HOW WE PULLED IT OFF: A DREAMY ELOPEMENT ON AN ALASKAN GLACIER

How We Pulled It Off is a monthly column in which newlyweds spill the beans on planning their destination weddings, from agreeing on the right location to incorporating local traditions and designing a memorable weekend for their guests.

It’s a rare bride who wants to helicopter to her ceremony and exchange vows on an icy peak in remote Alaska. But when Hayley Haslett and Carlie Graves shared their plans over the holidays in 2021, their families weren’t entirely surprised. “They were like, ‘Oh, yeah, it sounds like the both of you,’” Carlie says. “They were more excited than anything—and obviously wanted lots of photos.”

The couple, who have previously lived in San Diego but are now based in Portland, OR, love spending time outdoors. Hitting up the country’s coolest landscapes and camping have been regular pastimes throughout their relationship. “It was very much our style, since we always go away for the weekend and explore national parks,” Haley says. “Going to a new outdoor spot seemed like a no-brainer.” For their July 2022 celebration in Alaska, they awoke before dawn, flew over the Knik River Valley, wed on a glacier, then headed up to Hatcher Pass to cut the cake. Here, they share how they plotted this incredible journey, and pass along advice for couples who might be interested in a similar celebration. 

Figure out if an “adventure elopement” is right for you

The couple knew from the start of planning that they wanted an adventure elopement, but what does that really mean? As opposed to running off to Vegas and hitching up at a chapel, or going to city hall, this type of elopement “in the most basic sense, is combining your wedding with adventurous activities or scenery,” Carlie explains. “I knew we wanted to be in a grand landscape.” In this age of appreciating visuals (and then posting them on social media), a striking backdrop of mountains, desert, or the sea is key, and couples often hike or take another intrepid mode of transportation to get to their remote site. 

This untraditional wedding might be right if, like this couple, the great outdoors are an essential part of your relationship, or if cool photos are important to you, or if the idea of a stuffy ballroom and the cha-cha slide makes you claustrophobic. The intimacy also appealed to Hayley and Carlie. “It was important to us that all our energy, time, focus, and love for the day was on each other—to really soak in that moment,” Carlie says. 

Find an expert in this category and let them steer

A search through Google or Instagram for the term “adventure elopement photographer” should turn up folks in your area, or the area in which you’re interested in marrying. Because this type of celebration usually won’t need a caterer or live band; the photographer or planner (and most often, a combo of the two skillsets) is usually the most important hire. “I had been following the Foxes’ work for some time. We were so drawn to their images; they're so color-rich and cinematic, and they're really good at storytelling,” Carlie says of the photographers they chose, the husband-and-wife team of Brandon and Gabi Fox, who have shot hundreds of elopements all around the world. 

Hayley and Carlie also let their photographers steer the location itself—starting from the state. They knew they were interested in mountains, for the feeling of grandeur, but had considered Washington’s Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier, or North Cascades before their intro chat with the Foxes. “They let us know that they were going to be in Alaska for their very first time that July. We were looking for summer, so we got off the call, looked at exactly one photo of Alaska, and were just like, ‘Let's do it.’ That’s it!” Carlie recalls. “They had never been to Alaska. We had never been. So it was definitely a collaboration in planning.”

Give a buffer of a few days

The plan was to select the final ceremony spot the day of, and unlike most other destination-wedding couples, the couple never visited the site—or even the area—beforehand. So the couple opted to get into Palmer, Alaska, about 45 miles north of Anchorage, two days before their planned date to settle in and run errands like picking up their bouquets and cake. Even that felt rushed, Hayley remembers. “I still felt like we could have used another day,” she says. “If time was unlimited!” Carlie chimes in. 

Embrace the contrast…

Instead of, say, hiking gear or even pants, Hayley and Carlie chose to wear classic white wedding gowns with A-line skirts and lacy bodices, as well as long veils, for their big day. “We really wanted to have that contrast of the big dresses and flowy skirts against the landscape,” Carlie says. “We did opt to see each other's dresses beforehand, because we wanted to make sure that they would be complementary.” Underneath those fluttery hemlines were hiking boots and thick socks, though, and they packed crampons for the icier areas and took “jacket breaks” to warm up between photo sessions.

…and the hilarity

The elements did wreak a bit of havoc on their looks, but it was all part of the experience. “We did not think about the dress netting, because almost the second we went outside, there were flies and beetles and every sort of bug building a little home [in our skirts],” Carlie laughs. “Our hair, too—our curls were really tight initially, but once we were out in that wind, it was all gone. Fake eyelashes, I was worried they were going to get flung into the abyss.” Hey, the natural look is great, too!

Though Brandon Fox is licensed to officiate, the couple’s helicopter pilot from Outbound Heli Adventures was, too, and offered to lead the ceremony. “I guess he actually he loves to do it!” Hayley says. “It was really nice that he wanted to do that, so Gabi and Brandon could focus fully on capturing the wedding.” Other only-on-an-adventure-elopement delights included the herd of moose they spotted from the sky while crossing the Knik River and again later in the day. “We have been to Wyoming and Montana and had always wanted to see an actual moose, and then we saw plenty in Alaska,” Hayley says. 

Go with the flow

Again, the wedding location was left up to the Foxes, the pilot, the weather, and the behavior of the glaciers that day—a situation that most couples likely wouldn’t sign up for on their wedding day. “We had a sense of what we wanted for the ceremony spot and the Foxes spoke to our pilot about that,” Carlie says. As they flew, their soon-to-be officiant pointed out pretty (and safe) locations to land, and knew immediately when they’d found the one. 

“It had a hanging glacier—[part of] Cataract Glacier—that was actually calving as we were landing, where the ice is breaking off and there was this thunderous sound,” Hayley recalls of their spot, which also overlooked Lake George. Very cinematic, and not for the faint of heart, but for this couple it was perfect. “It was a no-brainer of a ceremony spot,” says Hayley. “Couldn't have been better.”

Hit up more than one location

Aside from their ceremony near a glacier, the couple also took photos getting ready at their Airbnb cabin, in a field of wildflowers and evergreens, and then finally, directly on a glacier. “I could have spent hours more there! It was really cool to see the melts—blue just cascading almost like miniature waterfalls and rapids everywhere,” says Hayley. Meanwhile, their photographers were excited by the shots they were capturing and the thrill of a new place. “We were trying different things, and they were so, so psyched,” she says. The couple even did a “hot takeoff,” where the pilot started the helicopter and the couple and their photo team flung themselves in as the propellers spun overhead. 

After taking a break to sign their paperwork and eat, the couple headed back out with the Foxes to drive up to Hatcher Pass and hang out at the base of the April Bowl trail, cutting their cake and having their first dance during Alaska’s lingering summer twilight while the photographers grabbed more images. “That was a really fun part of the day, too. It almost felt like a bonus, a party bonus,” Hayley says. “Like another wedding altogether, really,” Carlie agrees. 

Continue the adventure

As they’d stayed awake nearly 24 hours on their wedding day, the newlyweds took the next day to relax and recuperate before setting off to spend nine days exploring the Kenai Peninsula. Looking back on their extraordinary celebration, the pair is grateful for their forever connection to this destination. “It was a place we had never been that really, for us now, represents our wedding and our wedding day,” Hayley says. Says Carlie, “We'll always have this special place, for just us two.”