Should I have an Elopement or Wedding?!

The term elopement is a buzzword right now but so many people aren’t sure what that means or what it entails! This post is going to dive into all of that: what an elopement is, how to elope, where to elope, and what to do if you want the best of both worlds. By the end of this post, you should know if an elopement or wedding better suits your love story!

What is an Elopement?

Interestingly enough, the word “elope” has changed it’s meaning over recent years! Where it used to imply running away to get married without parental approval, now it has shifted to more of a “small destination wedding” meaning (check out this article, it’s actually pretty interesting!) instead. Nowadays, an elopement typically consists of the two love birds getting married, an officiant, a photographer, and maybe one to two more witnesses. Sometimes the photographer is also the officiant, sometimes a witness! The number of people required to be there all depends on the state you wish to get married in.

Some states, like Colorado, self-solemnization is allowed too; this means you don’t need anyone else there to make it official! Be sure to check out the list of states that allow self-solemnization at the end of this post!

If you want more than three to five other people there, it tends to leave the realm of eloping and heads into the territory of micro-wedding. What’s a micro-wedding? We’ll dive into that next.

How to Elope?

How to elope all depends on where you wish to say your vows! While the possibilities are endless with elopements, planning is still required even if it involves far less people than the traditional route. The first thing to decide is how many people are you having? How many people are required to be there for it to be legal? How many extra people do you want? Once you’ve answered those questions, I’d recommend working through this next list of things to consider:

• Do we want to hike to our ceremony location? If so, how long of a hike do we want?

• Are there any mobility issues for those in attendance?

• Do we want to bring our dog(s)?

• Do we want to travel or do we want to stay closer to home?

• Are permits required?

• Will weather or time of year impact if we can access our location?

• Are florals allowed where we’re going? Pro tip: live or dried florals are not allowed in the Redwoods!

While this may seem like a lot to consider, the truth is that your elopement still deserves (and requires) attention to details like this. Have no fear though, as your elopement photographer, I help you answer all of these! Once we nail down some of these questions, I send you a personalized and tailored-to-you location guide with all the options for the area(s) you’re considering for your ceremony. This includes hikes, locations, accommodations, vendor recs, and more.

For the legalities, it all depends state by state what the legal requirements are to get married. Since I’m a Washington elopement photographer, I’ll focus on the PNW, California, and the popular surrounding adventure states. A marriage license must be obtained prior to the ceremony and completed by the following:

Oregon: An officiant and two witnesses.

Washington: An officiant and two witnesses.

California: An officiant and at least one witness.

Idaho: An officiant, no witnesses required.

Montana: Self-solemnization is allowed for anyone by filing a Declaration of Marriage. Otherwise, an officiant and two witnesses are required for a marriage license.

Wyoming: An officiant and two witnesses.

Colorado: Self-solemnization is allowed for anyone. You can even have your dog sign with their paw print!

Utah: An officiant and two witnesses.

Why an Elopement or Wedding?

So why do people choose to elope? It’s not because they’re runaway brides anymore! People choose to elope for a multitude of reasons! Here are some big deciding factors when choosing to have an elopement or wedding:

• Intention! Couples who elope value the intention in smaller ceremonies. They aren’t doing anything because it’s the “norm,” or what they’re expected to do. They want their day to be about their love, what they want, and what feels right for their relationship. There’s a freedom in eloping and everything you do is based on intention.

• Intimacy and privacy! Is there anything more romantic than saying your personal vows, just the two of you, with only Mount Rainier standing witness? Or on the cliffs of the Oregon Coast? The ability to be more intimate and authentic opens up tenfold when you don’t have the eyes of a hundred people watching as you stand center of attention.

• Cost! Don’t get me wrong, there are still some expenses when you elope. Your photographer, Airbnb, permits, florals, and food are just a couple of expenses you may face. However, a nice cottage for a couple of days, romantic dinner for the two of you, florals for one bouquet, and a hundred dollar permit (only sometimes!), is significantly cheaper than a full blown wedding.

Elopement or Wedding? Or Both?

Okay so now you know how to elope and why people elope but the big question still remains: do you have an elopement or a wedding? I think it’s important to consider all of the things discussed above. Start with your why. Why are you considering it? Are there any non negotiables? Is it crucial that you guys are married in an adventurous sort of way? Do you value nature and want to say “I do” as the sun comes up? For those that answer yes to those, an elopement may be more up your alley. Do you want your grandparents to witness your nuptials? Your college besties? Then a more traditional route is probably better suited.

But what if you want both? I’m a firm believer that you should have it all on your big day, whatever that looks like. I totally get wanting to include more than just a couple witnesses, and understand that it may be really hard to pick just two people. One thing I really love is the idea of doing a private ceremony, followed by meeting with your closest ten to twenty people at an Airbnb or local restaurant. That way, you still have the privacy and intimacy of an elopement, but you can still incorporate your closest family and friends afterwards. A micro-wedding is another option! Think traditional, but on a much smaller scale. Micro-weddings typically incorporate all the things a traditional wedding would: ceremony, cocktail hour, formal photos, dinner, followed by reception. But the guest count is significantly smaller! Micro-weddings only have around 30-50 people in attendance so it feels way more intimate but still incorporates tradition.

Where to Elope?

So you’ve decided to elope! AWESOME! But lost on where to go? The world is quite literally your oyster so I understand that it can be overwhelming deciding on where to say your vows. Think about either what landscape means a lot to you two, or what sort of landscape you want to see forever when you look back at your elopement or wedding photos. Here are some bucket list locations in both the United States and abroad!

United States:

• Mount Rainier National Park

• Big Sur, California

• Redwoods National Forest

• Glacier National Park

• Jackson Hole, Wyoming

• San Juan Mountains

• Grand Teton National Park

• North Cascades National Park

• Capitol Reef National Park

• Moab

Abroad:

• Portofino

• Amalfi Coast

• Dolomites

• Santorini

• Sintra, Portugal

• Croatia

• Thailand

• Switzerland

There’s so many possibilities out there! Need help deciding? Once you’re booked with me, I can help you decide on whether to have an elopement or wedding, where to have your vows, and nail down all the fine details to make your day perfect. Interested in learning more? Contact me here! Want to see what I’ve been up to lately? Check out my recent work!

Let’s make some magic, shall we?