Elopement FAQs
Whoohoo! You’ve decided to ditch the stress of a traditional wedding and choose adventure. Now that you’re eloping, you may have a few questions (or maybe a lot!). Here are some answers to the most common questions we’re asked.
If you’ve decided to elope, but are feeling overwhelmed on where to even start, reaching out to us can be your first easy step. On a consultation call, we take the time to get to know you and your vision better. That way we can help you decide what general area to get married in, and what time of year is best for that destination.
If you need some inspiration and aren’t quite ready to reach out, here’s what we’d recommend as well:
Step 1: Take some time to reflect (and maybe even write down) what types of trips, activities, and experiences have been you and your partner’s favorites. Are there any destinations on your bucket list? Is there a certain season you love best? Think about what you love the most, and then reach out to an elopement photographer/videographer or planner that can help guide you toward making that vision a reality. A skilled professional will know the best places, times of the year, and so much more.
Step 2: If you need some inspiration during this brainstorming phase, check out these popular resources we’ve created.
While it’s possible, most couples don’t. The majority of couples we work with are eloping abroad, and typically choose to legally marry before or after their adventure. On the day they celebrate, they’ll exchange vows. Some couples also opt to bring a family member, or hire a celebrant, to lead a small ceremony.
If you’d like to legally marry during your elopement, we’d suggest hiring a professional company to handle the paperwork for you. A number of countries in Europe don’t allow non-EU residents to hold a legal ceremony, so be sure to keep this in mind early on. For a legal ceremony, it also must take place at a designated civil registry (which normally isn’t in nature).
We dive in-depth with each of our booked couples to help them choose their elopement location(s).
Because everyone has a different vision of how they want to spend their day, we send all of our booked couples a detailed location questionnaire. Christine then takes that information and uses it to create a custom location guide with the best spots. Those guides take into account what types of scenery you want, how little (or how much) you want to walk or hike, overall accessibility, the season, and more.
On consultation calls, we’re happy to help you nail down a general destination or region.
This question can feel so hard to answer because elopements are so unique to each couple! Some of the most common activities our couples implement include:
- Getting ready together (or separately)
- First looks
- Hiking, taking a cable car, funicular, or another mode of mountain transportation
- Giving gifts to each other
- Reading letters from friends and family
- Picnicking, or grabbing food at a mountain hut
- Exchanging vows
- Sharing a toast/champagne pop/dessert
- First dance
Other unique activities can range from staying overnight in a mountain hut and stargazing to taking a helicopter ride, climbing a via ferrata with a guide, or renting a boat. The possibilities are endless!
The majority of our couples book full-day elopement coverage (up to 12 hours), or else opt for two-day coverage which has a more relaxed pace. This allows time for visiting multiple locations, hiking, and other activities.
If you want to see some elopements we’ve documented for half-day (8 hours); full-day (12 hours), and over two days, you can check out these blogs below for inspiration.
Half-Day Coverage | Sunrise Adventure Wedding in the Italian Dolomites
Full-Day Coverage | Alpine Lake Hiking Elopement in the Austrian Alps
Two-Day Coverage | Breathtaking Micro Wedding in St. Moritz, Switzerland
Yes, you can invite guests to your adventure elopement! Elopements aren’t restricted to just you and your partner, although many couples do go that route. Generally, elopements will have 10-15 guests or less (others may also refer to elopements with guests as micro weddings and involve closer to 25 people).
If you do choose to invite guests to your elopement, we recommend booking extended day coverage or two day coverage. We love when couples split their time between two days, that way you can have an adventure for yourself and a separate day for friends and family. Some couples even have two separate ceremonies, one in private, and one surrounded by their close family and friends.
We document elopements and micro weddings of up to 15 people.
No! You don’t have to be an intense hiker to elope. With that being said, many locations do require a minimum of 15–20 minutes walking. This is dependent on the nearest parking lot, finding some privacy away from the cable car station, etc. We’ve captured elopements that involve everything from easy-access spots to 15-mile hikes.
