New England Elopement Photographer

Emotive storytelling
for the couples brave enough to be themselves.

The wedding industry and society wish to place you in a box. Not me; I'm here to help you shine. There's no one else like you, so your wedding photos should not look like everyone else. I am here to help you get married unconventionally in a way that showcases the uniqueness of you and your partner.

lets write the love story of your dreams.

are unsure of how to bring the vision of your unconventional wedding to life?

I've got you. I have done this before, and I am here to help. Ignore all the people in your life who suddenly have an opinion and join me off the beaten path to making your wedding feel and look like you. When you look back at your images, don’t settle for images that make you look like a carbon copy of everyone else. You are extraordinary, and your wedding album should be too.

LETS DO THIS!

vermont engagement adventure session poultney lake st. catherine, kissing making breakfast

vermont lake house surprise proposal poultney vermont lake st. catherine

having coffee vermont lake engagement session surprise proposal lake st catherine poultney vermont lake house

Why should you Elope in New England?

New England: where quaint charm meets picturesque landscapes of undiscovered beaches, rolling hills, windy mountain roads, and historic cobblestone-laden streets—oh and of course ‘dem Red Sox. Whether you want to explore the rugged coasts of Maine in Acadia National Park or meander along the windy roads amidst the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, or venture through the vibrant neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts—I got you. Or maybe you’d like to hang with the Vanderbilt’s at the Breakers on the tranquil shores of Rhode Island? Or take a hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire —or to witness the idyllic scenery of Connecticut, every corner is a postcard waiting to be captured. Oh, and it is all drivable. As a seasoned New England elopement photographer, I specialize in helping you build the New England elopement of your dreams.

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Still not convinced that you should elope in New England?

Intimate weddings are unique; they don’t follow the rules. They are filled with raw emotions and drama-free. Picture looking back at your wedding day years from now without regret because you spent your day in a way that is authentic to you and your partner. Let go of whatever society told you a wedding has to look like and do whatever the fuck you want. While unconventional intimate weddings and elopements are catching on here in New England, if you are considering this path, you are still among the minority attempting to free yourself from conventional wedding traditions and spend your money on the things that really matter—you and your partner, not your third cousin once removed. We are really at the forefront of challenging wedding traditions in a place where challenging them is pretty new still. I can help you build the day of your dreams so that when you look back on your wedding years from now, your photos actually look and feel like you. Let’s go on an adventure off the beaten path.

Elopements are authentic.

Elopements and intimate weddings are about you. They represent you as a couple. It is not about putting on a show for your guests. The day is about the unique love between you and your partner. Intimate weddings and elopements allow you to spend the day doing what you love most with the people you love most.

ELOPEMENTS ARE INTIMATE!

Imagine that you are surrounded by your tribe. All your ride or dies are together in one place sharing an intimate experience that—trust me, no one will ever forget. You are not obligated to spend hours walking around to each table, desperately attempting to say hi to each person and taking so many photos that your cheeks begin to hurt— your cheeks might still hurt, but only from genuine laughter!

Elopements are Presence.

This day is about presence, raw emotion, and surrounding yourself with the people closest to you. Your wedding day should be created based solely on how you want to feel. With a more simple and pared-down guest list, you can be fully present with all of the people that are important to you and your partner.

My Elopement Day Looked like this.

What about yours?

Do you know how I know eloping and unconventional weddings are where it’s at? Because I did it. I eloped with my partner in Italy. We woke up slow, enjoyed a cappuccino with mountain and water views. We hired a captain to bring us to a national park with stunning cliffs and swam in caves, we drifted along the Sardinian coast drinking cheap beer we bought at a convenient store. We got ready at our hotel and hiked up to a gorgeous mountain view with a natural arch. We changed into our wedding attire at the top, I wore a dress I found at a thrift store for $25—it was actually more expensive to get it altered. We said our vows with two witnesses, a mountain goat, and our photographer! We returned and had a four-course meal with local Sardinian wine and danced on a private terrace to Anthony Hamilton.

