HAWAII LGBTQ WEDDING & ELOPEMENT photographeRS

turning your “love IS LOVE” story into

ENCHANTING

visual masterpiece that echoes through time

HAWAII LGBTQ WEDDING & ELOPEMENT photographeRS

turning your “love IS LOVE” story into

ENCHANTING

visual masterpiece that echoes through time

Proudly Featured in:

HELLO,

WE’RE HENRY & SERGIO AND WE’RE COMMITTED TO YOUR gay AF wedding & ELOPEMENT EXPERIENCE IN HAWAII

Henry Tieu & Sergio - Washington Elopement Photographers
Henry Tieu Photography kissed by clients at wedding in Oregon

We’re one of the original wedding & elopement photographers before elopements became popular. Since 2018, we’ve helped over 200 couples elope all over the islands of Hawaii and across the world.

Although our main duty is capturing you and your love in the most breath-taking landscapes, we are more than just photographers. We help couples craft an intentional experience that allows honest emotions to reveal themselves because everyone deserve to truly and fully immerse themselves into the day that commemorates the beginning of something new, magical, and worth every second living for.

Just like where you are today, I (Henry) also went through wedding planning and constantly had to ask myself “Is this photographer gay friendly? Are they going to just tolerate my love or are they actually going to celebrate it?”

Sergio from Henry Tieu Photography photographing wedding couple at sunset at Ruby Beach

World’s Best Wedding Photography 2019 – 2022 | Judge of World’s Best Wedding Photos 2023 Rangefinder Magazine’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography | Looks Like Film’s Artist Of The Year | World’s Best Wedding Photography 2019 – 2022 | Judge of World’s Best Wedding Photos 2023 Rangefinder Magazine’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography | Looks Like Film’s Artist Of The Year |

LOVE IS LOVE AND SO MUCH MORE

WE’RE MORE THAN JUST YOUR hawaii QUEER WEDDING & ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHERS

RE

We photograph love the way love naturally occurs: organically and tenderly. On your elopement day, you should be able to forget the world and just be with the one(s) who matters the most

same sex brides eloping on a beach in oregon
two grooms eloping and took photos in the water at a waterfall

hawaii’S MOST BEAUTIFUL ELOPEMENT LOCATIONS & PLANNING RESOURCES

Elopement Guest Etiquette 101

Attending an elopement as a guest is a special honor. Read this guide to learn elopement guest do’s and don’ts and learn our top elopement guest etiquette tips.
bride and groom eloped in the lush green Kauai

How to Elope in Hawaii [Updated for 2024]

A comprehensive list of beautiful locations and complete guide on how to elope in Hawaii. Follow these easy 7 tips to plan for your adventure elopement and intimate wedding in Hawaii including Kauai, Maui, and Oahu today. From how to get married to where to stay, this blog post is your ultimate resource for everything elopement planning. Hawaii Adventure Wedding & Elopement Photographer

How to Plan Your National Park Elopement and Wedding

National park elopements are a great way to combine your love for the outdoors with an intentional wedding experience. quickly become a popular choice for couples looking to elope in nature. Visit the blog to learn how to plan your national park elopement and see the top places to elope in a national park.

Bursting Elopement Myths: 6 Misconceptions about Modern Elopements

Want to know the truth about elopements? There are so many ideas about what an elopement is or isn’t or what they should or shouldn’t be. The meaning of the word has changed over the years and the modern day elopement looks very different from the original meaning of the word. Read this blog post to discover some elopement myths and learn more about what today’s elopements actually look like. | Adventure Elopement Photographer | Elopement Myths | Elopement Wedding

lgbtq Wedding & Elopement Stories from HAWAII & beyond

Bride and groom stand on a mountain trail in the North Cascades during their backpacking elopement sunrise photos

Backpacking Elopement in the North Cascades

Amanda and Andrew’s backpacking elopement was filled with intentional moments recreated from some of their favorite activities. Visit the blog to see more from their intimate wedding in the North Cascades.

North Cascades National Park Wedding

Jack and Rudy gathered a few of their closest loved ones to celebrate their North Cascades National Park wedding in the mountains. Visit the blog to see more from this magical day!

Fall, Lake Crescent Elopement

Melanie and Chelsie’s Lake Crescent elopement day was filled with fun, laughter, and love. From an emotional first look to ending the day with private vows at blue hour, this Olympic National Park elopement was everything the brides had dreamed of and more!

