The beauty of elopement is the ability to combine traditional or non-traditional aspects to create the perfect day for you and your partner.
The beauty of elopement is the ability to combine traditional or non-traditional aspects to create the perfect day for you and your partner.
While organizing a whole wedding can seem like a demanding task, an elopement can also require some forethought. Where should your wedding be held? Who will be invited to the party? What unique elements should you include in your special day?
Fortunately, there are plenty of wedding options available to alleviate some of the stress of preparing for your elopement.
Here are some suggestions on how you can elope in 2025:
What do you envision in your mind when you think of your elopement experience?
Do you imagine the sun’s pleasant warmth?
Do you appreciate rainy, foggy days like on the west coast?
Wildflower meadows in full bloom in front of a mountain?
Take all of your thoughts into account and incorporate them on your elopement day.
Once you’ve decided on a venue, talk to your photographer about the best time to elope.
They have most likely photographed at the site you’re interested in and will be able to advise you on the ideal time of year to visit for the perfect experience and memories to look back on.
Although few people realize it, this should really be done after the first step. Let me explain why.
If you’re planning an elopement, you should choose an elopement photographer rather than a wedding photographer.
Elopement photographers have many different experiences that they can share with their clients.
They may, for example, assist you with selecting a site and date, creating timelines, obtaining permits and licenses, understanding outdoor safety, developing backup plans, and adhering to leave no trace standards.
Traditional wedding photographers, on the other hand, will be able to photograph your wedding, but they will not be able to assist you with the planning for your elopement.
We at Rocker in love (a family of elopement photographers) can capture the most special moments and vibrant emotions of your wedding party. Let’s discuss your dream wedding!
After you’ve decided on a venue and a date, contact all of the vendors you’d like to work with for your elopement.
A florist, hair and beauty artist, officiant, caterer, planner, and other professionals can be included.
There are dozens of other options you can look into, just to be prepared.
Your best bet will be to hire vendors who are local to the area.
They’ll be familiar with the location, the weather, and other details.
This way, they can capture the authenticity of the moment.
It’s important to get in touch with vendors as soon as possible.
We have already done the work of separating some vendors for you.
Although the traditional notion of elopement is that of drive-thru wedding chapels in Vegas- it doesn’t have to always be that way.
While remaining surrounded by your closest relatives and friends, you can have the romantic, natural elopement that you truly desire.
Your wedding day can be whatever you dream of.
Keep in mind that depending on your guests’ physical abilities and ages, you may need to adjust your location to suit the crowd.
Another alternative that Rocker in love offers couples is an adventure session before or after their wedding ceremony—exchange vows in front of family and captures all the beautiful moments while at it.
By doing so, you get to have a taste of both worlds during the ceremony. You may still share your day while still creating a private adventure you’ll never forget!
Choosing where to stay and what to do can be another enjoyable aspect of planning an elopement.
Don’t forget to book your lodging after you’ve purchased your flight tickets and rented a car (if necessary).
The majority of our couples prefer to stay in hotels or Airbnb.
It is entirely up to you to make your decision!
You can even have your elopement while camping! whatever you want to make work, works!
Now that you’re getting closer to eloping, it’s time to purchase your special outfit and gather all of your personal essentials.
When choosing your wedding dress, keep in mind the date and location of your wedding.
Is it going to be cold, hot, rainy, or humid?
Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather so you can enjoy the entire event.
No, you don’t have to wear a dress, suit, romper, jumpsuit, or anything else if you don’t want to.
The best thing about elopements is that they are completely personal, so you can wear whatever you want and enjoy yourself nonetheless.
This is also an excellent time to get all of the finishing touches, such as shoes, hair accessories, rings, and so on. All of these touches can be integrated into your elopement day and photographed.
Okay, this portion might not be the most entertaining or enticing as the others, but it’s the most crucial and necessary.
This phase entails obtaining all of the appropriate documentation, such as a marriage license and special usage permission, to make your elopement legal.
This permit essentially grants you permission to hold a ceremony on the park’s property and lets the park know that you will keep to all of the park’s rules.
Invite your family to your first look if you’re eloping with them!
