Elopement Timeline Examples: How Much Time Do You Need for Your Elopement?
Years ago, elopements used to mean running off to get married in secret. Today, eloping is all about intentionality, meaningful experiences, and keeping the most valuable things at the forefront for your wedding day. There’s no rulebook telling you what you should or shouldn’t do, which means you get to decide what your elopement looks like!
That said, you may not know exactly how much time you’re going to need for your elopement. To help you figure that out, I’ve written out how long the various events of an elopement typically take, as well as a few example timelines so you can see exactly what your elopement day could look like.
How Long is a Typical Elopement?
All elopements are unique to each couple and the amount of time you spend on a certain activity can vary greatly. But generally speaking, here’s how long the most common events of an elopement day usually take:
Getting Ready — 1 to 2 hours
First Look — 5 to 20 minutes
Exchange Gifts — 5 to 30 minutes
Ceremony & Vow Exchange — 5 to 60 minutes
First Dance — 5 minutes
Photos With Guests (skip if it’s just the two of you) — 10 to 45 minutes (depending on size of group)
Couple Photos — 2-3 hours (I like to spread this time out throughout the whole day so it’s not all at once!)
Meals — 1 to 2 hours (depending on the length of the day; be sure to include extra time for setup and prep if you’re not having someone else handle that such as a private chef or family/friends)
Activities — As little or as much time as you want! (I usually recommend no less than 1 hour)
Reception or Celebratory Meal/Gathering — 1 to 3 hours
Transitions and Buffer Times — 10 to 15 minutes
Bathroom Breaks — No specific time allotted; just remember we’ll all need them! (and so will your guests!)
So in theory, if you were to do the shortest version of each of these events and add 10 minutes per event for transitions, you’d be looking at about an 8 hour day. When comparing that to a traditional wedding timeline, you’re pretty much right on par with how most couples structure their wedding day as far as how much time they book. In fact, many weddings are closer to 10-12 hours (sometimes more) due to traditional elements such as bridal party photos and long receptions.
Of course, all elopements are different and certain activities may hold more value to you than others, but keep in mind that your elopement day is just as important as a traditional wedding. You deserve all the time you need to make it special, stress-free, and blissful. If that means 8 hours is the perfect amount of time for you, wonderful! If you’re thinking “There’s no way we could possibly include everything we want to do in that timeframe” then don’t worry! I offer elopement packages from 4 hours to multiple days so you can have your very own perfect adventure.
Can Our Elopement Be More Than One Day?
100% yes! Whether you want to explore as much of the landscape as humanly possible or you’d like to split up your coverage so you can see the sunset that night and sunrise the next morning, you can absolutely spend more than one day eloping. It can be two days, four days, or even a week! There’s no limits when it comes to the way you get married.
You can even have one day for just the two of you and the next to spend with your loved ones! This kind of elopement gives you a well-rounded experience so you can have the privacy of a “just us” elopement while also getting to include your favorite humans.
What Activities Should We Do?
Your elopement day is all about you, and you can do whatever you want! There are truly no limits to the kind of activities you can include in your elopement.
My advice is to include things that you already enjoy doing with one another or something new you’d like to try together! Here are some activities you could include:
Hiking
Backpacking
Rock climbing
Ice climbing
Kayaking, canoeing, or paddle boarding
Hammocking
Cliff jumping
Swimming
Off-roading
Scenic drive
Bike-riding
Horseback riding
Helicopter tour
Soak in a hot spring or your Airbnb’s hot tub
Snowmobiling, snowshoeing, or skiing
Exploring waterfalls
Wildlife viewing
Have a picnic or candlelit meal provided by a private chef
Pop champagne or sparkling water
Play with sparklers
Run around on the beach
Build and snuggle up beside a campfire
Stargazing
Camping
Whether you want to keep things simple or go all out, there are activities out there for everyone! Remember the activities for your elopement are just one portion of your experience, and you don’t have to fill your day with exciting activities if you’d like to keep things more traditional. All elopements are perfect in their own way, and what matters is that you have fun and enjoy the things you include!
We want spontaneity. Won’t a timeline make our day feel too structured?
Would you believe me if I said spontaneity can actually be a part of your timeline? Growing up watching a lot of early 2000s rom-coms once led me to believe a wedding day had no room for that sort of thing. Before I started working with eloping couples, I thought a timeline meant a wedding day with a strict, rigid, stressful vibe. They always seemed to portray a bossy wedding planner with a headset and clipboard ordering people around (which is totally off-base for the coordinators I’ve met, by the way. They’re some wonderful humans). But, when I started crafting timelines for my eloping couples, I realized the more time you have available to you to enjoy your day, the less stress you’ll experience and the more freedom you’ll have to have a “go with the flow” type of experience.
Having an elopement timeline is simply a way to ensure everything you want to include receives the right amount of attention. It helps everything stay on track (especially when you have guests present) so you can enjoy each part of your elopement day fully. It’s creating a loose order of events that can be shifted around as needed, and leaving room for flexibility.
