Private Wedding Vows: How to Capture the Most Intimate Wedding Moment

There’s something sacred about a quiet moment shared just between two people in love. More and more couples are choosing to exchange private vows—away from the ceremony crowd—and these moments have become some of the most emotional and cinematic parts of the day to photograph.

If you're planning a wedding in Minnesota or California’s Central Valley, here’s why private vows might be the most meaningful part of your day—and how I approach capturing them in a way that’s romantic, candid, and timeless.

Private Vows at The Barn of Ballard Creek

What Are Private Wedding Vows and Why Do They Matter?

Private vows are exactly what they sound like: personal vows exchanged in private, just between you and your partner.

Couples choose them for all kinds of reasons:

• To have a quiet moment together before (or after) the ceremony

• To speak freely without nerves or an audience

• To express deep, emotional words that feel too personal for the altar

Whether you're whispering them in a golden field in Minnesota or under a quiet tree in a Central Valley vineyard, private vows allow you to truly connect with one another.

Capturing Private Vows Without Interrupting the Moment

As a photographer, I approach this part of the day with sensitivity and care. It’s not a time for posing or performing, it’s a time to be present, and my job is to capture that honestly.

Here’s how I help preserve these moments for my couples:

1. Choose a Meaningful, Private Location

• In Minnesota: lakesides, forest trails, rolling fields, or tucked-away gardens

• In Central California: sun-drenched vineyards, almond orchards, or foothill overlooks

We’ll choose a place that’s not just beautiful, but where you can feel safe and present with one another.

2. Give You Space to Be Yourselves

I use a long lens and keep a quiet distance. You won’t feel like you’re being watched, just seen, gently and intentionally. There are no poses here. Just honest, unscripted emotion.

3. Focus on the In-Between Moments

The way you wipe away a tear. The nervous laugh. The hug after the final word. These small, quiet gestures are what make the moment unforgettable and that’s what I focus on capturing.

4. Time It for the Right Light and Energy

Some couples share their vows before the ceremony, as a way to center themselves. Others wait until after, when the pressure is off and they can fully relax. Either way, we find the time and space that feels just right.

Real. Quiet. Timeless.

Private vows don’t need to be perfect. They don’t need to be poetic. They just need to be true, spoken from the heart in a moment made just for the two of you.

When I photograph private vows, I don’t want to interrupt the moment. I want to bottle it up, so that years from now, when you look at the photo of your hand brushing theirs, or the tear slipping down your cheek, you’ll remember exactly how it felt.

Planning a Wedding in Minnesota or Central California?

Let’s talk about how we can create intentional space in your day for something this meaningful and how I can capture it in a way that feels romantic, candid, and timeless.

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Final Thoughts

Private vows aren’t about perfect words. They’re about presence. And when you look back years from now, you won’t remember exactly what you said but you’ll remember how it felt.

And that’s what I aim to capture: the warmth, the stillness, the emotion that makes your love uniquely yours.

by Ruby Elizondo Photo