Some couples’ first intimate, emotional experience as a couple on their wedding day is this, and it results in some incredible reactions!
To enjoy the best of both worlds you can plan a reception with your most loved ones.
You can keep your outdoor wedding modest and private, then hold a second ceremony or just a celebration for family and friends later! (If you did not know, this is the most sought-after option among couples.)
Again, the choice is yours… Perhaps you’d like to exchange your private vows with your spouse in nature first, and then exchange more traditional vows in your second family ceremony.
Perhaps you only want one small ceremony, but you’d like your family to be present for the cake cutting and the first dance.
It’s liberating to be able to show your love in a non-conforming fashion, which is one of the main reasons to elope.
You don’t need to have the perfect poise or practice your smile, when you let go of the idea that your wedding has to include x, y, and z, you open up the world of possibilities for how you want to celebrate.
You want your wedding day to be an accurate reflection of you as a couple, your shared values, and who you are.
For many couples, a lavish, traditional wedding isn’t enough and it doesn’t have to be.
Elopements allow you to shift the focus away from a public performance in front of everyone you know and toward a day that is solely about you and your commitment to each other, as well as what you want your day to be.
You don’t want to take religious oaths?
You don’t agree with some patriarchal wedding customs?
Then you can skip them. Eloping implies that you may personalize everything, from what you say, to what you do on the day, to where you say ‘yes.’
Because of the intimacy of the guest list, eloping eliminates the need to be concerned about offending individuals who are not on the guest list.
An elopement is a celebration of your relationship’s bond. We believe that instead of being one of the most hectic and potentially anxiety-inducing days of your life, your wedding day should be one of the most pleasurable and favorite days of your life.
Eloping allows you to be very deliberate in deciding where you will say “we do” in the most precious of settings on the planet.
It can be somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit or somewhere you already have in your heart.
The restrictions for getting married in the wild, on the beach, or even while scuba diving on a coral reef differ from country to country, so traveling further could open up more opportunities for getting married in the wild… or on the beach… or even while scuba diving on a coral reef.
You won’t be able to do that in Ohio.
What memories will you remember when you look back on your wedding day in ten years… perhaps thirty years?
Will wedding favors be the culprit? What about the table settings?
You know that three-course meal you bought for a hundred people?
No!
We can’t say for sure, but we’re willing to bet that the first joyful kiss with your spouse, feeling wonderful in your dress or suit, and connecting hands watching the sunset after trekking to the top of a mountain are among the memories that come flooding back.
What matters are your emotions and the memories you get to make on your wedding day.
Eloping allows you to pare down your wedding to just the things that matter to you.
A trip to somewhere spectacular, a dress that will make you feel like a queen, and a photographer who will capture memories that you will cherish for the rest of your lives.
You can spend the time and energy on yourself rather than trying to gratify others.
This is one of the most common reasons for our couples to elope.
Giving a speech and completing the first dance in front of a crowd might be stressful and upsetting if you prefer to avoid being the center of attention.
Eloping relieves you of that enormous burden, allowing you to concentrate on enjoying an intimate experience in which you can fully be yourself and relax from the stress of being on the stage.
An elopement day is all excitement and no stress, as opposed to feeling scared and anxious on your wedding day, wanting to get parts of it over with before you can rest.
Weddings are filled with tradition, some of which you may enjoy and others which you may not.
Many of these rituals are usual and even expected at a regular wedding, but you may object to being ‘given away’ from one man to another, believe that tossing a bouquet does not empower your female friends, or simply dislike the color white.
Not everyone wants those traditions and it’s okay to move forward and change to what you enjoy and desire for your wedding.
One of the essential reasons for us to elope is this.
Eloping with your partner will have a much less environmental impact than a grand wedding, which will surely generate trash in the form of leftover food, plastic packaging, and decorations, no matter how much you try to regulate the guests and their gathered trash.
Elopements have a much lesser carbon footprint, something many 2023 couples seek as their wedding’s green credentials become more important to them.
Eloping also allows you to connect with the nature you immerse yourself in by taking you somewhere tranquil and significant to you.
