Erica + Leif | Courthouse Elopement

A courthouse elopement doesn’t have to be boring! I had wanted to prove this point by creating a styled shoot. When my friend Erica got engaged, I jumped at the chance to ask them to model for this idea. (I don’t ask couples that I’m not sure will get married to model for me anymore, and I’m sure you understand why).

Erica surprised me by saying they were planning to get married at the the courthouse already! And what started as an idea for a staged shoot, turned into a real wedding!

Courthouses aren’t always photogenic places, but I happened to work at the Pioneer Collectic inside the historic courthouse building in downtown Tacoma. So we met there for photos of the bride and groom, and their immediate family members, before walking down the street to the current courthouse.

Their families were a blast! They were one of those families that made you feel a part of them too. When we got to courtroom 604, Leif’s sister asked if they could sit in the jury box. The judge laughed and said they could if they wanted to, and the whole family filed into the jury box. The court was in order!

Erica and Leif were married in the courthouse, and even Mt. Rainier peeked out from the clouds to witness their day (visible in the last photo).