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Henry Tieu Photography

Planning Resources

The Ultimate Big Sur Elopement Guide [Updated for 2025]
Planning Resources

The Ultimate Big Sur Elopement Guide [Updated for 2025]

Bykiersten October 21, 2023December 29, 2024

Planning a Big Sur elopement? Follow these 7 simple steps and learn everything you need to know about how to elope in Big Sur!

Read More The Ultimate Big Sur Elopement Guide [Updated for 2025]Continue

Stunning sunrise wedding in the mountain of Washington state
Planning Resources

How to Elope in Washington [Updated for 2025]

ByHenry Tieu October 20, 2023May 14, 2025

Planning a Washington elopement? Learn everything you need to know about how to elope in Washington including planning steps, legal requirements, tips, and advice for your elopement in the Evergreen State.

Read More How to Elope in Washington [Updated for 2025]Continue

bride and groom eloped in the lush green Kauai
Planning Resources

How to Elope in Hawaii [Updated for 2025]

ByHenry Tieu October 19, 2023March 21, 2025

Planning a Hawaii elopement? Learn everything you need to know about how to elope in Hawaii including planning steps, legal requirements, tips, and advice for your elopement on these tropical islands.

Read More How to Elope in Hawaii [Updated for 2025]Continue

Moody foggy beach elopement in La Push
Planning Resources

The Ultimate Olympic National Park Elopement Guide [Updated for 2025]

ByHenry Tieu October 18, 2023March 28, 2025

Planning an Olympic National Park elopement? Follow these 7 simple steps and learn everything you need to know about how to elope in Olympic National Park!

Read More The Ultimate Olympic National Park Elopement Guide [Updated for 2025]Continue

Couple portraits at fall wedding at Mount Rainier
Planning Resources

The Ultimate Mount Rainier National Park Elopement Guide [Updated for 2025]

ByHenry Tieu October 17, 2023May 14, 2025

Planning a Mount Rainier National Park elopement? Follow these 7 simple steps and learn everything you need to know about how to elope at Mt Rainier National Park!

Read More The Ultimate Mount Rainier National Park Elopement Guide [Updated for 2025]Continue

How to Plan Your National Park Elopement and Wedding
Planning Resources

How to Plan Your National Park Elopement and Wedding

Bykiersten February 27, 2023May 30, 2024

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.

Read More How to Plan Your National Park Elopement and WeddingContinue

Tolmie Peak elopement at Mt Rainier National Park
Planning Resources

More Than Award-Winning Photos: We Create Art that Means Something to Our Clients

Bykiersten December 23, 2022April 16, 2025

On the blog, I’m sharing a few of my own award-winning photos and the BTS process of how each one was created and why it was so meaningful, not just to me, but also to my clients.

Read More More Than Award-Winning Photos: We Create Art that Means Something to Our ClientsContinue

couple eloped at Yosemite kissed Henry Tieu, their elopement photographer
Planning Resources

How to Find the Best Elopement Photographer for Your Experience

Bykiersten September 9, 2022April 16, 2025

When it comes to finding the best elopement photographer, it’s not always an easy decision. Check out this blog for our top tips on choosing the right photographer for your elopement.

Read More How to Find the Best Elopement Photographer for Your ExperienceContinue

Water reflection of couple eloping in North Cascades in Washington
Planning Resources

Should We Elope? Elopement Tips and Stories from Real Couples

Bykiersten May 20, 2022April 16, 2025

Wondering whether or not you should elope? This blog covers some of the reasons why you might want to consider planning an elopement as well as stories from real weddings.

Read More Should We Elope? Elopement Tips and Stories from Real CouplesContinue

Washington Mountain Elopements
Planning Resources

Washington Mountain Elopements

Bykiersten October 25, 2021May 21, 2024

Washington is filled with some of the most gorgeous mountains in the country. Read to see a list of our favorite mountain locations in Washington state.

Read More Washington Mountain ElopementsContinue

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About Henry Tieu Photography: We are a Seattle-based team of destination elopement & intimate wedding photographers who specialize in honest storytelling, candid moments, and soulful portraits in breathtaking landscapes whether that's the mountains of Washington State or the wild beauty of faraway places across the world. Published in The New York Times, named Best Wedding Photography (2019 - 2025) and a Rangefinder Magazine Rising Star, we're honored to capture the kind of love that's deeply felt, artfully preservedm and intentionally celebrated. As an Asian and LGBTQ-owned business, we believe your love deserves to be seen, respected, and remembered exactly as it is. Inclusivity, trust, and connection guide everything we do.

LGBTQ-friendly

BIPOC Inclusive

All skin colors & body sizes are welcomed

Let's tell your story. Together. All of it.