This was exactly the day my partner and I dreamed of and I planned it remotely from New England in my office chair — I want to help you create what a perfect day looks like for you. I want people’s wedding day to be an adventure of a lifetime and to let go of boring wedding traditions that we just regurgitate from start-to-finish without question. Think outside of the box and create something unique that has never been done before, whatever the perfect day looks like for you, why shouldn’t that be your wedding day?

As a New England Elopement Photographer…

LET'S DO THIS!

So what is it like to work with me anyway?

I would describe my style as directed documentary—emotions first, posing second. We can always recreate a pose, but an authentic emotion only happens once. I am a connector, I love humans, and I love—well, love! I work best when my couples allow us space to get to know each other. This creates a level of comfort and trust where I am not showing up on your wedding day as someone you never met before, but like your new best bud. I mean... we are just sharing one of the most important days of your life—no big deal. It is hard for me to tell your love story in a way that is unique and authentic to you if I don’t know you and your partner, so—let’s chat. The vibes have to be right!

Let's Chat

New England Based but…

I am an adventurer, dog lover, and self-proclaimed feisty Italian woman with a hippy-wanderlust spirit. As a hopeless romantic, if there is one thing to know about me, it is that moments of deep connection are my oxygen and I am made of the feels. I live for the unconventional. I will be so much more than your wedding photographer. I will be your guide, your biggest fan, and the curator of your love story— I will also be the one tearing up from behind my lens as I listen to your vows. I want to go beyond taking photos you will look back on into your elder years. I want to get to know the real you and have that story come to life through the images we create together. Call me crazy but if I photograph your wedding you now live forever in my memories. We are intimately connected and you have just made a new life-long friend. I am really selective about my clients and they have to fit the vibe, and let’s be real if you are here and you have made it this far down the page-you do.

Let’s go on an adventure, explore the uncharted. Yes it is nice to get that photo for the ‘gram but what is better is if when you go to look at your wedding photos years from now and you are transported back to the real adventure and experience you had. On your wedding day I want you to be present, truly enjoy the people closest to you, and I want us to push the limits of what anyone believes is possible for a wedding day. Wanderlust runs through my veins, I have made it my life’s mission to let every place I have ever been touch my heart and change the way I see the world. There is no adventure too wild or out there, the world is our oyster. Let’s go beyond a checkmark on a bucket list and let’s get lost on the unbeaten path.

Wedding planning does not need to be complicated. Why can’t your wedding day can simply be a really kick-ass day surrounded by the people we truly love, in a badass location with your partner and some really good food?

What past couples are saying

I cannot say enough good things about Danielle and her diligent, talented work at our wedding. As we had a small, intimate wedding, it was very important to me to capture the candid moments, especially the "getting ready" prior to the ceremony, and she absolutely blew me away. She came in, made herself "at home", was completely comfortable with my loud, chaotic family and made sure we were always comfortable as well. She was wonderful at directing us for poses, but also listened to our ideas and checked in periodically to make sure we were all feeling good. (She even cried during our vows) If you are planning a smaller, less traditional wedding, Danielle is a fantastic choice-she is sweet, funny, motivated, open to anything, and absolutely delightful. I can never thank her enough.
Caitlin & Charles
Chris & Chelsea

Danielle's expertise in her craft is truly exceptional.
Throughout our two times working with Danielle, she maintained a high level of professionalism and skill while creating a comfortable and friendly environment. This made the photo sessions feel like a casual meeting with a close friend rather than an appointment.
Danielle's talent for bringing out our natural expressions and personalities is honestly remarkable. You can see her vision throughout all of her edits. As a photographer myself - she really is impressive.
Danielle is a standout professional with a keen eye for detail. My wife and I wholeheartedly recommend her services and look forward to future sessions we will schedule with her. We are genuinely grateful to Danielle for making us feel like stars in front of her lens. 📸💫
Doug & Heather

