Pulling the Thread: A Welcome to The Alaska Tapes

Why I Created The Alaska Tapes

When I think about Alaska, I think about possibility. I also think about how overwhelming it can feel when you’re trying to plan an elopement here. There’s so much beauty, so many options, and layers of logistics that don’t always come through in a typical blog post or roundup.

That’s what pushed me to create The Alaska Tapes. I wanted a space that feels personal and genuinely helpful—a place where you can hear real perspectives, not just bullet points.

Watch & Listen to This Episode

Prefer to watch the conversation or listen on the go? Choose what works best for you below.

Video recording of my welcome to The Alaska Tapes

Pulling the Thread: A Welcome to The Alaska Tapes – The Alaska Tapes

Alaska holds endless possibility for elopements, adventure & romantic travel—and that’s exactly why I created The Alaska Tapes.In this welcome episode, I share what inspired this project and why I wanted a place that goes deeper than a typical blog roundup. You’ll hear how this series brings you closer to the guides, creatives, and experience-makers who help shape elopements and intimate celebrations across Alaska.This is a space to explore what’s possible and follow the questions that matter most as you imagine your own Alaska experience. I’m glad you’re here. Let’s pull the thread together.Intro/Outro Melody: Coastline Dream by Wild Sky, license # DSTFEWG2PG8QFDQB

Listen here, ITunes, or from your favorite podcast app

A Glimpse Inside My Welcome Message

Here’s a small moment from the episode that captures why I created The Alaska Tapes.

“Why I Created The Alaska Tapes”

The Voices You’ll Hear in This Series

Alaska is shaped by people who live and work close to the land, and I wanted you to hear from them directly. Throughout this series, I’ll bring in guides, heli companies, planners, florists, bakers, lodging hosts, and other creatives who help couples build meaningful celebrations here.

These conversations are meant to give you a clearer picture of what’s possible—whether you’re eloping, planning an intimate wedding, or dreaming up a honeymoon or anniversary trip.

Adventure Luxe and the Power of Place

One of my favorite parts of designing experiences in Alaska is the lodging—those quiet corners of Adventure Luxe where design, remoteness, and immersion come together. These places become more than where you stay; they shape the pace of your days and how you experience the landscape.

Throughout the series, we’ll talk with the people behind those spaces, too, because lodging is often the anchor for everything else.

Where The Alaska Tapes Project is Headed

Maybe it seems odd, but this isn’t a polished podcast. I don’t have a fixed number of episodes in mind, only curiousity and a desire to bring helpful information out in a way that is more interesting, and, more helpful than a flat, boring blogpost or roundup webpage.

Maybe this becomes five conversations. Maybe it’s fifteen. Maybe it’s fifty… I’m letting the project grow with the questions couples ask and the stories that emerge.

It’s a thread we pull together; we’ll follow curiosity and seeing where it leads!

An Open Invitation

If there’s something you want to learn more about or a perspective that would help you as you plan, tell me. You can comment on YouTube, reach out on socials, or send a note through my site.

This series is for you, and I want it to be as useful and clear as possible as you imagine what your elopement in Alaska could be.

And truly—I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s go adventure together.

BONUS: Meet Bennett!

PS— As you listen to this episode, you’ll hear me mention “my boy Bennett”. So, I wanted to do a quick intro!

My family and I also lovingly call him “Bennie Boi”, and he is our 80lb cuddlebug, “American Shelter Breed” rescue pup. Truly, the best officemate I could ask for!

As you Tune in to watch The Alaska Tapes on YouTube, (including this episode!), you’ll most likely see him (and hear him barking sometimes!) in the background. He’s happy to meet you too:-)

He believes in his soul he is a lap dog. Lol.

TL;DR AI Prompt – Episode Summary Assistant

Copy the prompt below into your AI reader of choice to summarize episode content.

Copy the prompt below into your AI reader of choice to review the episode content.

