LGBTQ+ Elopement Photographers
Hi! We’re Jess & Austin Drawhorn, and the LGBTQ+ community is our community. Jess identifies as queer and Austin has major bi-wife energy as the kids say.
We’ve been elopement photographers based in Colorado for over seven years, and it’s been our absolute honor to help dozens of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer & non-binary people celebrate their love. We photograph adventurous and loving elopements and micro-weddings everywhere in Colorado and the American West.
Dylan & Gabriel
“We looked at literally 100 photographers and the Drawhorns rose right to the top. From the beginning we felt a connection with Jess and Austin as they thoughtfully worked to help us feel at ease, working with us through a short timeline to plan a wonderful day. They were thoughtful and genuine about their support and work with queer couples, which immediately helped us feel comfortable.”
What queer inclusivity means to us
You know those bathroom signs that say “whatever, just wash your hands”?
It’s a step in the right direction, but I always cringe at those signs, because when you have an opportunity to specifically, loudly, and throughly support someone, you should take it.
To us, inclusivity doesn’t mean treating everyone the same — it means really seeing each person we work with for all their nuances and complexities, and creating a wedding experience for them and their partner that honors the journey they’re on.
And really, just mostly having fun knowing that you’re in safe hands :)
Our inclusive planning process
Something we’ve learned over the years is that there’s a real spectrum to how our queer couples approach wedding planning and traditions. Some couples are really attracted to tradition and want to take their rightful place in a long line of couples before them. Others want to tear the whole thing down and make it their own, as they’ve always done in their relationship. And most people fall somewhere in the middle — making it up as they go along, taking what serves them and leaving all the rest.
So in our planning, process we make no assumptions.
We start by asking you how you identify and what a wedding even means to you. Honestly, we have never ending questions for how we can tailor this process to you — not all of those questions are about your gender and orientation, but the point is that there are no wrong answers. We’re here to lift you up and help make things happen for you.
Vetted vendor recommendations
A big part of our planning work is figuring out how other vendors fit into the plan — if you get a recommendation from us, you can be sure that not only are they actively LGBTQ+ inclusive in name, but that they understand the nuances of providing hair and make up services to two brides in one morning, or won’t cite a “minimum spend” when you’re looking for boutonnieres for two grooms.
Sometimes (when we’re traveling, or according to availability) we can’t always suggest vendors that we’ve worked with before. Even then, it’s still our job to provide possible names and suggestions for you, and we’ll do the work to make sure no one on that list will turn you away due to discrimination.
Gender-affirming posing & guidance
Every couple’s dynamic is different and we want to do justice to your story specifically.
How this works in practice is, again, asking good questions and working from your answers. We don’t default to putting people into masculine or feminine boxes unless that’s where you want to be!
Queer cuties over the years :)
We’d be so happy to help you celebrate and to give you gorgeous photos to tell your story with. Let’s chat!!