Jennifer and Billy’s Amicalola Falls Elopement
Georgia Adventure Elopement | North Georgia Wedding
Appalachian Mountain Elopement // Georgia Elopement Photographer
If you have ever visited Dahlonega, Georgia, there is a very solid chance you visited Amicalola Falls State Park. Known for it’s MANY steps up to the top of the highest waterfall in Georgia and for being the starting point for many hiking the Appalachian Trail, this gorgeous park also makes for an amazing place to get married! Whether you want a small intimate wedding like Billy and Jen or something a little larger, Amicalola Falls State Park is an excellent choice for those who want to tie the knot in North Georgia surrounded by gorgeous scenery. And, not to be biased, but as a North Georgia wedding photographer, this is absolutely one of my all-time favorite spots for any occasion!
When Jen and I first started chatting about where her and Billy would exchange their vows and say “I do”, we tossed around quite a few ideas in the North Georgia area. Being local to Woodstock, GA, they didn’t want to travel super far since they were bringing the kiddos but they absolutely wanted some epic vistas. My mind immediately went to Amicalola Falls near Dahlonega, GA. It was a place that I knew like the back of my hand and had grown up spending multiple times per week hiking to the falls during the summer. It is a gorgeous park and really has a lot to offer for couples looking to get married here. So after deciding on Amicalola, this sweet couple also decided that a little staycation for the weekend would be fun and booked rooms at the Amicalola Falls Lodge for themselves and Jen’s parents who would be attending their elopement.
On the day of their elopement, Jen and Billy chose to get ready separately so that Jen could reveal her dress during their first look. Jen had her hair and make up done by the amazing Hannah Draeger who knocked it out of the park! After getting the girls glammed up, Jen and Billy went outside to their hotel balcony and wrote out their vows together; they may have been interrupted by two adorable kiddos, but getting to document this special moment with the normal chaos of having young kiddos around just added to the memories.
Once vows were written, Jen helped Billy with his super cool floral tie and then sent him on his way so she could finish getting the kiddos ready before putting on her dress. Jen’s mom was there to help her get into the gorgeous gown she picked for this special day. Everything about the day was shaping up to be beautiful and now it was time for the first look!
When it was finally time for the big reveal, I brought Billy over to the hotel’s patio space where there is a gorgeous view of the mountains and had him wait for Jen to arrive. When Jen tapped Billy on the shoulder and he turned around, it was clear he was blown away…who wouldn’t be?! Jen helped Billy with his boutonnière and after that, they were ready to start their ceremony.
The Amicalola Falls Lodge isn’t just a convenient place to stay for an elopement in the park—-it’s a gorgeous place to actually have a ceremony. The back lawn of the hotel was the perfect spot for this small intimate wedding, where we were treated to gorgeous views of the Appalachian Mountains as the sun started to make its way closer to the horizon. Jen’s dad officiated their ceremony and their kiddos played the role of ring bearers which was just adorable in every way. Jen and Billy sealed their marriage with a kiss and then it was official—-they were married!


























Before heading out for some portraits down by the park’s main attraction (spoiler: the waterfall), it was time for some celebratory champagne and cake! They toasted to each other, ate some cake, and we even got a tiny bit of sunshine for a few gorgeous veil photos before the moody winter clouds returned, signaling us to make our way to the waterfall.
There are a few ways to get to the water fall from the hotel but because the weather was starting to threaten rain, we decided to drive the car down to the pond which serves as one of the trailheads for the falls. We had the whole area to ourselves and had a great view of the falls in the distance while taking advantage of some creative reflections shots. I also made sure to get some great individual portraits of Jen and Billy, highlighting their gorgeous florals from Gather & Bloom and their wedding attire. Once we wrapped up at the pond, we got back in the car and headed to our final stop: the waterfall!
After arriving at the waterfall and taking it all in, Jen and Billy exchanged their personal vows. So many of my couples are choosing to do this now and it is a trend that I really love. It gives couples with guests the opportunity to have privacy for their personal vows while still allowing guests to be part of the big moment when they are officially married. These two spoke from the heart and after they were done, toasted with some Jagermeister shots (apparently that was their go-to when they first started dating, hence why it had to come into play for their elopement)! We took a few more photos with the epic waterfall as the supporting star before finally heading back to the lodge and saying our goodbyes. It was a gorgeous afternoon with this lovely couple and getting to work in one of my favorite places was the cherry on top. Congrats again Billy and Jen!
Vendors
Jen’s dress: David’s Bridal
Billy’s suit: Macy’s
Hair and make-up: Hannah Draeger for One10 Beauty
Florals: Gather & Bloom
Lodging and venue: Amicalola Falls Lodge
Jen’s veil: Amazon
Billy’s tie: Target
Vow books: RedBerry Guest Books
Cake: Publix Bakery
If you are looking for your Amicalola wedding photographer (or anywhere in North Georgia for that matter), click the link below and let’s start chatting!