It depends, and it’s also up to you! If your elopement location(s) can be accessed with less than 1-1.5 miles/2-2.5 km of round-trip walking, you may find it easiest to just hike in your wedding attire. Particularly for multi-location days, it’s nice if you don’t need to change in and out of your clothes repeatedly. A dirty dress is often part of the experience 😉
If you’re getting married in a warm location or tackling a steep trail, it’s best to wear hiking clothing up to your location, even if the trail is short. For longer hikes and more strenuous activities, we’d suggest changing on-location. If there aren’t bathrooms/facilities at the destination, most couples just find a tucked-away spot to get dressed. It’s possible for us to bring a small pop-up changing tent too.
We’ve documented elopements in a variety of weather conditions. The reality of eloping outdoors is the weather is just one part of the adventure!
With that being said, here’s what we recommend for those not-so-sunny days:
Keep your schedule flexible if you can. We try to leave the day after your booked date open, so in case of really inclement weather (torrential downpours, dangerously high winds, landslides, or other extreme conditions), we can always bump things back a day if needed. Staying safe (while also having fun) is always the priority. While not all vendors have this flexibility (i.e. you’re hiring a HMUA, celebrant, etc.), it is something we offer.
If the date can’t be changed (typically the case for micro weddings), we always have a few ideas up our sleeves, so we can either move the time of where you visit a spot and dodge the storms, go to a different nearby spot (typically at a lower elevation), etc.
Additional tips:
- Comfortable, breathable rain gear is your best friend, so don’t skip packing it! Extra layers can be a lifesaver too.
- Remember, clear umbrellas look so cute in photos (so get excited!). We always have a pair that we bring for our couples.
We’ve found the sweet spot for planning an elopement abroad is 6–9 months. With that being said, we’ve helped couples pull off their destination elopement in just a matter of a couple of weeks, and as far out as 18 months.
We only work with a limited number of couples each year, so everyone can receive the time and attention they need. For the best pick of available dates, we recommend reaching out 12 months in advance (if you can), as our calendar books out quickly.
We are not elopement planners, but Christine does offer extensive help guiding our couples through the elopement process.
As an elopement photography and videography team, all of our couples receive the following:
- Location help, including your own custom elopement location guide
- Assistance building your elopement timeline
- Wedding support and timeline calls
- Our VIP Elopement Guide with 100+ pages of tips, tricks, inspiration, and ideas
- Our VIP Vendor Suggestion Guide, complete with English-speaking celebrants, hair and makeup artists, florists, and more.
If you want someone to book vendors for you or secure a venue, we’d suggest hiring an elopement planner on top of our services. We will work with your elopement planner, so you get the adventure you’re dreaming of.
Yes! We take on 5-7 elopement photo + video couples each year. In addition to that, Christine takes photo-only couples.
Scott does not offer video only packages.
Because we love the seamless dynamic we have working as a husband and wife team, we do not book ourselves for ”photo only” or ”video only” packages working alongside other photography or videography teams.
Booking us for your elopement is a smooth and simple process (and we may go frolic in a meadow when you do).
- First, fill out the contact form on our website, and set up your free consultation call.
- Second, if we want to move forward with making things official, we just need to confirm your elopement date and the general destination/region you’re eloping to.
- Third, we’ll send over a proposal where you can select how many hours of coverage you’d like. Then, you’ll e-sign the attached contract. All of our packages are split into four equal payments, with the first 25% due at signing to secure your date. You can pay easily and securely via card.
We do! All of our elopement packages are split into four equal payments, with the first 25% due at signing to secure your date. With payment plans, you can easily enroll in auto-pay, otherwise, you’ll receive auto-email reminders a week out from your next installment.
Although we only require 25% upfront to help you start planning, 50% of the total package prices make up the nonrefundable retainer, should you choose to cancel.
Christine delivers sneak peeks of your elopement gallery within 72 hours of your celebration. You can expect the full gallery within one month. Photos are delivered through a beautiful, online gallery, easy for downloading, sharing, and printing.
Due to the nature of videography and the time-intensive editing process, Scott delivers all cinematic highlight films within 3 months of your celebration. If you’d like a video sneak peek, we do offer a 60-second add-on teaser which is delivered within two weeks of your wedding.
Yes! We’re excited to offer mountain elopement photography in awe-inspiring locations all over. Some of our bucket list elopement locations include Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Patagonia (Argentina). Let’s make it happen!
