The 9 Steps to Plan Your Elopement
Updated December 4th, 2022
How great is the feeling of relief when you decide to ditch tradition and expectation and get married in the mountains? Incredible, right? The next feeling, however, the one that hits when you realize that there are near-infinite options and not enough resources when it comes to planning said elopement, that feeling isn’t as good.
In this article, we’re going to strip back the chaos of choice and give you 9 actionable steps to take, that will help you plan your dream elopement.
1. Decide Who’s Coming To Your Elopement
One thing that our couples often struggle with is deciding who they want to invite to their elopement. Your guest count will have a huge impact on what your elopement day looks like, what locations you have to choose from, and your budget.
Elopements Without Guests
You may be drawn to the romance and freedom of eloping just the two of you. Eloping without any guests gives you the ultimate choice when it comes to planning your elopement, allows you to make decisions solely for yourselves, and gives you more location options. For our couples who choose to elope without guests, we are happy to help brainstorm ways to include still your family and friends in your elopement day. Examples of this include having your loved ones write letters for you to read before your ceremony, or even making time for a Zoom/FaceTime call.
Jordan and Katie’s Elopement with 0 Guests
They eloped just the two of them in Colorado, but they made sure to take time before their ceremony to video chat with their families. They also asked their friends and family to write them letters to read. For them, it was a great way to have their adventurous elopement day, but still keep their families involved.
Brandon + Lindsay’s Elopement with 0 Guests
They chose to elope in secret with just the two of them in Colorado. After their ceremony, they had surprise video and phone calls with their families to share the news. They also sneakily asked their friends and family to write them letters to read while they had a picnic. This allowed them to plan an elopement day solely for themselves, but to also include their families.
Elopements With Guests
We believe that an elopement isn’t just a wedding with zero guests. Many of our couples still have an amazing and intimate wedding that celebrates their time in the outdoors while still having a small number of their favorite people with them. Other Being surrounded by the people you love the most is powerful and important to many of our couples (us included). Throughout the planning process, we work with our couples to give them time with their guests as well as time alone to really take the day in.
Hailey + Mitch’s Elopement with 8 Guests
They invited their families up to the mountains of Colorado for a family-centered elopement. Both families stayed in one large home together, allowing them to spend quality time as a group. On the day of the elopement, Hailey and Mitch balanced time with their families with time for just the two of them. They even hosted a “traditional” reception with dancing, a privately catered meal, and speeches.
Clara + Ty’s Elopement with 13 Guests
They decided to split their elopement into two days. The first was a mountain adventure just the two of them with a private vow exchange. The second was focused on their families and friends with a formal ceremony, speeches, dancing, and dinner. Their two-day elopement really gave them the ultimate elopement experience with plenty of time for adventure, but also quality time with their loved ones.
Eloping in Colorado?
Check out our full guide on how your elopement guest count will affect your location options, budget, and plans!
2. Choose Your Elopement Location + Date
Second, only to your marriage and the love you share, one of the most important things on an elopement day is often the setting. So when you picture your dream location ask yourself, do you see yourself on a mountaintop, with a view that stretches for miles? Or on a hike that meanders through the pine trees? Maybe even standing at the edge of an alpine lake, nestled against the base of a towering peak? A cliffside beach, or flowing sand dunes? Sometimes the right location can even have several different types of terrain, but deciding what view is most important to you is the first thing you should do when planning your elopement.
These decisions will help influence the time of year that is best for your elopement. Consider the weather that you want on your elopement day. Do you want warmer temperatures? Are you looking for snow? You should also consider foliage, are you looking for fall colors or wildflowers? Are you looking to stargaze? Answering these questions will give you an idea of a general date for your elopement! We also recommend avoiding weekend elopements, this will help you avoid crowds!
Pick Your Elopement Views
3. Hire Your Photographer + Videographer
Once you’ve at least narrowed in on a general location or a vision for your elopement location, you can start researching photographers and videographers!
In almost all cases, the first vendor you’ll want to hire is your photographer + videographer. For an elopement, the personality of your documentation team becomes even more important than it already is for a more traditional wedding. With the right team, you’ll spend a lot of time working closely with them planning your dream elopement day. Then on your elopement day itself, you’ll be with them for pretty much the whole day. Finding someone who you feel comfortable around and can help provide the amazing experience your elopement deserves might be the most crucial decision you make.
For this reason, hiring the right fit as early as possible is always recommended. Many photographers + videographers fill their calendars more than a year ahead of time.
Elopement Planning
You’ve probably never planned an elopement before and are feeling a mix of nerves and excitement as you set off on your elopement journey. We’re here to demystify the process and make it easy and fun.
We’ll provide you with all of the resources you need and work alongside you the entire way while you plan your own elopement! Think of it like you are in the driver’s seat and we are your trusted copilots. We’ll be here, empowering you to craft an elopement day that feels just like you and exceeds your wildest dreams.
In addition to elopement photography and videography services, each of our couples will receive:
Online Planning Portal + Mobile App
100-Page Elopement Planning Guide
Elopement Planning To-Do List
Location + Activity Ideas
Custom Elopement Timeline
Vendor Recommendations
Interactive Vow-Writing Guide
Non-Traditional Ceremony Ideas
Ideas for Eloping with Guests
Information on Leave No Trace Principles
Practical Colorado Elopement Information
4. Find Your Ceremony Location
Now that you’ve decided on what you’re looking for, have hired a professional team to help you plan and document your elopement, you can start to find real locations that reflect your vision. Often, it can help to start by digging through Instagram, Google, or even travel and hiking blogs.
