographer teary eyed.”