If you’ve decided to elope, but are feeling overwhelmed on where to even start, reaching out to us can be your first easy step. On a consultation call, we take the time to get to know you and your vision better. That way we can help you decide what general area to get married in, and what time of year is best for that destination.
If you need some inspiration and aren’t quite ready to reach out, here’s what we’d recommend as well:
Step 1: Take some time to reflect (and maybe even write down) what types of trips, activities, and experiences have been you and your partner’s favorites. Are there any destinations on your bucket list? Is there a certain season you love best? Think about what you love the most, and then reach out to an elopement photographer/videographer or planner that can help guide you toward making that vision a reality. A skilled professional will know the best places, times of the year, and so much more.
Step 2: If you need some inspiration during this brainstorming phase, check out these popular resources we’ve created.
While it’s possible, most couples don’t. The majority of couples we work with are eloping abroad, and typically choose to legally marry before or after their adventure. On the day they celebrate, they’ll exchange vows. Some couples also opt to bring a family member, or hire a celebrant, to lead a small ceremony.
If you’d like to legally marry during your elopement, we’d suggest hiring a professional company to handle the paperwork for you. A number of countries in Europe don’t allow non-EU residents to hold a legal ceremony, so be sure to keep this in mind early on. For a legal ceremony, it also must take place at a designated civil registry (which normally isn’t in nature).
We dive in-depth with each of our booked couples to help them choose their elopement location(s).
Because everyone has a different vision of how they want to spend their day, we send all of our booked couples a detailed location questionnaire. Christine then takes that information and uses it to create a custom location guide with the best spots. Those guides take into account what types of scenery you want, how little (or how much) you want to walk or hike, overall accessibility, the season, and more.
On consultation calls, we’re happy to help you nail down a general destination or region.
This question can feel so hard to answer because elopements are so unique to each couple! Some of the most common activities our couples implement include:
- Getting ready together (or separately)
- First looks
- Hiking, taking a cable car, funicular, or another mode of mountain transportation
- Giving gifts to each other
- Reading letters from friends and family
- Picnicking, or grabbing food at a mountain hut
- Exchanging vows
- Sharing a toast/champagne pop/dessert
- First dance
Other unique activities can range from staying overnight in a mountain hut and stargazing to taking a helicopter ride, climbing a via ferrata with a guide, or renting a boat. The possibilities are endless!
The majority of our couples book full-day elopement coverage (up to 12 hours), or else opt for two-day coverage which has a more relaxed pace. This allows time for visiting multiple locations, hiking, and other activities.
If you want to see some elopements we’ve documented for half-day (8 hours), full-day (12 hours), and over two days, you can check out these blogs below for inspiration.
Half-Day Coverage | Sunrise Adventure Wedding in the Italian Dolomites
Full-Day Coverage | Alpine Lake Hiking Elopement in the Austrian Alps
Two-Day Coverage | Breathtaking Micro Wedding in St. Moritz, Switzerland
Yes, you can invite guests to your adventure elopement! Elopements aren’t restricted to just you and your partner, although many couples do go that route. Generally, elopements will have 10-15 guests or less (others may also refer to elopements with guests as micro weddings and involve closer to 25 people).
If you do choose to invite guests to your elopement, we recommend booking extended day coverage or two day coverage. We love when couples split their time between two days, that way you can have an adventure for yourself and a separate day for friends and family. Some couples even have two separate ceremonies, one in private, and one surrounded by their close family and friends.
We document elopements and micro weddings of up to 15 people.
No! You don’t have to be an intense hiker to elope. With that being said, many locations do require a minimum of 15–20 minutes walking. This is dependent on the nearest parking lot, finding some privacy away from the cable car station, etc. We’ve captured elopements that involve everything from easy-access spots to 15-mile hikes.
It depends, and it’s also up to you! If your elopement location(s) can be accessed with less than 1-1.5 miles/2-2.5 km of round-trip walking, you may find it easiest to just hike in your wedding attire. Particularly for multi-location days, it’s nice if you don’t need to change in and out of your clothes repeatedly. A dirty dress is often part of the experience 😉
If you’re getting married in a warm location or tackling a steep trail, it’s best to wear hiking clothing up to your location, even if the trail is short. For longer hikes and more strenuous activities, we’d suggest changing on-location. If there aren’t bathrooms/facilities at the destination, most couples just find a tucked-away spot to get dressed. It’s possible for us to bring a small pop-up changing tent too.