CONTACT US

Elopement Planning Resources

best places to elope in the world

washington state elopement guide

oregon elopement guide

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@henrysdiary

Trigger warning: Child loss / Cancer Earlier las Trigger warning: Child loss / Cancer 

Earlier last year, I photographed a child whose photo was later used for his funeral. 

For his privacy, I won’t include his image here.

He was diagnosed with cancer. I heard his story from his dad. He was in and out of the hospital. The pain of cancer awoke him at night, and his cries often broke the silence of those sleepless nights

It was more than a photoshoot. We scheduled a day for his family to be together, where he could run freely with his sisters, where his diagnosis didn’t have to be a part of his identity.

I still remember the weight of that moment, how a simple click of the shutter transformed into the last tangible memory his family would hold on to.

It reminded me that photography is never just about pretty pictures

It’s about the people in them. 
It’s about their lives,
Their love,
Their legacy,
And the fragile truth that tomorrow is never promised.

Every time I pick up my camera, I carry this with me: these moments matter!

Your love, your laughter, your presence…
One day, they will be someone’s treasure

And that is what photography is all about

Today is world photography day 
It’s a day to recognize the impact of photography on our lives, whether you’re behind or in front of the lens

On the other side of this,
…when time moves fast,
…when life slows down,
…when memories fade,
All we have left is photographs as evidence of our intentional existence, our intentional love, our intentional life story.

Go and take photos of anything and everything…but most important, of the ones you love most.
You planned and dreamed of your wedding for days, You planned and dreamed of your wedding for days, months, maybe even years…and then it rain. Now what?

I got the spend two days with E &  R in the Dolomites.

We had been dreaming of this for so long. 
We flews thousands of miles to stand on top of these mountains.

Just days before, the Dolomites were hit with heavy rain. Mudslides covered roads. Plans had to change. We pivoted.

Day one gifted us with a bit of sun, enough for them to row across still waters, holding flowers and each other. 

By that afternoon, the wind picked up, and we hiked all the way to the top of Seceda where found ourselves completely alone among the peaks 

Day two was a dance of flexibility.
Plan A, then Plan B, and finally Plan C
But no matter which plan we chose, one thing stayed the same: their commitment to each other and their choice to get married, no matter what.

Because the weather didn’t just happen to them. It became part of their story
And sometimes, just like weather, no one can really plan for everything in this life or in marriage. 
But how we carry on, together, is how we make every moment matter

I didn’t just see how E & R carry on together, I saw how they love one another, through actions, through small glances, through the way they held each other closer when the wind grew colder, and through every choice they made to turn uncertainty into something beautiful .

Thank you E and R for such an amazing time and congratulations to you both again

Ventor team:

Florals @daisystudio.it
HMUA: @viki_hairandmakeup
DRESS:@aandbe_bridalshop
SUIT: @jackvictorofficial
I was awake for 24 hours on N and B’s elopement I was awake for 24 hours on N and B’s elopement day 

scratch that…
We were all awake for 24 hours.

N and B couldn’t sleep because of all the nervousness, the excitement, and all the emotions that a wedding can bring 

And I couldn’t because I didn’t want to miss my alarm for that 1:00am wake up time

We ran on adrenaline, on the kind of heartwarming conversations that only happen when you’re fully immersed in a special experience, and on one particular song N & B introduced me to - “Espresso Macchiato”. 

It’s a bop. Trust me. You can’t NOT dance to it.

Which is also exactly what we did through the whole sunset, as the sun slipped behind the mountains, as the sky changed colors just for us…We danced on the mountains truly like no one was watching. 

And maybe I’m biased, but I love these long elopement days

They feel like reading a book you never want to end

Each paragraph, each page, each chapter reveals something new about the two main characters, and you learn a thing or two about what it means to be human,
to love,
to be loved,
to care,
to protect,
to hold,
to soften,
to stay,
to fight for,
to laugh with,
to cry beside,
to grow old with.

And with that, my goal was more than just capturing photos in the beautiful landscapes, it was to write a visual poetry of N and B’s love, one where whether it’s a year or a decade from now, they can look back and remember exactly how they felt on this one magical day in the Dolomites.
And those feelings?
They’ll be the fuel that helps them weather any storms life might throw their way.

That’s the real intent and power of your wedding photos.
They’re not for anyone else
They’re for you.

What an honor it was to be their photographer!
What an honor it was to be the one who got to embed that special power into each photograph.

