If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t want a big traditional wedding, but I’m a little overwhelmed with all the details involved with planning an elopement,” then you’re not alone! Planning an elopement (also known as an adventure wedding) can be a lot of work. However, I believe it doesn’t need to be stressful, so I’ve got the solutions for the things standing between you and the best adventure of your life.

Here’s 8 of my best elopement tips!

Tip 1: Book minimalist lodging for your getting ready photos

Whether you’re traveling across the country or staying in the next town over, having an aesthetically pleasing spot for your getting ready photos is a really easy way to add some “oomph” to your final gallery. Modern interior design often has clean lines and neutral colors, which will help highlight what really matters in each photo.

Airbnb and VRBO have endless options for visually pleasing lodging. From modern stays to stunning A-frames, there’s plenty to choose from all across the country.

Here are a few things I personally love to see in a getting ready space:

• Minimal decor

• Contrasting colors (look for a nice balance between dark and light)

• Neutral tones

• Clean lines

• High (or high-ish) ceilings

• Light-colored or white walls (some paint colors can create “color casts” on skin that aren’t flattering)

• Lots of windows for natural light (just like with paint colors, overhead artificial lights are rarely flattering)

• Skylights are an A+ bonus!

Of course, it matters that where you’re staying creates an atmosphere where you can be comfortable. When looking through the images for a particular space, focus on the way you feel about it too, not just what boxes it checks off for pictures. A getting ready space doesn’t have to meet these qualifications in order for it to look great in photos. Simply put: less is more.

Tip 2: Bring a pop up privacy tent to change for your first look/ceremony

If you’re hiking out to your ceremony location (or you want an epic first look in a beautiful spot) but don’t want to head out there in your wedding attire, one of the logistics that has to be considered is where you’ll get dressed once you get there. Not every location is completely secluded or private from other hikers, and some couples like to do a first look at their ceremony location right before they get married. The best way to ensure privacy is to use a pop up tent to change!

There are lots of different options online for these kinds of tents, and they all get the job done. Many have straps on the inside to place hangers, and they’re pretty roomy inside! My husband and I use ours as our bathroom when we go tent camping, and it’s actually really pleasant. I recommend this Green Elephant one! (It also comes with tent pegs and guy lines so you don’t have to worry about it falling over on a windy day.)

The great thing about pop up tents is that they’re pretty lightweight and easy to carry. The tent linked above is 5.5 pounds, it folds down into a flat circle, and has hand carrying straps.

The one caveat with carrying the tent is the width of the bag. Because this tent folds down into a circle that’s about 24” across, it may not be ideal to carry on longer hikes. My best solution would be to rig up some sort of strap system on the back of your pack so it lays flat and in place without hitting the back of your legs while you hike. It’s definitely doable, but if it sounds like too much hassle or you want to eliminate any extra weight, there are other ways to ensure privacy while you get ready. You can use blankets to cover up or choose a more secluded location altogether.

Tip 3: Incorporate things from your relationship into your details and activities

The best way to create an environment where the two of you can feel safe, happy, and fulfilled is for you to feel the most like yourselves. Inside jokes, shared interests, sentimental items from years past, and revisiting locations you’ve been together can evoke a lot of emotion and result in a truly meaningful experience for both of you.

Here’s an example: On lazy Saturday mornings, my husband and I love chatting about life while we sip our coffee. It’s one of the ways we bond as a couple, and if we were eloping, we would definitely want to incorporate that into our day.

On the morning of our elopement, we would sit and drink our coffee out of a couple of mugs we had collected from our trips, just taking in the views and enjoying each other’s company. Then, we would start getting ready together and head off into the rest of our day.

Sounds pretty simple, right? A common misconception about elopements is that every part of your day has to be grand or epic. The soft, in-between moments where the two of you simply get to be yourselves with each other are just as important as the exciting, dramatic moments in front of a gorgeous backdrop, and I believe you need both to fully tell the story of your day.

For your details, you can relate them to the location you’re getting married in, somewhere that has special meaning for the two of you, or an inside joke from your relationship.

I love these Topo Ties from Kind Design Co. They’re custom ties made by hand in Colorado from 100% recycled materials, designed with the topographical pattern of a location of your choice! How cool is that? I’ve also seen one person gift the other socks with their face on them, which is really fun and they always get a kick out of it (pun intended).

You can also wear something matching for your elopement like hiking boots. Just be sure to break them in before wearing them!

Your details can be something sweet, silly, romantic, or even practical. As long as it represents your relationship in a way that means something to the two of you, that’s what matters.

Tip 4: Save the popular locations for sunrise or sunset

You’re going small (or zero) on the guest count for a reason. If you visit some of the nation’s most popular spots during peak season or in the middle of the day, you’re going to find yourself surrounded by people anyway. The good news is that avoiding crowds is totally doable in many places, and it just takes a little research and expertise to help you find the right time to go!