We’ve documented elopements in a variety of weather conditions. The reality of eloping outdoors is the weather is just one part of the adventure!
With that being said, here’s what we recommend for those not-so-sunny days:
Keep your schedule flexible if you can. We try to leave the day after your booked date open, so in case of really inclement weather (torrential downpours, dangerously high winds, landslides, or other extreme conditions), we can always bump things back a day if needed. Staying safe (while also having fun) is always the priority. While not all vendors have this flexibility (i.e. you’re hiring a HMUA, celebrant, etc.), it is something we offer.
If the date can’t be changed (typically the case for micro weddings), we always have a few ideas up our sleeves, so we can either move the time of where you visit a spot and dodge the storms, go to a different nearby spot (typically at a lower elevation), etc.
Additional tips:
- Comfortable, breathable rain gear is your best friend, so don’t skip packing it! Extra layers can be a lifesaver too.
- Remember, clear umbrellas look so cute in photos (so get excited!). We always have a pair that we bring for our couples.
We’ve found the sweet spot for planning an elopement abroad is 6–9 months. With that being said, we’ve helped couples pull off their destination elopement in just a matter of a couple of weeks, and as far out as 18 months.
We only work with a limited number of couples each year, so everyone can receive the time and attention they need. For the best pick of available dates, we recommend reaching out 12 months in advance (if you can), as our calendar books out quickly.
We are not elopement planners, but Christine does offer extensive help guiding our couples through the elopement process.
As an elopement photography and videography team, all of our couples receive the following:
- Location help, including your own custom elopement location guide
- Assistance building your elopement timeline
- Wedding support and timeline calls
- Our VIP Elopement Guide with 100+ pages of tips, tricks, inspiration, and ideas
- Our VIP Vendor Suggestion Guide, complete with English-speaking celebrants, hair and makeup artists, florists, and more.
If you want someone to book vendors for you or secure a venue, we’d suggest hiring an elopement planner on top of our services. We will work with your elopement planner, so you get the adventure you’re dreaming of.
Yes! We take on 5-7 elopement photo + video couples each year. In addition to that, Christine takes photo-only couples.
Scott does not offer video only packages.
Because we love the seamless dynamic we have working as a husband and wife team, we do not book ourselves for ”photo only” or ”video only” packages working alongside other photography or videography teams.
Booking us for your elopement is a smooth and simple process (and we may go frolic in a meadow when you do).
- First, fill out the contact form on our website, and set up your free consultation call.
- Second, if we want to move forward with making things official, we just need to confirm your elopement date and the general destination/region you’re eloping to.
- Third, we’ll send over a proposal where you can select how many hours of coverage you’d like. Then, you’ll e-sign the attached contract. All of our packages are split into four equal payments, with the first 25% due at signing to secure your date. You can pay easily and securely via card.
We do! All of our elopement packages are split into four equal payments, with the first 25% due at signing to secure your date. With payment plans, you can easily enroll in auto-pay, otherwise, you’ll receive auto-email reminders a week out from your next installment.
Although we only require 25% upfront to help you start planning, 50% of the total package prices make up the nonrefundable retainer, should you choose to cancel.
Christine delivers sneak peeks of your elopement gallery within 72 hours of your celebration. You can expect the full gallery within one month. Photos are delivered through a beautiful, online gallery, easy for downloading, sharing, and printing.
Due to the nature of videography and the time-intensive editing process, Scott delivers all cinematic highlight films within 3 months of your celebration. If you’d like a video sneak peek, we do offer a 60-second add-on teaser which is delivered within two weeks of your wedding.
Yes! We’re excited to offer mountain elopement photography in awe-inspiring locations all over. Some of our bucket list elopement locations include Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Patagonia (Argentina). Let’s make it happen!
Are you stoked yet?
Would you like to contact us and schedule a free consultation call? This is the perfect opportunity to begin dreaming up your epic day. All you have to do is hit the contact button below.
