Queer Elopements, LGBTQ+ Representation, Love Stories, Coastal Weddings, Inclusive Vendors Jessica Ballerstein Queer Elopements, LGBTQ+ Representation, Love Stories, Coastal Weddings, Inclusive Vendors Jessica Ballerstein

Trans Joy & Tenderness: A Queer Coastal Elopement)

Alana (they/them) and Ovi (he/him) didn’t just elope—they redefined what freedom, tenderness, and queer visibility can look like. Photographed along the bluffs of San Simeon by San Diego-based TIKA Studios, this intimate celebration is a love letter to joy, gender euphoria, and choosing each other.

While I was photographing Alana (they/them) and Ovi (he/him), they shared something that stuck with me: how hard it was to find queer, trans-centered wedding inspiration—on Pinterest, on Google, anywhere.

So we made the kind of images they couldn’t find. Images rooted in joy, ease, and tenderness.

We headed to the coastline of San Simeon, California—with just the two of them, a handful of their loved ones, their story, their suits, and the sea. The wind moved like music. The pace slowed. Everything felt sacred.

A Love that Moves Without Permission

This elopement wasn’t just about vows or flowers or coastal views (though all those things showed up in full force). It was about reclaiming softness—about taking up space in a world that so often tries to reduce trans and queer love to hashtags or headlines.

This was about two people who love each other so deeply, so steadily, that it had to be witnessed.

Alana and Ovi walk through a coastal path, backs to camera. Alana holds a small bouquet of white flowers.

The Suits, The Rings, The Meaning

Let’s talk style. Alana wore a suit by Maje, and Ovi’s was from Suit Supply. Their wedding rings were crafted by Automic Gold — a trans-owned jewelry company based in New York, creating timeless, inclusive pieces with heart. Their engagement rings were from VRAI, which focuses on sustainably created diamonds.

Their hair was styled with guidance from Arlen Farmer, a queer stylist based in LA and owner of Brindley Salon, known for working magic with curls and affirming energy alike.

Visibility isn’t performative. It’s legacy work. And this team honored that.

Close-up of their hands clasped together, wedding rings visible.
Ovi smiles while Alana looks toward the ocean beside him. Both are dressed in suits, standing on coastal cliffs.
Ovi looks to the left while Alana looks to the right beside him. Both are dressed in suits, standing on coastal cliffs.

Location: San Simeon, California

While TIKA Studios is proudly based in San Diego, I often travel across California to document intimate moments like this. San Simeon’s cliffside serenity felt like the perfect setting for Alana & Ovi—free, grounded, and boldly themselves.

The couple stands in a field of yellow and green wildflowers. Ovi wraps his arms around Alana, both smiling.

For Those Searching

If you’ve been combing Pinterest, Instagram, or Google searching “queer elopement inspo” or “trans-inclusive wedding photography,” I hope you find this post. I hope it reminds you that joy belongs to you, too.

If you’re a trans man, nonbinary person, or queer couple navigating what to wear or how to be seen—read Ovi’s Substack piece. It speaks to the layered grief and radical grace of gendered milestones.

And if you're looking for a photographer who gets that—who moves slowly, with care and reverence for your full self—you’ve found her.

Blurry photo of the couple embracing near the ocean’s edge.

Vendors That Made the Magic

The couple looks out toward the horizon, the ocean stretching before them, surrounded by native California flora.

Ready to Be Seen?

If you’re planning a queer wedding or elopement in San Diego, California, or beyond—I'd love to photograph your softness, your joy, your resistance. Hit me up!

Another embrace, this one with Ovi kissing Alana’s forehead, framed by curly wild grass.
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