How to Elope
San Diego Bridal Shoot
The definition of an elopement has changed. Instead of two people running off together as many people in the past have thought. An elopement is in reality a beautifully intimate ceremony that is focused on what is most important - you two.
Now if you find yourself on this page, you most likely are like me, wishing for something special on your wedding day. Wanting something truly intimate that only eloping can bring you. Let me give you the good news, by actually searching it and reading this page you’re getting started! CONGRATS!
Eloping is an intimate wedding ceremony that
focuses solely on the special relationship
between you and the one you love.
You, like me, probably fell in love with a picture you saw on Instagram of a couple eloping in the mountains somewhere in Colorado and instantly realized you wanted/needed something as special and epic as that for your big day. You probably have a TON of questions now though as to how you can actually make your eloping dreams come true.
I remember before I eloped with my husband I had a ton of questions as well. My main concerns were:
Can we elope by ourselves or who can officiate my wedding?
How can we do this without offending our loved ones?
What would our little ceremony entail?
Where the heck can I even elope?
If I bring some family and friends along will it still be considered eloping?
After having to figure all of this out on my own, I figured it would do me some good to share what I learned.
Emily and Ty Wedding Floral
Can we elope by ourselves or who can officiate my wedding?
To answer the first portion of the question, that completely depends on your state. For example, in Colorado you can have a self-solemnizing ceremony, in Utah you need the traditional officiant and two witnesses… I could go on. But there is a way to get around some of these restrictions. To make things a little easier for you, I am an ordained officiant! I can absolutely be your officiant/photographer, I just am legally obligated to say a few sentences and BOOM you’re married. You can have the intimate vow exchange of your dreams! So you have your officiant and in some states you have to have witnesses too. Well good news, witnesses are easy to find. Anyone you come across on your wedding day can be a witness! Whether it be someone you find hiking down from your ceremony or whether it’s a family member you see later that day. If that doesn’t suit your fancy there are other options.
If you want to, you can have anyone you like perform the ceremony. Becoming an ordained officiant is easier than ever nowadays. With a few clicks anyone you like can become officiate your ceremony.
At the end of the day this day is about you. Whatever your vision is, I am here to help! I just want you to be able to have a special day like I was able to have :)
How can we elope without offending our loved ones?
Ok so I have both good and bad news. Good news is that by eloping you’re staying true to who you both are as a couple. You’ll have something special, almost sacred, to look back on for years to come. Bad news is that eloping without offending anyone is impossible. There will always be someone a little put off by the fact that you’re going and doing this, but at the end of the day you are the most important thing on your big day.
Something that I noticed is that once my family members realized the motives behind my decision they were very supportive! Those that didn’t immediately get on the happy train were cool with it once they got a little time and perspective into my relationship with my husband.
Deciding to elope is a big step, and sometimes a difficult one, but let me tell you it is SO worth it.
What would our little ceremony entail?
This is literally the best part of an elopement. There aren’t any norms or traditions holding you back from doing things exactly the way you two want to do them. Here are some examples of things you can do:
An intimate vow exchange. Writing your own vows can add a personal touch to your day and help bring the focus back to the love you two share.
Exchanging rings or whatever you want to to represent the love that bonds you together.
A first dance. Imagine after you say I do, dancing in the mountains with your new Mr. or Mrs.!
A personalized ceremony designed by you! On your day the sky is the limit. If you have always envisioned your ceremony a certain way, go for it! There’s nothing holding you back now!
These are just some examples, but your day can go however you would like it to go!
Where the heck can I even elope?
This is the super fun part of the process. You can elope ANYWHERE! Like I previously mentioned, every state/country has its own rules regarding elopements. But with every rule, there is a way to get around it! It all depends on you and your love! Do you see yourself getting married in the mountains? on the beach? in the U.S.? out of the U.S.? Pick wherever you both feel fits you!
As a photographer I have scouted many spots too and would love to help you decide where to perform the ceremony if you’d like as well! If you need any help you can reach out to me through either my email or my cell :) I’m here to help!
If I bring some family and friends along will it still be considered eloping?
Of course! I usually don’t take pictures at an event with more than 20 people, but there isn’t some kind of magic number where you go from eloping to having a normal wedding. This day is yours and if having your family and close friends there will make it more special, go for it!
You have a lot of options here. Your big day will be special as long as it is how you envisioned it being.
You can go on an adventure with just you two (and me hehe).
You can bring along some of your loved ones
You can pick out someone to officiate your ceremony as well as two witnesses
As long as you’re happy, I’ll roll with it!
ok…
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics, what’s holding you back from getting married the way you want to?!
