Maddie Mae is an adventure elopement photographer and educator based out of Colorado U.S.A.—and is the founder of the elopement photography collective, Adventure Instead and the education brand, Adventure Instead Academy.
 After 5 years photographing big wedding days, she found herself burnt out and jaded with the performance and production of big weddings, and saw many couples get lost among the family obligations and expectations, wasteful stuff and trash, anxiety and stress, and forced pointless traditions.
 That all changed when she photographed her first elopement. Immediately she knew that it was her greatest passion to help couples be their truest selves on the day they get married and to bring the focus of their wedding day back to what truly matters: their relationship & celebrating their commitment to each other in an authentic & meaningful way.
 She took the leap to go “all in” and specialized her business in elopements in 2015. Applying the proven tools & strategies she learned studying business marketing in college, she booked 30 dream adventurous elopements in the following year, and had a 6-figure income—while transitioning her brand to the incredibly niche, pro-elopement brand that it is today. Now, 5 years later, she runs a Forbes-featured and Rangefinder-award-winning, kickass team of 3 adventurous female photographers (herself, Amber, & Tori), who together—travel around the U.S. and world helping over 100 eloping couples bring their vision of their own intimate & meaningful wedding experiences to life. Their mission is to give couples permission to do everything they truly want on their wedding day, create a safe space for them to be themselves, and guide them toward their  unforgettable “just us” wedding day experience. 


Maddie also embodies this mission through her education brand, Adventure Instead Academy—by teaching photographers how to book more elopements and serve eloping couples. In 2019 she created the first ever all-in-one business & marketing online course that teaches everything needed to know to become an elopement photographer—The Elopement Photographer Course. She was also the core collaborator for the How To Leave No Trace Course—in collaboration with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. 
Maddie Made also runs a free educational facebook group for adventurous elopement & wedding photographers at facebook.com/groups/weddingsandwanderlust

Let’s dig into the highlights!

About Maddie and her business journey [0.53]

A mindset shift Maddie had to overcome around thinking outside the box in her industry [6.56]

Maddie’s experience and advice with niching down [8.40]

As the industry grows, the niches within that grows too [16.15]

As a business owner you constantly have to think of your competitive edge [16.58]

How Maddie gained majority of her inquiries [18.00]

Maddie’s top tips for getting new inquiries [21.16]

What helped Maddie create 2 7 figure businesses [26.44]

How to learn more from Maddie [33.50]

Links Mentioned:

Website: adventureinstead.com // adventureinsteadacademy.com

Instagram: @adventureinstead @adventureinsteadacdemy

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