KIND WORDS

One the night before the elopement, we had to change the location and he really calmed us down. He made sure the place we changed to, was actually the better spot (and he was so right!!).

Henry took our love story and what we imagined our elopement day would look like and created a truly amazing experience. For the months leading up he always would reach out and make sure there was anything he could do to help! He truly looks at the full experience behind the photo and not just what the photos look like. He did so much research on Costa Rica and the beautiful towns to make sure we chose exactly what we want. He is extremely thoughtful of the couple he is working with the entire time. The day of the elopement, was insanely busy but was so perfect. He literally help keep us on time with everything (we literally are running late to everything) and he had such a calm happy energy while we were nervous and excited. And the photos we have already gotten?!?! AMAZING

cass & anna | eloped in the tropical costa rica

two brides eloped in front of a waterfall

GET STARTED

5 TIPS FOR YOUR GAY AF WEDDING & ELOPEMENT EXPERIENCE IN hawaii

1) Anyone can elope but elopement is not for everyone. You don’t want to regret your wedding day. Read these 6 things to consider before eloping

2) Plan early in order to guarantee a wedding permit (applicable for most locations in Hawaii; As there are different jurisdictions when it comes to locations, you might need more than one permit depending on the locations of your ceremony and portraits)

KIND WORDS

When you’re part of the queer community, you understand the deep need to feel safe and feel seen — and working with someone like Henry did just that.

We were lucky enough to get to work with him, to have his guidance, easy & smooth communication, and his friendship on our side through the planning process. He made it all SO easy. He stuck with us through postponements, venue changes, and overall location and idea changes. And when we met on our wedding day for the first time in real life, it felt like we were catching up with a close friend. He instantly made us feel comfortable. We hired him for two days, our actual wedding day, and then more last minute added on an adventure shoot post-wedding day, and that was the BEST decision. When we met the second day (literally less than 24 hours since our wedding the night prior) he delivered a TON of wedding sneak peaks for us to go through, and they brought us to tears. He captured my wife’s joy, our families tears, and our friends laughter. He captured our love, the way we looked at one another, and the depth of our care for each other. In just under 100 photos of sneak peaks, he showed us our love through his lens and our loved ones eyes and it truly all made sense.

jess & kelly | intimate wedding at crook point, oregon

Bridal portraits with wedding flowers and neon sign

MORE THAN JUST PACKAGES, IT’S A PARTNERSHIP

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN EVERY ELOPEMENT & WEDDING PACKAGE

Your Elopement Day Is Your Wedding Day

And You Deserve An Experience That is Honest, Meaningful, and Memorable

more answers to your

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We operate fully on transparency and empowerment. We believe that YOUR elopement day is YOUR wedding day and this day will forever be a part of you and your legacy. It signifies the beginning of your next chapter and hold significant meanings to every aspect of your life.

Therefore, you deserve a photographer whom you can truly connect with as they are the one who’s in charge of fleeting moments and memories of your day

We hope we can be your Hawaii Wedding & Elopement Photographers but We STRONGLY believe that you should look around for options, view each photographer’s portfolio, read their reviews, and talk with them in order to really have a clear picture of how they work and how they can help you. Each photographer’s approach to wedding photography is like their DNA, it’s an extension of who they are

For us, we focus on an INTENTIONAL EXPERIENCE & ARTFUL PHOTOGRAPHS. In order to do so, we do more than just photography. We’ll be there with with you every step of the way to help you though this journey

We also believe in the power of your story, what makes you unique, and what you value rather than how you look or how your photos should look because of trends.

To learn more about what it’s like to work with us, view our Elopement Experience.

Yes, 1000%. We don’t want you to invest your money in those who don’t support and celebrate you. You deserve a team of vendors who are not only LGBTQ friendly, but also are the best at what they do. Being your photographers is our number one goal but we will also be there to help you every step along the way. During the planning process, we’ll find amazing vendors to share with you. Whether they are local to the island you’re getting married on or on a neighbor island, we’ll make sure to provide you with a list of recommendation

Elopement isn’t just about running away or keeping it all a secret. It should be an experience where you can enjoy the whole day with whomever you would like to be there. Therefore, for us, we consider elopements and intimate weddings the same.

Some of us get to have our blood family as our support system. Some of us have our chosen family. Whether it’s blood related or not, being gay myself, I know the important of community. So if these amazing humans are important to you and your love, they should be there on your wedding day.

Although we don’t limit the amount of guests you should have, some National Parks, State Parks, BLM Lands place limits on the guest size to protect trails and native plants.

