Does the concept of an all-day elopement sound like a crazy idea to you? I totally understand why a 12 hour elopement might sound overwhelming. What do you even do with all that time? Actually, there’s a lot you can do!
Eloping doesn’t have to mean a short ceremony at a courthouse. You can literally fill your day with anything you want! It’s a day dedicated to the two of you, celebrating the fact that you just got married! And I don’t think that you should have to be limited to a short celebration. Because let’s face it, you’ve waited a long time for this day. Why not celebrate it for the once-in-a-lifetime event that it is?
If you’re not sure why you would need more than a few hours for your elopement, here are 8 reasons that you should consider an all-day elopement and how to plan one for yourself.
8 Reasons You Should Have An All-Day Elopement
1. Time To Explore More Than One Location
With so many beautiful locations to choose from, why be forced to pick only one for your elopement day? With a longer timeline for your day you are free to include multiple locations into your day.
2. Have Every Detail Of Your Day Photographed
More time means you can have more of your day photographed for you to remember all the details in the years to come. Whether that’s getting ready before your ceremony, having a first look, or including some relaxation time at your cabin at the end of the day. With a longer timeline, your photographer can capture every last moment of your day.
3. You Can Go On A Bigger Adventure
If you and your partner are really adventurous there are so many ways to reflect that in your day. Without a short time constraint, you can dedicate more time to exploring, take a longer hike to an epic viewpoint, take a jeep tour, or even a hot air balloon ride.
Check out this blog post on 50+ elopement day activity ideas
4. Time To Celebrate Alone And With Family
Even if you decide to bring family along with you on your elopement day, you may still want to dedicate a portion of the day to spending time alone with just you and your partner. You may want to share your vows separately or spend a couple of hours hiking to a beautiful spot with just the two of you. Having extra time will allow you to break away and still celebrate intimately while including your family throughout your experience however you decide works best for you.
17 ways to include family in your elopement experience
5. Get Photos At The Best Time Of Day
The best time of day for photography are the hours around sunrise and sunset. Having more time means you can get more photos at these ideal times with that soft, dreamy light. Summertime in the mountains often means long hours of daylight, which is why sometimes photographers will allow you to split your coverage during your day to allow for coverage during sunrise and sunset with a break in between. If this is something you’re interested in, make sure to ask your photographer if this is something they offer!
6. Time To Fully Celebrate The Fact That You Just Got Married!
With time to relax, you can take all the time you want to live in the moment and enjoy the fact that you just married your best friend. Have a picnic together, pop some champagne, or cuddle and watch the sunrise. There’s no pressure to be anywhere anytime soon, so you can relax and soak it all in.
7. Have A Fully Customized Day By Including Activities Or Hobbies You Love
It’s your wedding day and you can do anything you want! Why not include your favorite hobbies and activities to do together? Enjoy going on scenic drives together? Want to go backpacking in the mountains? How about cooking together? You can include anything you want in your elopement experience! Take advantage of the fact that this day is all about the two of you and customize it to fit your personalities.
8. Less Pressure To Stay On A Strict Timeline
Perhaps the biggest reason to have an all-day elopement is to keep the day stress-free. With more time you won’t feel rushed from one event to the next with a tight timeline. You can allow for plenty of time to enjoy the moment and to slowly transition from one activity to whatever you have planned next.
How To Plan An All-Day Elopement
Now that you can see the benefits of a longer elopement timeline, it’s time to start planning yours! Planning an all-day elopement isn’t as scary as it might sound. Remember, this whole process is about creating an experience that is fun and stress-free.
Find An Elopement Photographer
The first thing I always recommend doing is finding an elopement photographer. They will be able to help you with planning, choosing locations, obtaining permits, and answering any questions that come up along the way.
Did you know I’m an elopement photographer? I specialize in helping couples plan adventurous wedding experiences and documenting the experience through nostalgic imagery. If you’re looking for an adventurous photographer to help bring your elopement dreams to life, I would love to help you! Contact me to get started.
Choose A Location
With so many amazing options to choose from, narrowing down your location will be one of the biggest decisions you make in your planning process. If you have no idea where to start when it comes to locations, check with your elopement photographer. They should be able to make some suggestions and walk you through any permits that are needed.
Stunning Idaho elopement locations
Plan Your Elopement Day
Now for the fun part, choosing what you want to include in your day. You have complete freedom to include just about anything you can dream of into your elopement experience. You can include traditional elements like sharing toasts with family or having your first dance as husband and wife, or you can get creative and include adventurous activities like a helicopter tour or horseback riding into your day!
It’s all up to the two of you and what will hold the most meaning to you on this day.
Have An Epic Elopement Experience!
When the day finally comes, all of your planning comes together and you get to have a beautiful, fun, stress-free wedding experience. Congrats!
Adventure Elopement Packages
If you’re looking for elopement packages that cover all day, I offer packages starting at 4 hours of coverage up to 16 hours split over 2 days with everything in between. Need something a little outside the box? Tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll create a custom package just for you!
There’s literally no end to the ways you can customize your elopement day and fill your experience with adventure, meaning, and romance. The day is yours to fill however you’d like.
Happy eloping!