Danielle did an amazing job with our elopement shoot. She made it feel like she wasn’t there in the most intimate moments and was fun to hang with throughout the day as we transitioned between locations or grabbed a bite to eat! Can’t recommend her enough to anyone looking to make their special day that much more special!
Yvonne & Jameson

Working with Danielle was an absolute BLAST!! My boyfriend and I booked a session with her because we have almost no pictures together from the past 2 years of dating. We were a little nervous going into it, and we drove away with the biggest smiles on our faces, chatting about what a great time we had. Danielle made every single pose feel so natural and comfortable. And the pictures… oh my gosh the pictures!! They came out so stunning. The photos portrayed the love and spice in our relationship perfectly. Her angels were on point, her lighting was graceful and mindful, and her edits on the final photos were perfectly natural. We filled out a questionnaire beforehand regarding our relationship and she did a great job of taking all of that information and capturing it. We highly recommend using Danielle at Moon Rising Photography for your sessions, she is extremely talented at her craft!
Candace & James

Working with Danielle was amazing! She shot engagement pictures for us and we couldn’t be happier with them. She was easy to work with, very professional and full of creative ideas. I would highly recommend her. This was our first time taking professional pictures so we had no idea what to expect. She made us feel relaxed and at ease while making the poses feel so natural. And the pictures came out amazing!
Lauren & Adam

As soon as I looked at Danielle's portfolio I could totally see why she was recommended. None of her photos looked or felt staged. I loved the way Danielle captures the authentic moments and brings out the raw emotion of the subjects. I am so grateful we booked Danielle! Danielle was so easy to work with! She was extremely communicative and clear with what she needed from us from the beginning. She gave us great direction during the photo shoot. Danielle was so thoughtful about making our day special, she even asked for our input on the process! She was very enthusiastic to take extra candid fun shots of us! I was very pleased when we got our photos back earlier than expected. Her photography brought back the memory and emotion of all the events that took place! Because of her every single moment of that day will be unforgettable! Thank you Danielle. Bottom line, if you're looking for someone to capture the real sentimental moments of your special day as it happened, I highly recommend Danielle.

New England Elopement PackageS

New England elopement

Overwhelmed by the idea of having a big wedding? Want to spend your hard earned finances on you and your partner instead of your second cousin’s new partner? Say no to a conventional wedding and elope. Let me help you create the perfect elopement and make it one for the books. You will have the freedom to create your day exactly as you and your partner envision it. I define elopement as anything with 20 or fewer people. I can help create a timeline, schedule activities, and guide you to the wedding day of your dreams! Whether it is a city elopement in Boston, or a hiking elopement in the White Mountains in NH, I got you. Looking for a destination elopement?

New England COUPLE SESSION

Are you engaged or do you just want a few photos with you and your partner? Looking for something different than just a few stale photos of you two smiling at the camera in a studio?

Let me take you on a date! I will be the third wheel and we will have an adventure that fits you as a couple. It could be as simple as grabbing a coffee and taking a stroll to climbing a mountain and cracking a beer at the top. Or we can be as adventurous as you’d like and take a hot air balloon or helicopter ride! The sky is the limit, literally!

new england adventure wedding and elopement photographer massachusetts

Intimate New England wedding

Don’t want to have a big wedding but still want to celebrate with family and friends? Want to have some kind of ceremony but don’t want to break the bank on all the extra costs? Consider a micro-wedding! Not sure if your wedding would be considered a ‘micro-wedding’? Send me a message and let’s chat, we will make it work!

PS- I still do regular sized weddings! I have photographed small weddings that feel like a 200 person wedding and photographed big weddings that feel small and intimate. While elopements are my jam don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Want more information? Hop on a Complimentary discovery call!

Blog

How to Elope in Acadia National Park

A big factor when trying to decide where to elope is thinking about what kind of landscape you want for your backdrop. When eloping in Acadia National Park you do not need to choose between the ocean or mountains, you get both here. It is one of the top most visited National Parks in the U.S. for a reason, but what are some of the more undiscovered spots?