If you’re considering a Topsmead elopement in Litchfield, Connecticut, here’s my first piece of advice: don’t come here for a 30-minute ceremony and leave.

Topsmead is one of my favorite places to elope in Connecticut because you get so much variety without having to hike for it. There are open fields, old stone walls, gardens, a pond, woodlands, beautiful architecture, and this magical little fern-filled forest that feels completely different from the rest of the property.

And the sunset light? Some of my favorite in Litchfield County.

Alexis + James chose Topsmead for something even more important, though. They wanted a wedding day that felt simple, meaningful, and centered around the family they had already built together.

Their children were there. Their moms and dad were there. George officiated their ceremony. There wasn’t a big production or a hundred people waiting for their attention.

It was about getting married and actually being present for it.

Which, to me, is the whole point.

Their July elopement also happened to fall on one of those classic Connecticut summer days when you walk outside and immediately question all of your life choices.

96 degrees. Humid. Hot as all get out.

So we adapted.

We found shade. I carried extra bandanas for my couple. My husband packed the cooler with ice and cool wash cloths. We carried plenty of water. We slowed everything down. We gave the kids and family breaks. We didn’t try to force the day into some imaginary version of wedding-day perfection.

And they still had a beautiful day.

That’s real life. And I’ll take a real wedding day over a perfectly staged one every single time.

Why I Love Topsmead for an Elopement

Topsmead has this beautiful balance between nature and architecture that can be hard to find in Connecticut.

You don’t have to choose between a gorgeous historic property and being outside. You get both.

There are stone walls, gardens, and that English-country-house feeling around the estate, but within minutes you can be walking through tall grass, wandering beneath the trees, standing beside the pond, or disappearing into a sea of ferns.

It’s also a location I love recommending to couples who want nature without needing a big hiking adventure.

You can bring your children or parents. Wear beautiful shoes. Pack a picnic. Bring cake and champagne or mocktails. Wander for portraits without turning your wedding day into a workout.

And then there’s sunset.

If the weather cooperates, I would absolutely save time at the end of your Topsmead elopement for the fields. Watching the light drop through that tall grass is one of the reasons I love photographing here.

If I Were Planning Your Topsmead Elopement…

I wouldn’t rush it.

I’d find you a beautiful place to stay somewhere in Litchfield County at a beautiful Airbnb and give you a slow morning.

Make coffee together. Have breakfast. Write your vows. Get ready separately if you want to and meet for a first look.

Then we’d head to Topsmead.

If family is important to you, invite them for the ceremony. Let your kids be kids. Let your parents cry. Take family photographs while everyone is already together.

And afterward?

Have a picnic.

Bring a blanket, a beautiful little cake, charcuterie, champagne—or whatever you actually love eating. Take your shoes off. Sit in the grass. Let the kids run around.

Once everyone heads out, the two of you could stay with me and explore.

We’d wander through the woodlands and ferns, take our time around the estate, and eventually make our way back toward those open fields for golden hour.

Then go somewhere wonderful in Litchfield County for dinner.

That’s my kind of Connecticut elopement.

Not complicated. Not rushed in one of my favorite places in western Connecticut.

Just a really beautiful day spent doing things you actually enjoy with the people you actually want there.

Yes, Your Children Can Be Part of Your Elopement

I don’t think inviting your children or closest family suddenly means you’re no longer eloping.

What matters to me is intention.

Alexis + James weren’t creating a smaller traditional wedding because they felt like they had to invite people. They intentionally chose the people they wanted standing beside them.

Their children weren’t an afterthought, either. They were part of the ceremony and part of the reason the day felt so personal. The brides sister watched their baby while the couple enjoyed first look and portraits around Topsmead before their ceremony giving them free time to be together as a couple.

There are so many ways to include children in an elopement without making it feel overly structured. Their daughter presented the rings, they can walk with you, share a reading, participate in family vows, help cut the cake, or simply stand beside you.

And sometimes the most meaningful thing is letting them just be themselves.

That’s one of the freedoms of an elopement. We don’t have to make everyone perform a role because that’s what weddings are “supposed” to look like.

Having George Officiate Their Topsmead Ceremony

One of my favorite parts of Alexis + James’ day was watching George marry them. George became an officiant over 6 years ago and we have been a dynamic couple team ever since. Our couples love having both of us be a part of their special wedding day.

When he’s available, having George officiate gives us the ability to make the ceremony feel incredibly personal while keeping the whole experience relaxed.

He doesn’t arrive with a generic ceremony he could read to anyone.

He gets to know our couples, learns their story, and creates something around who they actually are. For Alexis + James, that included acknowledging their children and the family they had already created together.

And then there’s the stuff you don’t necessarily see in the photographs.

On a 96-degree day, George wasn’t just the officiant. He was carrying things, passing out water, helping family, and doing whatever needed to happen. He even set up 2 chairs for the moms to sit and relax we had in our car. He’s very thoughtful.

That’s pretty representative of how we work together.

We’re there to photograph your wedding, yes.

But we’re also humans having this experience alongside you.

Remembering Their Elopement Through Photography, Film + Video

Alexis + James didn’t want to remember their Topsmead elopement through digital photographs alone.

They chose a combination of photography, film, and video because each one preserves the day a little differently. And I love that.

Digital photography lets me catch those fleeting expressions, family interactions, beautiful portraits, and tiny moments unfolding around you.

