What a Roadtrip Taught Me About Marriage:

Before you marry someone, I highly encourage you to travel with them. When I say travel, I don’t mean a vacation (no poolside margaritas on this one). No - I mean the nitty-gritty type of traveling. Moving over 2,000 miles together in a Mini Cooper will accomplish this. A few years ago, my partner, Krisztian, and I did just that! We packed up our most prized possessions into a tiny car and traveled for 5 days through the U.S. Since we moved from LA to Salt Lake City two weeks ago today, I’ve been reminiscing about our last big move. Here are my biggest takeaways:

LifeMorgan PirkleAugust 24, 2020lifeComment

planning a Joshua Tree elopement | Joshua Tree elopement photographer

There is something truly magical about getting married in Joshua Tree. Whether you get married or elope inside Joshua Tree National Park or in the surrounding areas, which include places like Palm Springs and Coachella Valley to the southwest, Yucca Valley and Pioneertown to the northeast, and Twentynine Palms to the north, you’re sure to be saying “I do” in a truly incredible area. My husband and I eloped in Joshua Tree in January 2018, and I’ve been in love with the area ever since! I’ve shot a few weddings in the Joshua Tree area since, at airbnbs and wedding venues (*see them here*), but I was absolutely THRILLED when Estephania and Piero reached out to me about their Joshua Tree National Park elopement! This blog goes over how to elope in Joshua Tree, Estephania + Piero’s elopement, and tips from my own elopement experience.

What eloping REALLY means (and ten common elopement lies)

Eloping is a trending topic with a hazy, vague definition - so I’m defining exactly what IS an elopement in this post (and sharing 10 elopement lies you may have heard). The original form of the word elope is derived from the word “aloper,” an Anglo-French word that means to “run away, escape, flee.” Around the 17th century, it took a romantic turn, defined as “running away to marry without parental approval,” Let’s be honest, the word elope has had the glow-up of the century. No longer does eloping mean a secret, unapproved wedding between star-crossed lovers! In this article, Merriam-Webster even takes a jab at the “big wedding” industry, saying “Elope appears to have become shorthand for "small destination wedding," (or) "wedding that is not financially insane." Other words used interchangeably with the term elopement are small wedding, private wedding, wedding for two, and micro wedding.

Elopements, Portfolio, Life, FeaturedMorgan PirkleMay 4, 2020Elopement, weddings Comment

An Anxiety Toolbelt in the Time of COVID-19

This is a weird, funky time we’re living in and MAN, does it come with a rollercoaster of emotions! For me, it seems to come in waves by the week; good weeks/bad weeks, productive weeks/slow weeks. For a lot of people, there’s a lot of overwhelm, confusion, and general bad feelings floating around. Myself included! I am truthfully very positive and optimistic about the state of the world, and I have so much faith in humanity and science - but don’t be misled: it is NOT all sunshines and rainbows around here. I wanted to talk about Anxiety because I know that while most people have experienced at some time or another in their lives, many are experiencing it on a more consistent level than ever before. Here are tips that help me manage anxiety daily!

Life, EntrepreneurshipMorgan PirkleApril 21, 2020lifeComment

What I love MOST about photographing desert weddings:

What I love most about weddings in the desert is the way everything sort of feels like it’s been put under a microscope. This weekend, I shot two (yup, you heard me, TWO) desert weddings + they were absolutely magical.

Don’t get me wrong - I LOVE a good cityscape, escaping to the mountains, and part of the reason I moved to California was to be closer to the Pacific Ocean… But the desert? There’s something a little untamed, unruly, and imperfect. You’ll never stay perfectly clean in the desert - the dust will find its way into your socks and your hair in this gentle, windblown way, as if to say “don’t forget where you’ve been.”

Elopements, Weddings, Portfolio, LifeMorgan PirkleMarch 12, 2020desert weddings Comment