The whole purpose of a timeline is to give you the space you need to truly soak in all of those special moments, without having to stress or worry if you’re running behind. It’s less about making sure each event happens down to the minute, and more of a guideline to keep the energy of the day flowing. The timing of some events matters more than others, like if you’re envisioning a specific sunset photo at a certain location. Making sure we’re not too late to catch the sun is easily achieved by having a timeline. The best part is: I do all of that research in the planning phase and will write the whole thing for you!
12 Hour Full Day Elopement Timeline Example (With Guests)
5:00am — Meet at cabin for details/getting ready photos
6:00am — Sunrise first look outside the cabin
6:30am — Drive to ceremony site to meet family/friends
7:00am — Arrive at ceremony site
7:30am — Ceremony
8:00am — Ceremony wraps up
8:15am — Photos with family/friends
8:45am — Family heads to cabin to set up for brunch
9:00am — Head down the road to portrait location
9:15am — Couples portraits
10:00am — Drive back to cabin for brunch celebration with family/friends
10:30am — Celebratory brunch
12:00pm — Photography coverage wraps up for midday break
MIDDAY BREAK
3:30pm — Head back into park for an easy hike to an overlook
5:15pm — Take a few portraits with the view
5:30pm — Picnic dinner overlooking park
7:00pm — Head out for sunset
7:30pm — Sunset portraits
8:00pm — Blue hour portraits/star photos
8:30pm — Wrap up the day
Read this blog post on how to include your family in your elopement!
8 Hour Sunrise Hiking Elopement Timeline Example (No Guests)
4:15am — Meet at trailhead in national park, begin 1.5 mile hike out
5:45am — Arrive at ceremony site, couple changes into wedding attire
6:00am — Sunrise first look
6:15am — Take some portraits
6:45am — Wrap up portraits, picnic breakfast
7:15am — Hike 1.5 miles back out to trailhead
8:45am — Drive up the road to ceremony location
9:00am — Ceremony
9:30am — Ceremony wraps up
9:45am — First dance
10:00am — Read letters from family and friends
10:30am — Picnic brunch & champagne pop
12:00pm — Photos with national park entrance sign
12:15pm — Photography coverage wraps up
8 Hour Canoeing Elopement Timeline Example (No Guests)
12:00pm — Meet at cabin for details/getting ready photos
12:45pm — Vow writing
1:00pm — Get dressed and set up for first look
1:45pm — First look
2:00pm — Drive to ceremony location
2:30pm — Arrive at ceremony location
2:45pm — Ceremony begins
3:00pm — Ceremony wraps up
3:15pm — Walk to nearby fallen tree, set up to make camp stove coffee and pre-packed snacks
3:45pm — Enjoy celebratory lattes and read congratulations letters from family/friends
4:15pm — Drive to nearby canoeing location
4:30pm — Arrive at canoeing location, unload canoes from vehicle
6:00pm — Wrap up canoeing, load up canoes on vehicle
6:30pm — Sunset portraits next to lake
7:00pm — Head back to cabin for dinner
7:30pm — Candlelit meal provided by private chef
8:45pm — First dance by candlelight
9:00pm — Photography coverage wraps up
6 Hour Off-Roading Elopement Timeline Example (No Guests)
3:00pm — Meet at Airbnb for detail/getting ready photos
3:45pm — Head out to OHV trailhead
4:15pm — Arrive at trailhead & begin off-roading
5:45pm — Wrap up off-roading, explore landscape & take some portraits
6:15pm — Head out to ceremony location
6:45pm — Arrive at trailhead, hike to ceremony site
7:00pm — Arrive at ceremony site, ceremony begins
7:15pm — Ceremony wraps up, take golden hour portraits
7:45pm — Sunset picnic dinner
8:30pm — Take blue hour/star portraits
9:00pm — Hike back out to trailhead
9:15pm — Arrive back to trailhead, photography coverage wraps up
Timeline Tips
1. Be flexible
Things may go wrong, and that’s okay! Embracing imperfection is just a part of eloping and the more flexible you are, the more you’ll be able to enjoy your day. Regardless of changes in weather, trail closures, or any other problem we may run into, expecting the unexpected will always make the hiccups feel like less of a big deal.
2. Include the things you value most
There are all kinds of traditions, activities, and opinions that will likely be on your mind when thinking about what you want your elopement to look like. The most important thing is that when you envision your day, you feel excited about it!
Eloping allows you to have a day completely tailored to your interests as a couple. There are no rigid traditions that you “have” to follow, and you get to create your own incredible day based on what you value most. That means your elopement timeline can be anything you want it to be.
Kind Words from a Past Couple
How a couple’s 8 hour timeline helped them enjoy their day even more
I help couples create timelines just like what you’ve seen so far, and I can help you with yours too! Want to chat about the possibilities for your own elopement experience? Just get in touch with me and we’ll get started!