Film slows everything down. There’s grain, softness, unexpected light, and imperfection. It gives photographs that nostalgic feeling I love—the kind that already feels a little like a memory.

And video gives you something a still photograph simply can’t. Movement. Voices. Laughter. The way your partner sounds saying their vows. Your children’s voices. Your mom laughing in the background. The way someone’s dress moves through tall grass. Those tiny in-between moments you didn’t even realize were happening.

For a family-centered elopement like Alexis + James’, I think video becomes especially meaningful because kids grow up. Voices change. Families evolve.

Someday, being able to see and hear those people exactly as they were on your wedding day becomes pretty damn special.

That’s one of the reasons I’ve been leaning deeper into hybrid storytelling.

But I don’t think that means you need three or four people orbiting you with cameras all day.

I actually prefer the opposite.

Photography, film, and video can be documented quietly and intentionally without turning your elopement into a huge production.

Photos show you what the day looked like. Film and video can bring you back to how it felt.

Your Connecticut Elopement Photographer + Filmmaker

I’ve spent my life exploring Connecticut—hiking its forests, riding my bike down gravel roads, exploring land trusts and preserves, wandering old estates and backroads, chasing waterfalls, and finding the places that still feel a little wild. Topsmead is one of those places I keep coming back to because it gives you so much without asking you to turn your wedding day into a production.

I photograph and film intimate Connecticut elopements on digital, 35mm film, Super 8 + video, but what I really do starts long before the camera comes out. I help my couples find the right locations, build timelines with room to breathe, navigate permits and logistics, connect with vendors, and create a day that actually feels like them.

When George is available, he can officiate too—which means fewer people surrounding you and a husband-and-wife team who already knows how to move together quietly.

You don’t need to have your whole elopement figured out before you reach out. That’s part of what I’m here for.

When Is the Best Time for a Topsmead Elopement?

After photographing Alexis + James’ July elopement, I have an opinion on this one:

If I were planning my own Topsmead elopement, I’d choose late May or early June.

Connecticut summers can get HOT and humid, especially once you get into July and August.

Late spring is magic in Litchfield County.

The forests wake up. Ferns unfurl everywhere. Mountain laurel starts blooming. Everything turns that almost electric shade of fresh green, and the days are getting beautifully long without quite having the heavy midsummer heat. Not to mention gardens are blooming.

For Topsmead specifically, that means you can actually enjoy wandering around the property. Have your ceremony. Explore the fern forest. Picnic near the fields. Share cake. Take a break. Then come back out when the light starts getting low.

I also love fall in Litchfield County, but if you’re dreaming about lush greens, ferns, wild landscapes, and that romantic English-countryside feeling, May into June gets my vote.

What If It’s 96 Degrees…or Raining?

Then we adjust and pivot. I think social media has given people a strange idea that beautiful weddings happen because everything goes perfectly.They don’t.

Weather happens. Rain happens. Wind happens. Humidity absolutely happens in Connecticut. Kids need snacks. Someone forgets something. Hair moves. Plans shift.

My job isn’t to pretend those things won’t happen. It’s to know the area, build breathing room into your timeline, watch the weather, have backup ideas, and help you make good decisions when something changes. Plus, I always carry 2 umbrellas in my car for my couples.

Alexis + James didn’t need their day to be 72 degrees and partly cloudy for it to matter. They needed each other and the people they loved. Everything else we could work around.

They weathered the heat and humidity like troopers and didn’t complain one bit. They were too busy feeling excited about the future they were creating together and stayed in the present moment, one they had been dreaming about for a long time.

A Topsmead Elopement Can Be as Simple as This

Your wedding day doesn’t need twelve hours of activities to be meaningful.

It could simply be:

• A slow morning together.
• Getting ready somewhere beautiful in Litchfield County.
• A ceremony at Topsmead with your children and parents.
• Cake and champagne in the grass.
• A picnic.
• Time alone wandering through the woods.
• Private vows.
• Golden-hour portraits in the fields.
• An incredible dinner afterward.
• And photographs, film, and video that let you remember not only what all of it looked like, but what it sounded and felt like, too.

Or maybe you want something completely different.

That’s where I come in.

I help my couples design the whole experience—from finding the right Connecticut location and creating a timeline that actually breathes to documenting the day through digital photography, 35mm film, and video.

When George is available, he can also create and officiate your ceremony. That means fewer people surrounding you and a team that already knows how to move together without turning your wedding into a production.

Planning a Topsmead Elopement in 2027?

Alexis + James later wrote something in their Google review that George and I haven’t forgotten. They said they left that evening “blown away in awe, married, and knowing two new friends.”

That’s how I want this to feel. Not like we showed up, took some pretty pictures, and disappeared. I want you to have an experience you’ll remember.

So if you’re considering a Topsmead elopement in Litchfield, Connecticut, especially in May or June 2027, tell me what you actually want your day to feel like.

Bring your kids.

Bring your moms.

Bring the cake.

Or, just the two of you.

I’ll help you figure out the rest.

Ready to Start Planning?

• How to Plan an Airbnb Wedding or Elopement and Choose the Right rental
• 5 Reasons Why You Should Elope in Connecticut
• What Happens if it Rains on my Elopement Day?
• 10 Beautiful Places to Elope in Connecticut