Sunrise and sunset are typically the least busy times of day for the most well-known spots in national parks, with sunrise usually being your best bet at avoiding people. By sunset, a lot of people will have left for dinner. And for sunrise, you get to see the most beautiful spots in that glorious morning light before most people are even awake.

Sunrise will usually require you to hike or drive out to where you’re going while it’s still dark, which means a really early wake-up call. Whether you’re having your first look and/or ceremony at this spot, taking portraits, or something else, you just might get it all to yourselves. With sunset, you’ll see a diminishing crowd, but in the really popular spots, you likely won’t get as much privacy as with sunrise.

Still, certain locations will offer a lot more seclusion than others, and you can still get a private setting with the beauty of the sunset surrounding you. And just remember: the further you have to hike to get to it, the fewer people there will be.

Tip 5: Only bring the necessities

Even if you’re not going on a backpacking trip or hiking for your elopement, you still won’t want a million things to keep track of. When photographing traditional weddings, I noticed a big source of stress for the couple and their loved ones was losing track of specific items needed to move forward with the day. Elopements may involve fewer people and less items than traditional weddings, but you still won’t want to feel overwhelmed by how much you have to remember.

I follow a lot of minimalist mindsets in my personal life, and that translates into how I travel and work too! I try to only ever bring what I need, with only the most necessary extras. I compiled a list of essentials for a hiking elopement as that’s usually the kind of day that involves the most “stuff,” and you can download that by clicking the link below.

Download my free hiking essentials checklist here!

There are also plenty of compact and travel-size alternatives to the items you’ll need most, and with a little searching, you can determine if the items you need have a mini version out there somewhere!

Tip 6: Wrap your bouquet stems in a Swedish dish cloth to keep your flowers hydrated

If you’re bringing along a bouquet, you’ll want to make sure it stays looking full and lively throughout the whole day. Depending on your timeline and where you’re going to be throughout the day, you won’t always have the opportunity to leave it indoors in a vase to come back for later.

All you have to do to keep your bouquet hydrated throughout the day is bring a Swedish dish cloth, wet it and wring it out, wrap the base of your stems in the cloth, and place them into a small stuff sack. Easy!

If you’re hiking, you can put the whole thing into an outside pocket of your pack, leaving the bulk of the bouquet exposed. This will keep your florals from getting smushed during your hike, but will still keep them hydrated.

You can check the cloth periodically to make sure it’s still damp, and you can re-moisten it any time you need from your water bottle or a nearby water source. The cloth will hold water way better than a wash cloth or paper towels, so it’s a must-have for your elopement bouquet!

Tip 7: Make your honeymoon an extension of your elopement

A lot of couples who elope choose to do so because they want their wedding budget to be spent in a more intentional way. Instead of spending thousands on grand floral installations that will eventually wilt, favors that half the guests forget to take home, or any other wedding tradition that just doesn’t feel necessary to you, you can allocate that money towards a really memorable first vacation as a married couple!

Picture this: The sun is setting just as your elopement day has wrapped up. We’ve said our goodbyes and parted ways, and you’re headed out of the gorgeous location we spent all day exploring and adventuring in. You look over at your new spouse and smile, knowing that even though the excitement of your elopement day has ended, you have a whole week ahead of you to make more memories and enjoy each other’s company. This is the start of the next chapter of your life, and you should make it something really special.

Whether you choose to honeymoon in the same location you elope or you decide to go somewhere else, make it an extension of your elopement by applying the same principles you had in mind when deciding to elope. Your elopement will be based on a shared love of adventure, creating memories together, and focusing on shared experiences rather than all the “stuff” everyone else says you have to do. Keep that same mindset for where you go and what you do on your honeymoon, and you’ll be so glad you did.

Tip 8: Order the photo album

You’re probably going to be on your honeymoon when your sneak peeks are delivered. Can you imagine how exciting it would be to be on your first trip together as a married couple when an email pops into your inbox? “Your Gallery is Ready…” You’re going to see your highlights from your day for the first time, and it’s going to elevate your excitement for your final gallery times a thousand.

You’re spending at least a few thousand dollars having photos taken to remember what you experienced on your elopement day, and simply having them stored on a computer or a phone just doesn’t have the same feeling of closure and fulfillment that a physical album can bring. Your final gallery is the ending to an incredible chapter of your relationship story, and translating those moments to an album you can touch and see in front of you places such a sweet ending on that part of the story.

Your elopement is created to be a day unique to the two of you and your relationship, and it shouldn’t simply end when you pack up and leave at the end of the day. Your photos will tell the story of your elopement forever, and having them in album form will always keep them within arm’s reach so you can be transported back to that day any time you want.

Are you reading these tips and dreaming about what could be? Let’s hop on a call and talk all about what your own unique elopement experience could look like!