We’ve noticed that a guest list of about 30 or so can still ensure a low-stress experience. If you are interested in having more than 30 guests, we can always chat to figure out a location and a plan to give you the best experience and photos.

Being queer myself, I know that each relationship looks different and therefore, you should not be posed for photos the way heteronormative couples do.

The most meaningful photos come from the heart. Come to us as you are, share with us what you enjoy, like, dislike. Tell us so we can photograph you and everything that is important to you. Tell us so we can capture moments that are priceless and true to your heart.

What we are proud of the most are the 200+ reviews we’ve received from our couples where they share that they get to see their authentic self in the photographs we captured. In order to get there, we spend great amount of time with each couple we get to work with. From multiple phone calls to questionnaires, our goal is to foster a safe space where you can express yourself so you can be exactly who you are and see that honest image in your wedding album.

Most of our elopements average between 6-10 hours but how many hours you need will depend on how many locations you want to experience, how many guests you would like to have, and what activities you would like to experience for your elopement day.

A half-day elopement is around 6 – 8 hrs. Couples interested in both sunrise and sunset or multiple locations book a full day (10+ hrs.) Couples who want both a wedding experience where they spend the whole day with guests and also an elopement experience where they can spend private time together on a separate day book us for 2 days.

See our elopement packages for additional information and if you have any additional questions or are ready to book, send us a message and let’s get started!

  1. Once you’ve decided that eloping is for you, reach out to us on our contact page.
  2. We’ll get on a call to get to know each other and for us to share with you more knowledge, details, tips and resources.
  3. Once we figure out the best date for the best weather at your dream location, we’ll prepare a contract in order to reserve that date right away.
  4. After that, we go into planning mode together to make sure this experience is personalized and customized to your vision and your needs.

Trust us, it is as easy as it sounds 🙂

testimonials

GAYEST WORDS from Our Happy Couples

lauren & hayley

ELOPED IN ISLE OF SKYE, SCOTLAND

We knew from looking at Henry’s photographs that there was something special about him and on the day of our elopement we realized just how special he is.

Henry is one of the most amazing people that we have ever met and we cannot recommend him enough. He is extremely genuine, gentle, and caring and he makes you feel like more of a friend than a client. Beyond these characteristics, he is extremely talented – his eye for detail is nearly unmatched. Anyone would be lucky to have him photograph their elopement/wedding day.

It is clear that Henry is an expert in his field. This shows on the day of the elopement, but also in the months and days leading up to it as well
as those that follow. Before the elopement, Henry gave us a checklist that was extremely helpful for planning. He recommended vendors to us. He provided us with a comprehensive document and helped us to pick a list of locations. He was available anytime that we had a question and was always very patient. After our elopement day, he provided us with sneak peeks almost immediately. These pictures nearly blew us away.

Henry has a special ability to see beyond the picture and right into the essence of the people that he photographs. His care and talent is unmatched. If you are looking for a photographer, no need to look any further – Henry is the best!

two brides running on the beach in oregon

britt & allie

ELOPED IN OREGON COAST

Wow enough can not be said about Henry and how he made our elopement day feel so fun and exciting. As nervous as you can get on your big day he made us feel so comfortable. He was able to capture ever moment we could have only dreamed about. We were so honored to have been able to book with him and we can’t wait for another shoot together in the future one day!! With out a doubt he is an amazing artist.

cote & david

ELOPED IN WASHINGTON MOUNTAIN

We had the BEST experience with Henry! From the beginning we could tell that Henry truly invests in each couple he works with. Knowing more about our story and who we are was very important to him. That made us much more comfortable being ourselves around him and in front of the camera.

There’s nothing more unnatural than an uncomfortable pose doing something for a picture that, as a couple, you’d never normally do. Henry didn’t put us in that position. He was able to capture the most incredible pictures of our natural exchanges as a couple and while truly being ourselves.

After our initial call, it was clear that he does his research and really knows his craft. He was willing to listen and consider whatever we were threw at him. He guided us through our choices without influencing decisions. He provided great support and information from start to finish.

We were put in a position to have to move our elopement from the east side of Washington to the west just two weeks before the wedding. Henry was beyond helpful, flexible and supportive throughout the entire process. His energy is infectious. His professionalism is top notch.

When you are spending a good chunk of your wedding day away from family and friends and with your photographer, you can’t do better than Henry. We’d book him again in a heartbeat and have nothing but great things to say about our experience with him.