APPLY the following prompt to this webpage: https://soulandskyweddings.com/welcome-to-the-alaska-tapes/ “Summarize the key insights and takeaways from this Alaska Tapes episode. Focus on: • who the guest is and their connection to Alaska • the main themes and stories discussed • practical tips or ideas for couples or travelers • any unique perspectives on elopements, travel, or the culture and environment in this part of Alaska. Present the summary in clear, labeled sections. End with: 1) a concise call to action aligned with this episode, and 2) one ‘If you remember nothing else, remember this’ takeaway. Include this contact info: www.soulandskyweddings.com/contact Before you finish, ask me one warm, reflective question—for example: • ‘Is there a moment or insight from this episode you’d like to explore more deeply?’ or • ‘Would you like help turning any of these ideas into an action step?’”

Click HERE to View the Prompt

Show less

Read the Full Conversation

Prefer to read instead of listen? You can find the full transcript of this episode by clicking here.

Kate Okenatez-Mahoney (00:02)
Good morning, good afternoon, or wherever you’re joining from today, hello and welcome to Soul and Sky Field Notes, the Alaska Tapes. My name is Kate Okenatez-Mahoney and I am the owner principal designer and photographer for Soul and Sky Weddings. the Alaska Tapes, are a little bit of a passion project for me.

If you’ve hung around my Instagram or my website, you will see that I am obsessed with Alaska. I wanted to do something maybe a little bit different than just a blog or a roundup that gives you as couples information, but in a very flat and not very personal way.

because when you’re thinking about eloping here, there are so many options. There is so much to consider, so many logistics, and a ton of different options. So how do you know what is right for you? And so that is the purpose of the Alaska Tapes for me. It’s to bring together amazing pros from

the Alaska creative and outdoor scene. People who help you as a couple create amazing elopements or intimate weddings, or romantic travel like honeymoons, anniversaries, so I want to bring you information to help you see, is it a good fit for you to see the possibility for eloping in Alaska and to see all of the different ways that you can do so.

And so we’ll talk to vendors like, heli companies or guiding companies. We’ll talk about some lodging as well. One of the things I absolutely love is called Adventure Lux in my world, which is unique lodging that takes you kind of wrapped into an experience. So we’ll talk to different lodging operators who provide kind of that unique lodging experience. And then we’ll talk to creatives.

I’m a photographer and elopement designer, but we’ll talk to planners and florists and cake bakers and other photographers because I think it’s important for you to have a well-rounded perspective of everything that’s available to you. So, that’s my boy Bennett. He’s going to probably be with us on this journey. But to that journey, I honestly don’t know what it will be. It’s not a podcast.

For me, it feels a little bit like kind of pulling the thread of what’s possible in an elopement in Alaska. So it could be five conversations. It could be 15, maybe it’s 50, who knows? But let’s pull the thread and let’s see where it goes. And if there’s anything on this journey that would be a help to you, let me know.

You can drop me a comment here if you’re watching this on YouTube or on socials or any of the forums. Visit my website. You can drop me a link there as well. But let me know what would be helpful to you and I will see what we can do to bring it to life. But this time this information in all of these sessions is for you. It will be jam and we’ll try and make sure that it’s as concise as possible broken up into little segments

to make it as digestible for you in your wedding planning process because I know that there’s already a lot going on.

So again, my name is Kate from Soul and Sky Weddings and I am so glad that you are here. Let’s go adventure together.

You can find the full transcript of this episode by clicking here

Show less

Planning Your Own Alaska Elopement?

If Alaska is calling you and you’re ready for a celebration that feels personal, beautifully real, and full of possibility, I’m here to help you shape it.

And as your elopement designer, photographer, and adventure partner, I’m here to help you shape an immersive wedding experience. Not just a day; it’s a wedding journey more amazing than you imagined that fuels your soul through the story you get to live and the amazing experience-focused images we create as you explore.

Where would you get married if “yes” was always the answer? It’s all possible. I’m here to make sure of it.

—Adventure Always—

Kate

Explore Alaska Elopements

Start Your Alaska Journey