ELOPEMENT GUIDE
Dreaming of a wedding that's as unique and intimate as your love story?
I’ve been there, and I’m here to help.
Planning your elopement, broken down into 3 steps.
1. Research & Inspiration
From the start, the best thing you can do is take time to speak about this thoroughly with your partner - speak openly and honestly with each other about how you would like to enter into this next chapter together. I recommend putting together a mood board via Instagram or Pinterest to clearly communicate your vision. There are a number of questions to tackle when thinking about your elopement:
Location: If you could have your wedding anywhere, where would you choose - the top of a mountain? Running around a city? Would you want to have a new adventure, or go somewhere special to you both?
Season: This goes hand-in-hand with location - some places you may want to go could be inaccessible during winter months, or busy during summer months. The season you choose to get married also plays a role in the overall mood of your day.
Budget: Elopements are fantastic for keeping budgets low, but it’s always good to lay out a financial plan to know what’s realistic for you.
Ceremony: You have complete flexibility to have your ceremony however you’d like - decor, a small number of guests (or witnesses!) - you can have what you’d like and leave the rest.
The finer details: Now that you have an idea of what you want, now comes the fun part - research! It is a genuinely exciting experience looking in to what you really want to do, where you want to go and how you can achieve it. These are the finer details of how you want your day to be, such as booking a venue (if needed), planning for the weather and researching vendors.
Are you thinking about how to go about this and need some help? I’d love to have a chat and see how we can bring your elopement vision to life - just get in touch.
2. Making it Legal
Whether getting married at home or abroad there are a number of legal requirements to consider. If you’re a resident, you may be familiar with the process of obtaining a marriage license through the local council. For non-residents, the UK requires a marriage visitor visa. Let’s face it, either way you cut it, paperwork is boring. The process is never typically easy and government paperwork can be tedious - but don’t let that discourage you from having your dream elopement.
Are you an international couple?
Consider doing the ‘legal bit’ at home and having your ceremonial elopement abroad. This can simplify the process, as well as save you some money.
At a loss for where to start?
Consider reaching out to a local vendor. As a photographer, I’m familiar with the elopement process and am happy to explain how it works and provide general pointers.
3. Putting it all Together
At this point, you have a clear vision of your elopement
The when, the where and the how. While you may not be settled on every detail, at this stage I’d recommend booking vendors (photographer, officiant, florals) as well as accommodations (flights, hotels) to avoid disappointment.
Once that’s all sorted, you can get granular on the details, such as building your timeline. If having a certain mood is important to you, discuss with your photographer the best times of day for light. For outdoor elopements, building in flexibility is important - weather is the one element of uncertainty on any wedding day. While we can’t predict it, we can certainly work with it.
There it is - you’ve planned your dream elopement and now it’s time to make it happen. All of your hard work and effort has been realized into a brilliant day filled with love and joy! The magic of an elopement comes down to this - the focus of the day is completely on you and your partner.
The wedding day you want, on your terms.
I hope your elopement is as beautiful as your love for each other.
A Word on Family
For some, this is the hardest component of all - and that’s a completely normal and valid feeling to have.
Maybe you can’t imagine this day without them, or you’re scared of how they’ll react. Remember, this is your day, you have the liberty to craft your wedding in a way that feels right for you and your partner.
Putting all the cards on the table, sometimes the reason chosen to elope is because of family. And that’s ok too.
That being said, if you can’t imagine getting married with those you love present…
You can definitely elope with your family.
You want your family there, you can’t imagine doing this without them but you’re set on eloping. One way to do this is create a small, intimate elopement that’s representative of you and still include your family. I know it’s a possibility - I did it myself. Coming from Canada, I chose to have my immediate family and closest friends tag along with me. Together, we created shared memories of an adventure that we’ll have for the rest of our lives.
If that’s not your speed, you can include them in your planning.
You decide to tell your family that they won’t be there, but you are excited to include them in planning your adventure. Having them included in the planning process can help add a meaningful touch to the day. Perhaps there’s also an heirloom or item you can bring along with you - to feel the unique support of your family without them being physically present.
Or, you can include them in a multi-day affair.
If you really want to have your family included but want the actual ceremony to be just for you and your partner, you can include your family as part of the before or after. For example, one day you could choose to have your ceremony as a couple and the other have an intimate family gathering - a slow elopement of sorts. This is a great way to include people while also having ample time to yourselves, promoting a stress-free experience.
No matter how you choose to include your family (or not!) - remember, it’s the right way for you.
How Can I Help?
Whether you’re looking at an elopement backlit by epic city lights or rolling hills and mountains, I would love to be there to document your adventure.
While most couples reach out at the start of the planning progress, I’d love to chat about how we can make your vision and dream elopement come to life - whether you’re at Step 1 or Step 3.
