How to Elope // 2024 Guide

How to Plan an Elopement

How To Elope

Deciding to Elope

First off – a big congrats on making the awesome decision to elope! You’ve decided to do your wedding your way with an intimate, intentional, and adventurous elopement! I've spent years and lots and lots of time, research, and practice perfecting this process to be your right-hand-person and your guide for your awesome day.

Now that you’ve taken that brave step to throw tradition out the window and commit your lives to each other in a way that’s completely unique and meaningful to you both, you can do ANYTHING for your day! (It doesn’t even just have to be one day - it can be a multi-day adventure that really excites you!

Top 10 Reasons to Elope

Elopement Planning Guide

I really encourage you to have the elopement of your dreams by including whichever unique moments, celebrations, and bits and pieces that mean something special to you both. It should be a totally stress-free day(s), with time in your timeline to relax, be spontaneous, and not have to be rushing from one thing to the next thing, etc.

How Do You Elope?

Let's plan your elopement

Step 1: Brainstorming

Start dreaming up your day!

This first step is SO much fun – it’s time to start dreaming up some awesome ideas and brainstorming what you want your elopement to be like, feel like, and how you want to remember this day of all days! So where should you start? I encourage my couples to make little date nights out of this, maybe pour a glass of wine and put on some music, and do this together! Just start letting ideas flow and jot down bullet points on anything you can think of that really excites you both, details will come later. What are you picturing? Road trip? Helicopter ride? Island getaway? Jeep tour? Hiking a mountain? I have some elopement ideas and other elopement resources to get you started. Here are some fun questions to get you started and get those creative juices flowing:

What do you love doing together?
What have been some of your favorite adventures?
What do you enjoy when you go on vacation?
What are your favorite travel destinations?
What are some things on your bucket list?
What would really create a memorable day for the rest of your lives?

Ideas for your Elopement

Step 2: Choosing your Elopement Location

Where to Elope

Now that you have some ideas brewing, here’s another fun part – choosing where to elope! Do you want something close to home, your local favorite spot, the place you had your first date? Are you thinking of exploring a National Park and making a road trip out of it? Do you want to fly to an epic destination, maybe combine your elopement with your honeymoon?

What scenery are you picturing? Mountaintop views with layers of blue and purple? Desert vibes with cacti or red rocks like Sedona or Moab? Moody forest feels like the Pacific Northwest? Rugged canyons or unique rock formations like the Grand Canyon or Arches National Park? Are there sand dunes, a tropical beach, ancient ruins, coastal trails…

When choosing your elopement location, you should consider weather, climate, and altitude. Do you want tropical temperatures or a winter wonderland? Are you okay at high elevations? Do you want to dress in layers (colder temperatures) or wear a light and airy dress (warmer temperatures)? If you’re set on a date, note what the location is like that time of year, including crowds or road closures.

If you plan to invite guests, note the headcount limit (which might also include your vendors). Also note how accessible your location is, like does it require a long hike, off-roading, 4WD vehicle, shuttle, etc.

P.S. An experienced elopement photographer will be able to help you with this! Here’s some ideas to get you started too…

How to choose your elopement location

Elopement Location Ideas

Step 3: Pick your elopement date!

When to Elope

When choosing your date, there may be more to consider than just which “anniversary date” you want. First off, does your date work with your dream location(s)? For instance, if you’re picturing warm weather but your location is cold that time of year, that’s something to consider.

You’ll also want to think about crowds, tourists, and “busy season” in your location – you may not want the intimate experience of saying your vows to have an audience. Also check holidays and special events that may affect your chosen location on the dates you’re thinking about.

If you plan on having any loved ones present, does this date work for them? If you already have some dream vendors in mind, do they have the date available? How long of an adventure are you picturing, weekend trip, road trip excursion, one week adventure? Are you picturing a weekday or a weekend? A weekday may mean fewer crowds but may be harder on any loved ones invited who need to take off work, etc.

Contact me about your Elopement

Step 4: Getting Permits

Don’t worry, this is easier than it sounds - and much more frugal than booking a traditional wedding venue! You usually just fill out a short application for your date, which I’ll help with!

Be sure to obtain the proper permits for your elopement location if one is required – some may also require an additional permit for your photographer. Costs for permits typically average around $100-$500 or so, not bad at all to get married in such incredible places!

Your elopement photographer should be well-versed in permits and able to help in researching these for you. If you want to get married in a National Park or State Park, you can usually find this info on their website.

Step 5: Book Vendors & Travel

Photographer:

I know I sound biased, but I highly recommend booking your elopement photographer before finalizing anything else since they will be able to help you through the rest of the planning process – they’ve done this lots of times and have tons of helpful insights, tips, logistical help, location research, and more to offer!

Officiant:

You can hire an officiant, or have a loved one officiate, or you two can run the ceremony yourselves! Some locations don’t require an officiant to be legally married there (some allow you to self-solemnize). Also, you can choose to do all the legal paperwork before/after your actual elopement adventure. I’m also ordained - this means I can sign your marriage license in most U.S. states! If you decide to have a fuller experience of an officiant who craft your ceremony script with you and walk you through your entire ceremony, you’ll want to find someone willing to do what your elopement needs, such as hike up to your ceremony spot with you. Or you can have a loved one get ordained to perform your ceremony!

Hair & Makeup:

For your hair and makeup, you should hire an awesome hair & makeup artist! And yes – there are adventurous HMU artists that are willing to wake up at 1:00 am for a sunrise elopement ceremony, or hike with you! You may also prefer to do your own hair and makeup, but it’s also nice to get pampered on your wedding morning and be sure that your look will last through the day, through hiking, and whatever else we’ll be doing!

Florist:

If you plan on having a bouquet/florals, be sure to find florist who can accommodate any floral considerations for your location (only bringing plants/flowers native to that environment, florals that will last in that climate, not be too heavy to hike with, something you can strap into a hiking backpack, etc.) or Etsy has some amazing options too!

Other & Travel:

Anything else will be specific to your elopement, like if you want to hire a private chef to whip up an epic dinner for the two of you, or if you want a guitarist to play music for your ceremony, etc. Don’t forget to book any travel needs for your day – flights, lodging or campgrounds, 4WD vehicle if needed, and anything else you might need!

Step 6: Getting Married!

If you’ve decided to get legally married where your elopement will take place, you’ll want to look into the local marriage laws and requirements take care of your marriage license. As I mentioned, some couples opt to leave the legal paperwork before or after their elopement adventure so they don’t have to deal with it all at that time, this is really up to you! In all of this, remember WHY you chose to have an elopement instead of a traditional wedding. This should be an experience of happiness and peace, stress-free, drama-free, and should be the beautiful and incredible experience that your love story deserves!

Contact me about your elopement