Because you only invite those closest to you to an elopement, the important phrase is ‘specifically limited.’ It could just be your parents, your closest family, and a few close friends.
It could just be you. It does not matter as long as you are comfortable and happy with the option you and your partner have chosen
A wedding is usually attended by a much larger number of guests and you might not even know everyone at your wedding as a couple. People usually bring a +1 to a wedding. As a result, you will undoubtedly meet new individuals at your wedding. Which can be a stressful thing sometimes for you.
In general, an elopement necessitates less planning than a wedding. There are fewer participants. However, you may still need to book lodging, a ceremony site, and a few additional wedding vendors.
Because weddings are larger events with more people to arrange, they require a lot of planning. Assume your wedding will be attended by 150 people.
You must prepare invitations and follow up with attendees to verify whether they are genuinely coming just for your guests.
You may be required to provide lodging recommendations, as well as directions and parking information.
There will be seating for 150 persons at the event, as well as 150 programs.
Umbrellas, parasols, and blankets for people may be required if you are outside. After the ceremony, there will be water or drinks.
Seating plans, name cards, place settings, wedding favors, dietary requirements, tables and chairs for 150 people, canapes for 150 people, beverages for 150 people, three-course meals for 150 people, plus flowers and decorations for each table and the space are all things you’ll need for the reception.
At the conclusion of the night, you may need to organize buses for your visitors. The sum of this is, you need to be prepared.
Usually, the only ceremony that takes place during an elopement is the formal marriage ceremony. It’s quite simple and straightforward.
Most wedding customs are abandoned, with the exception of exchanging rings, and the day becomes more about the couple and their close bond.
Weddings include a number of ceremonies that you may not be aware of.
Then there’s the marriage ceremony itself.
The best man, maid of honor, father of the bride, father of the groom, and the wedding couple all give speeches at the reception.
Perhaps even more.
The cake cutting, father-daughter dance, first dance, garter and bouquet throw, and a goodbye arch are all included.
Then, depending on what nation and religion you and your family are from, you may have to complete various cultural things.
Elopements can happen in any location.
Only your imagination is a constraint. You can get married at the registrar’s office or at your favorite park, lake, beach, forest, or mountaintop.
All you have to do now is secure permission (in writing) and hold your ceremony.
When it comes to weddings, you’re frequently constrained in terms of where you can hold them logistically.
You must be able to attract 100 or more people to a specific place.
You may also have to deal with transportation, parking, lodging, accessibility for the elderly, child safety, and restroom facilities, among other things.
When there are more people engaged, it’s easy to see how your options narrow dramatically.
When you elope, you actually spend more time together.
When couples elope, they usually stay together for the night.
They have breakfast together in the morning.
They can even get ready together. They spend the remainder of the afternoon and evening together following that.
You’re together almost all of the time, if not all of the time.
In a more conventional wedding, normally the bride and groom sleep in separate rooms.
They each spent the morning with their own wedding parties and see each other at the wedding ceremony in the afternoon.
They are busy all night at the wedding reception attempting to talk to and thank all of their guests.
So you’ll spend a surprising amount of time away from the person you’re marrying at a wedding than what you may have thought originally.
There are numerous parallels between weddings and elopements.
The most important thing is spending time with your loved ones and marrying the love of your life.
Those are the things that will never change. However, it is critical for couples to select the best option for them.
There is no such thing as right or wrong.
They are simply different and serve distinct purposes, like finding the right piece to a puzzle; you just need to find the right piece for your puzzle.
So, hopefully, this information has assisted you in determining the differences and determining which option is best for you.
You deserve to have the wedding of your dreams, and your wedding photographs should reflect you, your spouse, and your love.
Contact us to discuss your ideal wedding!
Authors of the book collection “Wedding Tour“, we photograph weddings, cherishing the most beautiful love stories and diverse celebrations.
Our deep love for adventure and curiosity brings a sense of wonder in our work; capturing the truest moments, emotions and personalities to give you an experience to remember and make you smile.
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We’re here for you. Being a photographer who specializes in elopements and intimate weddings invariably means we’ve got all the information you need to plan your incredible, perfect day!
