If you have a certain date in mind, say the anniversary of the day you both first met, then start contacting your dream team and finding that perfect location as soon as you can! Prevent getting stuck on your wedding day by starting on your vows a few months in advance. ️If you are traveling for your elopement, make sure to read through my elopement packing checklist. Add to the checklist and take off what doesn’t work for you. Find the type of rings that speak to your personality. Get on the same page here, and quickly. You deserve to feel great on your day so your elopement photographer can capture your glow. Set the date! Eloping in Moab in the Summer is doable but may be way more miserable than doing it in the Spring when temperatures are lower. Read on to see how you can get started with this elopement checklist. The beauty of eloping is that they are completely unique to you and your partner. To keep it simple, determine where you want to eat after the ceremony and then set a reminder to make a reservation at least a week before your wedding day. Socially-Distant Wedding Shower, How to Allocate Your Budget for a Micro-Wedding, How to Transform Your House for an At-Home Wedding, How to Use Digital RSVPs to Plan Your Virtual Wedding. You may travel to a new national park and go on a hike. Maybe you are backpacking to say “I do” on a mountain top at sunrise. This will inform your options for many of the following steps. note in lieu of a formal announcement may incur negative reactions from your loved ones. The greatest part of your elopement, apart from getting married to your love, will be the adventures you embark on. Use this elopement checklist as a starting point for planning your own elopement! They don’t have to be the typical stainless steel, gold, or diamond mix. Find fabric that won’t weigh you down. You can also reserve a rental car and start researching local sights and activities you want to explore during your stay. Elopement planners are great at helping you both achieve your vision and inspiring you with new ideas. Get creative. Use this elopement timeline to outline a loose timeline for your day! On your elopement day you can choose to either do your own hair + makeup, or hire a professional to do it for you. Inform loved ones who weren’t at your ceremony about the happy news by creating an elopement announcement. Find someone who’s photography speaks to you, who’s soul you can vibe with, and who has the tools to make your day authentic and unique. In states like Colorado you don’t need an officiant, but in states like Utah you need an officiant and two witnesses. You’ve chosen to skip the big wedding in favor of an elopement. A planner can be a great option if you don’t really know where to start or don’t want to put all the stress of planning your day on yourself. Dream and conceptualize. If you don’t want to use the reserved officiant, begin researching others in the area or ask a loved one if they’d do the honors. Elopement attire is completely up to your own creativity on your elopement day. However, if that’s what you are into the go for it! After eloping, it will be time to eat, drink, and be married! Photo by Myrtle Creative Co. This consists of big picture considerations such as where to elope, whether you want a traditional wedding or something more offbeat, and anything else you and your fiancé are dreaming of for your big day. You can choose to skip the stress by getting your hair + makeup done by a pro. An elopement is by definition an exclusive affair, and therefore a simple "We got married!" How magical is that? Friends or family can get ordained through the Universal Life Church through an easy process. Consider one of the many extraordinary city halls and courthouses sprinkled across the US. Read through the list of elopement items you can't forget This is high on the elopement planning checklist for good reason. Bailey Gaddis is a travel writer at IntrepidTravelTribe.com and author of Feng Shui Mommy: Creating Balance and Harmony for Blissful Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood. If you elope just the two of you, you can totally just go and eat out on your wedding day. You can choose to work with a florist local to your elopement location, or a floral artist that you adore. As your photographer and guide I  will be with you every step of the way in planning your dream elopement, and you can rely on me to carry the stoke level high. Use this elopement checklist as a starting point for planning your own elopement! Many city halls and courthouses are perfect for hosting simple elopements. Don’t let that deter you. Your marriage license declares that you are officially married! Your email address will not be published. Getting to experience nature with your partner is such a treat, so you can’t really go wrong with any of the public land spaces that there are to choose from. While it may make it legal, a document doesn’t tell you the date of your anniversary. You can also decide to choose colors that compliment the area you are eloping in and help you stand out. (And with Joy’s Save the Date feature, this process is a breeze. Live music may be important to you for your wedding day, and just because you are eloping does not mean you can’t hire a musician or small band! Any outdoor place that requires a ceremony permit typically needs three weeks to process your permit. Opting for an elopement package can be helpful toward creating a luxurious, stress-free experience. While many of the locations offering elopements already provide an officiant, you often have the option of hiring and bringing along your own. Get excited on planning your greatest