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 30 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)

• Activities — As little or as much time as you want!

• Reception or Celebratory Meal/Gathering — 1 to 3 hours

• Transition Times — 10 to 15 minutes

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!

12 Hour 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 trailhead to meet family/friends
7:00am — Arrive at trailhead, hike to ceremony site with family/friends
7:30am — Ceremony
8:00am — Ceremony wraps up
8:15am — Photos with family/friends
8:30am — Hike back out to trailhead; 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 to hike to an overlook
5:15pm — Take a few portraits
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 my post on how to include your family in your elopement!

8 Hour 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 park entrance sign
12:15pm — 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 can 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 less like 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.

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!