Eureka Springs Vow Renewal

Hello and happy Friday, y’all! I hope you have had the best week and are able to wind down today in preparation for the weekend. I have been loving the warmer weather this week! As fun as that surprise snowstorm was a few weeks back, I am so ready for Spring! Warmer weather, warmer photoshoots, more time spent outdoors – it is just all around such an enjoyable time of year. 

Today’s blog post is all about a vow renewal that I photographed last Fall in one of my favorite places – Eureka Springs! This session for C and R was so special and so fun and so gorgeous! I am obsessed with how these photos came out, and I know you will be too! 

Before the Session

Eureka Springs is such a cool town that I write a blog post about it every time I visit lol. If you are thinking about eloping there, my blog post “Eccentric Arkansas Elopement – Downtown Eureka Springs” is a must read. And if you are just thinking about visiting, my blog post “Eureka Springs: Halloween Edition” is definitely a must read (and is about the weekend I shot the vow renewal featured in this post). And if you are not planning on visiting, you should still read those posts. They might change your mind and inspire you to visit.

When C reached out to me to photograph this vow renewal, I just knew that it was going to be special. I mean, Halloween in Eureka Springs? Say less. Aside from that, getting to know C and R’s love story was so fun and really made me fall in love with them as clients. For example, finding out that they met and got married on Dickson Street in Fayetteville?! I just knew they would be a party and we would be laughing the whole session. Spoiler alert, I was right. 

During the Session

This session, which was to celebrate their 15 year wedding anniversary, took place on October 31 and was complete with a gothic castle style hotel, a black dress, and the most *magical* afternoon sunlight.

First Look & Ceremony

C and R had booked a few nights’ stay at Eureka Springs Treehouses, which I had heard about a lot but never been to before. The hotel has several different themed lodgings, and one of my favorite things about it is that each room is its own building, more like a cabin. C and R had chosen one of the castle rooms, so they had a drawbridge, private back deck, and a jacuzzi at the top of a tower. Dreamy. 

C had kept R from seeing the dress she was wearing, so we were able to do a quick first look before their ceremony. The back deck was perfect for this, and it was so fun to include elements that are usually associated with wedding days into this vow renewal session. 

The hotel also has a venue for weddings, the Waterfall Chapel, which my couple had booked for their vow renewal ceremony. The chapel is absolutely stunning with so much natural light and a private waterfall courtyard. They provide an officiant (who was very used to performing vow renewals and gave a lovely service) and a photographer, and the couple is welcome to bring their own photographer as well. 

Portraits

After the ceremony, we got to just frolick around taking portraits, and I was so glad we had so much time to really get creative and have fun with it. 

Eureka Springs Treehouses

We couldn’t leave the hotel without taking some portraits first. I have to say that the photos I took of C in the tower-top jacuzzi are some of my favorite photos I have ever taken (I think this every time I bring out my flash!). But come on, C is perfection in these! 

Downtown

After leaving the hotel, we drove to downtown Eureka and hit up some of the spots I had scouted earlier in the day. One of the things I love about Eureka Springs is that there are endless vacant stairs to take pictures on. C and R definitely gave me Rapunzel vibes with these staircase photos.

Basin Spring Park 

The trail above Basin Spring Park is so beautiful and we definitely had to take advantage of the white bluffs. C’s dress was a paid actor in this shoot. 

Basin Park Hotel

Of course we had to stop in for a drink at Jack Rabbett’s Whiskey Bar in Basin Park Hotel. The aesthetic is so on point – I have gotten so many amazing photos there! It did not disappoint for C and R, and it was the perfect ending to their vow renewal photo session. 

After the Session

I could not stop reviewing the photos from this day on my camera the whole drive home (even though it definitely did not help with my car sickness!). I couldn’t wait to get home and start editing them. Can you blame me? I was so glad to be able to deliver such beautiful images to C and R and so grateful that they included me in their special day. 

Final Thoughts

Vow renewals are such a cool way to celebrate your wedding anniversary and express your continued love for each other. C and R went all out to make their 15th wedding anniversary special – from booking a hotel room in an eccentric mountain town to scheduling the ceremony in a wedding chapel to hiring a photographer to document the whole occasion. This is the level of celebration that an event like this deserves, and I would encourage anyone who is thinking about planning a vow renewal to do the same! Stay tuned for a blog post all about vow renewals coming soon!  

To see more from this beautiful day, click here!

*All my blog posts contain a selection of images that I’ve taken. If you are interested in booking a wedding or session with me, I am more than happy to send you a full gallery upon request!

I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a couples/intimate wedding/elopement photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and access to all of my new (and old) freebies! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!

*If you’d like to subscribe to my blog so that you won’t miss any future posts, enter your email and click the button below!