adventure yet! While this decision dissolves many of the checklist items for most weddings, there are still a variety of tasks to carry out to help ensure your elopement is everything you desire. Go on an adventure. When choosing the type of food you want to eat, think local and find what sounds yummy to you! You also might as well give your fiancé a little nudge. The possibilities for adventure are endless, but it’s most important that you choose something that brings you and your partner joy. The first thing on your elopement checklist should be finding a photographer. Florals can be a nice pop of color that can make you both smile and bring a little life to your day! Once you choose an elopement location, it’s a good idea to research elopement packages. Rainier is possible May through September, but would be way too dangerous in the Winter. While many elopers like to do their own hair and makeup, others enjoy the luxury of being glammed up by professionals. A photographer who specializes as an adventure wedding photographer or elopement photographer can ensure to create the magic you are looking for. The page you are looking for no longer exists. Music is an essential part of elopement planning, as it has the power to completely transform a wedding ceremony. These are the photos you will look back on for years to come to remember your greatest adventure yet, so it is important to me that your story is a well told one. A black suit is snazzy against orange sandstone. You’ve chosen to skip the big wedding in favor of an elopement. Blues can be beautiful in the snow. Let’s be real though, who doesn’t like being pampered a bit? After receiving your wedding photos, decide on your best photo, use it to design a simple card, and send it off to your nearest and dearest. So in elopement checklist step 1, you picked a general type of elopement location. You certainly don’t need to complete them ASAP, but it can be helpful to start making notes and researching any poems, Bible verses, or compositions you want to include. The following To-Dos will be much easier to navigate after this brainstorming session. I hope that you can use this guide to feel inspired. Below is a list of vendors that you can choose to add to your team. Learn more about eloping and how it works here! If you are planning an adventure elopement then that means that you are going for a hike. If not, look into local florists. If you enjoy my work and want to book me for your elopement please get in touch! Give them an idea of what types of elopement locations speak to you. If you find a winner, make sure to carefully read the guidelines, as some have numerous hoops to jump through before you can say “I do.”. You can keep the tradition of wearing a white dress, or you can choose any color from the rainbow. Whatever your adventure, location is key. If you are feeling stuck or need inspiration have your planner or photographer help you out! While this decision dissolves many of the checklist items for most weddings, there are still a variety of tasks to carry out to help ensure your elopement is everything you desire. You don’t even have to wear a dress. Avoid added stress by allotting more time than you think may be necessary for each activity – no one enjoys rushing. However, if you’re hoping to keep the elopement a secret from other loved ones, be sure to let the invitees know you’d like to keep the wedding hush-hush for now. ELOPEMENT CHECKLIST. The next step of the elopement checklist is finding a location that speaks to you. Get excited on planning your greatest adventure yet! Whether you need a wedding dress, a tux, a simple cream-colored dress, or just some linen pants and a white shirt, now is the time to decide on and purchase your attire. I recommend reading up on the marriage license rules in the state you plan to elope in, and ask your planner or photographer if you have any questions. When choosing your elopement date you can decide whether you want to be flexible or not. Here’s the thing with elopements – people usually elope and get married quick(ly)(er) specifically because they don’t want to deal with actually planning a WEDDING. Figure out what’s the most important to you and your partner. Or, you can try finding it by using the search form below. Make it your own. I hope it can help inspire you to find if eloping is right for you and give you ideas on what you can include in your wedding day. Your elopement checklist is ready! Are you going to get wet? Because of this, it’s essential to have fun while planning your elopement! This search should help you narrow down the options and settle on your perfect site. You’re on the right track. Maybe it’s a place you always wanted to explore, a place where you first met or had your first date, or a place that you just truly love. Your photographer will be able to help guide you to the best time to adventure in your dream elopement location. Depending on the amount of guests for your wedding day, you may want to choose between a caterer or a private chef. Crazy right? Your wedding day should be about you and your love- not expectations. Makeup artists can even tag along on your adventure to keep your makeup + hair looking fresh after a long hike or surprise weather! Instead of using it to send a traditional Save the Date announcement, you can customize it to simply share the news of your elopement digitally and via print.). Don’t let the legality of it all ever deter you from eloping when and where you want to. So to make your journey to ‘I do’ as enjoyable and simple as possible, here is our complete 21-step elopement checklist. Your rings should be a beautiful reflection of yourselves.