Everyone knows how a large, traditional wedding works. It’s the norm, but this new generation is a little different. Now, we are saying no to the type of weddings that our parents and grandparents had and putting a larger emphasis on ourselves and the relationship we have with our partner. We want more intimacy and to be able to be vulnerable when we read our vows. We don’t want to spend our money on huge cakes and a floral arrangement for 30 different tables, but experiences instead.
Intimate weddings and elopements are becoming increasingly popular and the main reason behind it is our values are shifting. We are worrying less about putting on a show for 400 people and more about the experience of the couple themselves.
We don’t think having an elopement or small wedding should feel like a daunting task. It should be the most epic, stress free adventure of your lifetime. We want your wedding day to be more than one 8 hour photoshoot organized into a tight, hectic timeline. You should actually enjoy your wedding day. It’s 1000% possible.
This is exactly how we do it. Here are the 5 easy steps to planning your dream elopement/small wedding day:
1.) IMAGINE THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE: Before beginning to plan every single elopement/small, intimate wedding we encourage all of our couples to sit down together and imagine, individually, what the best day of their life would look like. If you could create your most perfect day with all of your favorite activities, favorite places, favorite foods. From sun up to sun down, what would you do? THEN, plan your elopement around that. Make it an entire experience. You have the freedom to do that when you’re having something smaller. Let me help you plan your perfect day, then get married during it.
This isn’t just an 8 hour photoshoot with a hectic timeline. We actually want you to enjoy this day and do the things you love. Many couples choose to hike, kayak, boat, or take a helicopter to their ceremony location. Some choose to go cliff jumping or rock climbing after their ceremony to celebrate their marriage. You can choose to have your reception at a brewery and your first dance by an old juke box. One of my personal favorites is a first dance under the stars. This day is meant to be filled with all of your favorite things and to be a true celebration and representation of you and your relationship. Be creative and do what makes you happy.
2.) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Just like buying a house, right? After you’ve sat down and imagined the best day of your life, now you can start narrowing down locations based on the type of experience and activities that you want to do while you’re there. Figure out what’s important to you. Do you want mountains, ocean, cliffs, lakes, or all of the above? Once you’ve decided on a broad location (e.g., Yosemite National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Amalfi Coast, Costa Rica, Big Sur) then, you can begin really looking more deeply at the best overlooks, views, and hiking trails if you’d like to include that in your day to find an exact location for your ceremony. We really love using Google Earth and the AllTrails app to find off the beaten path, beautiful locations that are lesser known to the public and more private. We’ll help you through every single step of this process and do all of the heavy lifting with your input. Once you have decided on a location, then we’ll provide recommendations based on the weather and peak tourism times for that location to determine the best time of the year to get married there.
We have been all over the world documenting elopements and small weddings. So, we got you! We’ll always choose a location and make a backup plan for another nearby location just in case. Often times, especially in the mountains, there will be bad weather in one area, but it’ll be perfect 1 hour away. So, we’ll find backup locations that aren’t too far away, but are at different elevations to assure that we’ll be good no matter what.
3.) PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER: I really recommend choosing a photographer and videographer first because we can help you SO much during the location search portion of your planning, but obviously I am a little biased because I am 1/2 of a husband and wife photography and videography team lol. Always keep in mind that you get literally one shot at capturing this wedding day. Because you are choosing to have a small amount of guests or possibly even no guests at all, these photos and videos are going to be even more important to you because you’ll want to show off this incredible experience to everyone that wasn’t there to witness it. Not to mention, you’re also going to be in a pretty badass location so you’ll want someone that you can trust to capture allll of the beauty that is your wedding day. I really recommend finding someone that not only does incredible work, but will also be your go to person to help with everything. You want someone that will research the area extensively and has a backup plan in place in case you need it. Example: Often times, during mountain weddings in the colder season, a large amount of snow comes in at higher elevations that closes roads and makes certain locations impossible to get to. Having a photographer and videographer that can be prepared and ready to make last minute changes in locations in situations like this is vital.
If you’re interested in having us document your outdoor, adventurous elopement or small wedding, then just hit the contact button below and we’ll get back to you asap! We’d be so stoked to help you plan your dream wedding day.
4.) PERMITS: Many outdoor locations, especially in national parks, require a permit process for weddings. Each and every area is different and I highly recommend calling the information station of that area for updated requirements. If you hire a photographer/videographer first, they may already know the requirements for the location that you’re interested in as this is a big part of our job. We personally do this really often, so we’re pretty well educated in the permit process for popular parks like Yosemite, Arches, Zion, Glacier, etc. The main thing is to be sure you are not skipping this part. It is an incredibly important step in how to have an amazing outdoor elopement or small wedding. These permits are in place to assure that the amount of people in each area is being monitored. Large groups often leave behind messes or destroy plants by walking on them. This is the parks way of protecting the areas. The fees also fund maintenance which is absolutely necessary to keep these areas beautiful. They are nowhere near the cost of a wedding venue and they help the parks tremendously.
5.) MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES: As you will more than likely be traveling to a new location for your elopement/small wedding, it’s very important that you research the marriage requirements for each state/location. Some states require witnesses, some do not. Some require officiants, some do not. They are all unique. Many eloping couples choose to do all of the paperwork and “officially” get married in their hometown beforehand and just travel to the location for their ceremony/wedding day. This is especially common when people choose to get married out of the country.
There are so many ways to create your perfect wedding day. We personally believe having a smaller wedding experience in one your favorite places is the best way to get married. It’s so romantic, personal, and stress-free. You can truly plan it however you’d like.
You can island hop around Greece, go cliff jumping on the Big Island in Hawaii. You can say your vows in private and have a ceremony with your family after, or not include your family at all.
This is your day!
Now you’re ready to make this a reality. You know how to elope or have the small wedding of your dreams.
If you want more information about booking us for your dream elopement/small wedding day, then we’d absolutely love to chat! Just fill out this form in the link below and we’ll make it happen.