Elopement Planning Tips: Unique Elopement Ideas

How To Make Your Elopement Unique and Beautiful

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As elopement photographers, we do more than just photographing. Head over to our Elopement Experience page and you can see everything that we do to help our couples with navigating through an experience that is so different from what they have known.

Some questions we do hear over and over: Hey Henry and Sergio, what are some things we should do? What should we bring? How can we make our elopements fun and unique?

So here is a collection of unique elopement ideas our past couples have done, hopefully, these ideas will help inspire you in your elopement planning process

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Choose Experience, Choose A Destination You Love

When it comes to elopements, one of the most important question is always “Where should we do this?”. The location you’re going to for your elopement dictates the vibe of the entire experience. Are you thinking of a low-key warm day running on the beach for your elopement? Or are you thinking about hiking up the mountains and say your vows in front of some grand, dramatic snow-capped mountains? Truly, the location does matter a whole lot.

Some of my couples who to elope at a place that means something to their relationship. Maybe it’s the first place they did a road trip together. Maybe it’s the place where they first met. For example, in the photo below, you see Jess and Vanesa eloped at this gorgeous trail looking over Mount Rainier because this is where the very first trail they hiked together when the couple first moved to Washington State. Although the couple has been here before, it has been years since and to them, their elopement day at this exact same trail feels so new and different but at the same time very nostalgic.

On the other hand, some of our couples choose to elope somewhere totally new that none of them has ever been to. Did you know that an average wedding would cost around $33,900 whereas an average elopement would cost around $15,350? You can read more about How Much Does It Cost To Elope here. For couples who choose to invest in a new experience, in travel, in going somewhere so new they can let go of unwanted traditions, expectations, and fully immerse themselves in the experience of celebrating their love in their own way, choosing to elope at a brand new destination is not only exciting, but also an important way for them to kick off their marriage without feeling like they have to compromise for happiness.

As destination elopement photographers, we get to experience the world with our couples. We’ve learned some life lessons that can only be learned from experiencing it, not from any textbooks or youtube video. We’ve also learned about some breathtakingly gorgeous places to elope, click on each of the photo below to see some cool collections of best places to elope:

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Take A Helicopter Ride For Your Adventure Elopement

One of the most unique elopements we’ve done was this gorgeous Helicopter Elopement in Whistler, Canada

From planning this elopement with our couple, we’ve learned that within the mainland U.S, you cannot do a helicopter ride and land on top of the mountain with the exception fo Alaska.

Therefore, if you seek an adventure elopement where you can ride a helicopter together for the first time ever and land somewhere breathtaking for photos, you might want to look into Canada or other gorgeous places like Australia and New Zealand.

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Elevate Your Mode of Transportation Experience

Nancy and Tim chose a destination they love for their elopement, they even went a step further to elevate their experience in the beautiful Amalfi Coast by riding into the ocean to take in the views of Positano.

No you don’t have to be in somewhere like the Amalfi Coast for a boat ride. You can certainly have this experience anywhere. Some beautiful places for a private boat adventure could be Lake Powell in Arizona, anywhere in the Hawaii islands. Truly, the possibility is endless and we are more than happy to plan alongside with you.

With the rise of Turo, you can elevate your mode of transportation experience by renting a car that is not only beautiful but represents you and what you love. Some of our couples are into vintage cars and it’s part of their relationship, however, due to destinations, they cannot bring their own vehicles to the elopement, so renting a vintage car on Turo then became the best option for them.

And it’s not just the vintage cars, maybe you just want to feel bad ass and have fun, maybe it’s a convertible that you want to rent for the adventure car ride up the mountain, or a G-wagon to the desert, all it matters is what you want and now there’s a service out there that can make it easy for you.

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Wear Matching Outfits

By matching outfits, we don’t mean to wear the exact dress or suit. No matter if you’re a same sex couple or a straight couple, we can guarantee that you probably might want to wear something different from your partner. Even in situation like two brides, we haven’t seen both brides wear the exact same dress. It’s not because they don’t want to, it’s because we all have different tastes, body shapes, skin colors, personal preferences, etc…

One thing that you can personalize this experience is by wearing matching underwear, shoes, socks, etc…

These are the details that seem so little but also not at all. It showcases that you can have your elopement however way you want and it shows that elopements don’t just mean show up, say your vows and go home. It’s an adventure, it’s a day full of personal details and experiences.

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Personalize Everything

With Etsy, you can support small businesses and order all kind of cute, customized items for your elopement. In the photo above, Daniel and Cheyanne ordered this customized champagne bottle with their names and elopement date.

Other things our couples have also done are customized denim jackets, embroidered elopement date into their suit jacket or wedding dress, and customized socks with prints of their fur babies.

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“Just Married” Sign

We love the “Just Married” signs because they are so nostalgic. We love the “Just Married” signs on adventure elopements because it’s a perfect way to modify traditions and make it unique and modern.

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The Secret To The Most Unique Elopement Ideas

All the examples listed above are some of what we’ve seen over the years of capturing couples in love. Some of which we suggested, some of which these couples found on their own. Some (like the lanterns) just came to us and we experiment with the idea on the day of their elopement.

However, the secret to having the most unique and epic elopement doesn’t rely on those examples, it relies on the organic moments you share with your partner.

So what do we mean by that?

It means that when you choose to elope adventurously, go all in, dive in head first, let go of expectations, let go of worries and concerns about “what ifs”. If it rains, fuck it, you’re getting married in the rain. If it’s sunny, fuck yes, you’re getting married under the sun. If it’s snowing, keep warm with whiskey and warm kisses.

When you know that you want to elope, do your research on elopement photographers and then choose one whose work speaks to your heart. Read their website, follow them on social media, see what they do, and how they create epic moments without trying so hard for their couples.

Is elopement for you? You can read all about 6 Things To Consider Before Eloping to decide for yourself.

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