How to Elope: Learn How to Plan Your Elopement

You’ve decided you want to ditch the big wedding and elope instead. Or maybe you’re considering an elopement but not sure yet. Either way, you’ve probably found yourself pondering how to elope.

What does it take to plan an elopement? When should you begin planning it? Where do you even begin?

As an elopement photographer that specializes in helping couples plan meaningful weddings, I want to help you get started in your elopement planning process. From the first idea to planning the details, planning an elopement is actually a lot of fun!

So read on to learn how to plan your elopement!

Just What Exactly is an Elopement?

There are no strict rules on what qualifies as an elopement, but here’s how I define elopements as an elopement photographer: an elopement is an intimate wedding with 20 or less people. It can take place just about anywhere, from your backyard to a National Park.

Elopements have become popular in recent years because they give the couple full control over what their wedding experience looks like and gives them freedom to celebrate in a way that is personal and meaningful.

Learn more about what eloping means today!

How to Elope

Planning an elopement is a really fun and exciting experience! You get to have full control over every aspect of your day from where you get married to who is with you to how you celebrate your day.

Whether you already have inspiration for your elopement day or you’re just getting started, this is your complete guide to planning an elopement day that you’ll love! 

How to Plan an Elopement

1. Create a Vision for Your Day
2. Narrow Down a Location
3. Hire an Elopement Photographer
4. Decide on a Date for Your Elopement
5. Start Planning Your Day
6. Have an Amazing Wedding Experience!

1. Create a Vision for Your Day

The first step in planning your elopement is going to be getting a vision for your day. If you don’t already have a location in mind, start dreaming up the kind of scenery you want to be surrounded by on your wedding day. This can be mountains, lakes, ocean, or anything else that you want for your day.

You also want to start thinking about if you want to bring anybody with you. This can be family, friends, even pets, or if you want to elope with just you and your partner present. 

Some specifics you’ll want to start getting a vision for are:

• Your location
• Type of ceremony
• Guests
• Lodging
• Food
• What traditions you want to include (like a first dance, cake cutting, etc.)

Need some inspiration? Check out these adventure elopement ideas!

2. Narrow Down a Location

After you have a clearer vision for your day (remember, you don’t have to have all of the details figured out yet, just a general idea!),  you’ll want to start narrowing down a location. This will help you in the next phase of planning. Narrowing down to a city, state, or even region will help with the next step of planning your elopement.

Need help narrowing down a location? I’ve got you covered!

3. Hire an Elopement Photographer

After you’ve narrowed down your location, you’ll want to start looking for elopement photographers that serve the area you want to elope in. Many elopement photographers will be able to help you with planning, in addition to photographing your day, which is why you want to book yours as soon as possible!

Looking for an elopement photographer that also helps with planning? I can help you choose an elopement location, create a timeline for your day, and more, as well as photograph your wedding experience! View my elopement packages or contact me to get started!

4. Decide on a Date for Your Elopement

If you don’t already have a date for your elopement, you’ll want to figure that out next. This is another piece your photographer may be able to help with if you have some flexibility and want to choose the best date for your location to get the best weather or to avoid crowds.

You’ll want to take your location into consideration when choosing a date to ensure you can access the areas you want for your day. Between the snowy winters and wildfires in the summer, some locations have better seasons than others. Again, this is something your photographer should be able to help you with.

Learn about why you should consider an all-day elopement experience!

5. Start Planning Your Day

Now it’s time for the real fun to begin! You get to start planning your elopement day! You have complete freedom to plan your day however you want, which means you can include some of your favorite activities into your day, like hiking, snowmobiling, or cooking together.

You’ll want to decide on the most important parts of your day, like your ceremony, and start researching any necessary permits.

Check out this guide to 50+ elopement day activities to inspire you!

6. Have an Amazing Wedding Experience!

All of your planning comes together and you get to marry your best friend, surrounded by nature, and celebrate in a way that is unique to the two of you! Congrats! This day is going to be epic!

How Long Does it Take to Plan an Elopement?

You can take as much (or as little!) time as you want to plan your elopement! Many couples take 1-2 years to plan their elopement, just like a traditional wedding, but you can plan it quicker than that if you need or want to.

I recommend giving yourself at least 6 months to plan your elopement though. That way you can have enough time to pull it all together without stressing yourself out.

How Much Does Eloping Cost?

The average eloping couple spends between $5,000-$15,000 on their elopement. Compared to the average wedding being $30,000 these days, eloping is a much more budget friendly option!

Eloping can be as inexpensive as you need it to be, depending on the kind of day you want to have. It’s completely customizable to you and what you want to prioritize.

The biggest expense you’re likely going to have for your elopement is your photographer. But a good photographer is worth the investment! An elopement photographer will also be your planning guide and resource for bringing your elopement to life, not to mention the photos you receive will last forever! You’re not just paying for photos, you’re paying someone to capture your memories.

How to Elope with Me

Interested to learn more about what hiring me as your elopement photographer is like? Here’s what eloping with me looks like.

1. Get to Know Each other

The first step is to reach out to me! I’ll reply with some more details and we’ll hop on a phone call to get to know each other to make sure we would be a good fit to work together as well as go over packages and pricing. This is a great time for you to ask any questions you have about working together! Once we both feel like we’d be a good fit, I’ll send over a contract and retainer to reserve your date!

2. Decide on a location and date (if you haven’t already)

If you don’t already have a date or location picked out, I can help you decide on both! I’ll send you a questionnaire to find out exactly what you’re looking for in a location and use the information you provide me with to send you a list of customized recommendations for your elopement!

3. We’ll Plan all of the Details

We’ll work together to plan the details of your day, like activities to include in your day, create a timeline for your elopement, and figure out vendors if you need recommendations.

4. You Have an epic elopement experience!

You marry your best friend, celebrate, and have the best day ever while I document the whole experience! You’ll have freedom to celebrate on your own while I capture you candidly. You won’t feel like this is an all-day photoshoot, because that’s not what it is. It’s your wedding day!

5. You Receive Your Beautiful Photos

You’ll receive a sneak peek of images within a few days of your elopement so you can announce your elopement to your loved ones. The rest of your photos will be delivered a few weeks later and you’ll get to download them to keep forever!

Now you know everything you need to start planning your elopement! Yay!

Want to work together? I can’t wait to chat with you! Shoot me a message and let’s chat!

Happy eloping!