The important thing to think about here is where you can get a permit for your ceremony. The last thing you want is someone to interrupt you mid-ceremony, or shut you down before you can even start. It also gives a little bit of credibility if other hikers/tourists are around to let them know you’ve got a permit for that space. Sometimes you may not need a permit, but it’s important to look into the legal aspects of your ceremony before you get to your location. We are more than happy to help you through this process!
Types of Elopement Ceremony Locations
Are you feeling overwhelmed about writing vows for your elopement?
Check out our step-by-step guide & workbook for writing your own vows! We’re here to help you get over your fear of the blank page and guide you in writing personal and thoughtful vows.
5. Begin Crafting Your Perfect Elopement Day
Now that the big stuff is decided on, it’s time to have some fun!
Part of this conversation might even happen before steps 1 through 4, and that’s perfect. But here is where you’ll really start to discuss and put together all of the elements that go into making the events of your elopement day match your wildest dreams.
The first thing you should do when considering your perfect elopement day is to sit down with your partner and talk it through. Forget the wedding piece for a second and talk about what really speaks to the two of you as a couple. It could be the quiet time on a hike, honoring your love for boats, prioritizing food, experiencing something brand new to the both of you (maybe the northern lights, or a zipline through a canyon), bringing your pups with you all day, or watching the sun disappear and lingering until the stars take its place. It could be all of these things and more, or just one essential element.
Now that you know what is most important to you, insert your elopement into that adventure. You could take that zipline and then turn around to see your partner zooming in after you for your first look. Use the hiking trail as the aisle that you walk down on your way to the ceremony. Have a charcuterie picnic complete with champagne on a mountain top. Have a family member officiate, or more than one family member, or have no one around at all. Decorate your ceremony space with an arch and flowers, or let nature do all the talking. When you elope your wedding can be whatever you want it to be, with all the bells and whistles or none of them.
Elopement Activity Ideas
Looking for some more unique ideas for your outdoor elopement?
Check out our 41 ideas for your outdoor elopement
6. Book Your Accommodation + Travel
We list this as step 6 because it often depends on what you decide on in step 4, but really this could be done earlier in the process as well. If a rental house is going to double as your ceremony space then it likely will already be done in step 3. The key here though is that the longer you wait, the fewer options there are going to be. Especially when it comes to home rentals rather than hotels.
One slightly different thing we recommend that you look for when booking your accommodation (beyond being well designed, cute, in a good location) is plenty of windows. We know that probably seems like a strange feature to be worried about, but it’s a photographer’s/videographer’s dream to work with, and the natural light will make any documentation taking place at the rental even more beautiful. If you’re unsure of a place, reach out to the team documenting your elopement and ask them what they think!
This is also a great time to start thinking about what other travel you need to book. This could include flights, rental cars, trains, ferries, and 4WD vehicles.
7. Hire Additional Vendors
Once your vision is really coming to life, it’s time to start hiring any additional vendors. Find a local florist, or buy a realistic faux floral arrangement that you can travel with. Pick a hair and makeup artist who will get up before sunrise with you. If you want an ordained officiant, reach out to a few and see which one matches your vision for the ceremony. Book a private chef, a table at a nice restaurant, or find a pizza place to pop in and grab a slice. Book a Jeep tour to take you to the top of a 4WD road.
We provide our couples with a customized list of vendors to help further bring their elopement to life!
8. Decide on Your Elopement Attire
Once you know where you’ll be getting married, what kind of weather you can expect, and what activities you plan to do, you can start your search for the perfect elopement attire! We recommend keeping your elopement plans and location in mind when picking out what you are going to wear.
If you’re getting married during the winter, make sure to pick out something warm. For those wearing suits, this could mean choosing thicker fabrics such as wool, flannel, cashmere, or tweed. For those wearing dresses, consider a dress with long sleeves, or buy a cozy wrap or shawl to put around your shoulders.
If you’re getting married during the summer, make sure your attire won’t keep you too hot. For those wearing suits, this could mean choosing thicker fabrics such as linen, cotton, or chambray. For those wearing dresses, consider a dress that has fewer layers, is lightweight, and more breathable.
And if you’re planning on hiking, make sure you can move easily in your wedding attire!
9. Make It Legal
If you are from the US and plan on having your elopement in another state, you can pick up your marriage license in your destination state. Some states allow you to sign your marriage license on the same day you pick it up, other states have a required waiting period. Make sure to look up the rules in your destination state and allow yourself the time to do this!
In most states, you will need to have an officiant lead your ceremony and sign your marriage license. States such as Colorado and Pennsylvania allow you to "self solemnize" your marriage. This means that you are not required to have an officiant or any witnesses.
If you are getting married outside of your home country, we recommend getting legally married before you leave the country. Some countries may be easier than others, but when we eloped in Scotland, we found that you need a special marriage visa. We decided to avoid jumping through legal hoops and get legally married at the courthouse at home in Colorado. It was quick, painless, and it gave us much less to worry about in Scotland! It also allowed us to have our ceremony in our own unique way, which meant not having an officiant present.
Feeling overwhelmed with writing your own elopement ceremony?
Check out Provenance’s custom ceremony builder
Are you ready to start your elopement adventure?
Are you ready to start your elopement adventure?
We’re Lisa + Alex (those goofballs in the photo above). We are photographers and videographers who focus solely on elopements and are passionate about giving our couples the most incredible elopement day possible. We work closely with each of our couples to offer location options, vendor recommendations, and fun ideas to personalize their wedding day.
Each couple who books with us will receive their own, collaborative Elopement Planning Portal. We know that planning your elopement can seem overwhelming, but we’re here to make the planning process easy and fun.
Ouray, Colorado Elopement Photography