Thank you N & B for placing all your trust in me. 
Congratulations again 

Captured on digital and film 🎞️ 
edited with @hdpresets

Florals, Cake, Catering: @forestis.dolomites 
HMUA: @claudiabellomo_makeup
Dress: @KRBridal
Suit: @indochino
It was 99 degrees in Greece A heat wave followed It was 99 degrees in Greece 
A heat wave followed by a windstorm
….the kind that grounded planes and ferries, keeping K and M’s guests from reaching Milos, their wedding island.
…the kind that flew into our clothes & hair, clinging to us like a warm welcome
….the kind that forced us to shift timelines & locations, to face a version of the day that didn’t look like the one we had dreamed of. It made us anxious. It tested us. Yet somehow, it made us more human.

Because when some guests got stranded, they didn’t give up. They rerouted, rebooked, reimagined what was possible.

Because when K & M dreamed up this 2-day wedding experience in Greece, they wanted their guests to see what they’ve seen and feel what they’ve felt adventuring the world together. 

Yes, it stung when Mother Nature threw us a curveball.
But they still found ways for everyone to savor this moment, to swim in it, to dance in it, to remember it forever

The day before the wedding, we danced to Mama Mia soundtracks on a catamaran and leapt into the Aegean Sea

The morning of the wedding, more guests arrived, safe and smilingg.

And by that night, as the saxophonist played under the stars, we danced until midnight, wrapped in moonlight and music.

There were tears during the ceremony. Even more during the first dances.
Some were mine, most were from the people they love most. 

And then, for the grand finale, K & M and their guests jumped into the pool, fully clothed and fully alive.

Destination weddings aren’t never just about the couple. 
K & M planned every detail with their loved ones in mind.
And those loved ones flew half way across the world to be there for them.

Greece was stunning but you know what’s even more beautiful?
The way everyone showed up!
With messy hair & open hearts 
With sand on their skin & joy in their eyes 
With the kind of laughter that only comes from knowing you’re a part of something rare and real 

What an honor to be a photographer who got invited to their space to capture all the quiet moments and loud ones 

That’s the thing about destination weddings. They test you. And in the end, they remind you what matters most: Not the plan. Not the place. But the people
They woke up before the sun.
Just the two of the They woke up before the sun.
Just the two of them.
Wrapped in stillness,
Holding hands beneath a sky that was still dreaming
Sharing vows as the morning light spilled across the Dolomites where alpenglow was dancing on windswept ridges

Just the two of them.
Saying words from their hearts that only they could hear.
No audience. No applause. Just the mountains holding witness

They preserved something just for them
a moment that even my camera could not fully capture.
A vow spoken once…but heard forever
between the two hearts that mattered most.

And then... they hiked down to meet their people.
The ones who raised them, grew with them, held space for them.
Both their biological family and their chosen one.

We found a lake so still it looked like glass for their ceremony
At sunset, we laid down blankets and stories.
A picnic with sandwiches, wine, homemade cake, and laughters between bites
I truly was an evening that was unhurried, unfiltered, unforgettable 

It was intimate, but not small.
Personal, but still shared.

You can have both.
The stillness and the celebration.
The wildness of nature and the warmth of community.

You don’t have to choose between eloping and including your loved ones.
You just have to choose intentionally.

A and O, thanks for letting me be a part of your community even just for a day
I am grateful for you both and congratulations on your beautiful elopement

Photographed on @sonyalpha 
Edited with @hdpresets 

#dolomiteselopement #elopementwithguests #intimatewedding #adventureelopement #henrysdiary #sonya7iv
11 years of calling you home! When I was little, 11 years of calling you home!

When I was little, I imagined marriage differently than what I know now.

Maybe it’s because every book, every movie, every story was always filled with grand gestures…
the kiss in the rain,
the chase through airports,
the hand-holding down busy streets like the world had paused for them and time had stood still.

And maybe it’s because, in all those stories, I never saw people who looked like us ever getting their happily ever after

Our story, our love, our marriage looks a bit different…
…we only kiss in the rain when no one is around
…we only hold hands on the mountain, in the forest, at home…places where the world feels quiet, where opinions can’t reach us, where we we simply exist

The big gestures? They’re sweet
But what I love the most are the smallest moments
The way you believed in my photography before I ever did myself. You are the secret behind all the art I ever created
The way you whisper jokes when the world gets too heavy
The way you keep showing me how beautiful life is…every single day

Because to me, love isn’t a noun. 
It’s a verb
It’s the choosing, the doing, the tiny yet visible acts of care that build a life.

If time is a mountain,
We are still climbing it together.
And I’m in no rush to reach to the top,
Because every step, every stumble, every view along the way
Is better with you by my side

Happy 11 years, my love

Thank you for showing me that our version of love is not only enough but also the perfect one to raise A & G with

Here’s to all the days we’ve lived
And all the lifetimes we have yet to live

#loveislove #lgbtqfamily

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  • Home
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    • Washington Elopement Guide
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  • Blog
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