2-Person Elopement Timelines & Ideas
It’s been a common thought that weddings, without a hundred guests and a huge party, are “sad”, “not special” or “unromantic”. Here’s why this notion is ill-conceived and why having an elopement with just the two of you can be incredibly fun, stress-free, and even epic! If you’re considering having an elopement without any guests but need ideas on what to do with just the two of you, here are some sample timelines to get you started. Use these as a jumping off point to dream up your own adventure, and have fun along the way!
Multi-Day Elopement (12 hours)
Who said that you need to pack your elopement experience into one day? One of the keys to having a fun elopement experience is not jam-packing your day with too many activities, and leaving enough time for yourselves to relax. If you find that one day isn’t enough to fully capture your desired experience, don’t be afraid to split your elopement up into multiple days! Here’s an example timeline to show you what’s possible! :)
Day 1
5:30am - Meet at pre-selected spot on the cliffs and set up for first look
6:00am - Sunrise First Look on the cliffs, followed by portraits
7:00am - Head to Trailhead (15 minute drive)
7:15am - Arrive at trailhead, gear up
7:30am - Begin hike, taking portraits along the way (2-mile hike-in)
9:30am - Arrive at scenic overlook for Ceremony & picnic brunch
12:00pm - Hike back to trailhead, taking portraits along the way (2-mile hike-out)
1:30pm - Arrive at trailhead, head to alpine lake (45 minute drive)
2:15pm - Arrive at alpine lake for exploring & kayaking
5:30pm - Return kayaks, photo coverage wraps up
Day 2
5:30am - Meet at Hot Air Balloon check-in site
6:00am - Hot Air Balloon take-off at Sunrise
7:00am - Arrive at Location for Breakfast & Portraits
8:30am - 4x4 Vehicle arrives for ride back to Hot Air Balloon site
9:30am - Arrive back at Hot Air Balloon site, end coverage
All-Day Elopement (8 hours)
9:30am - Photographer arrives at cabin to capture details & finishing touches
10:45am - First look outside cabin
11:00am - Head to ceremony location, stop along the way for portraits along the coast
12:30pm - Arrive at location for Ceremony
1:00pm - Celebration picnic lunch
2:30pm - Exploring & portraits
4:30pm - Head back to cabin (30 minute drive)
5:00pm - Arrive back at cabin; open letters and gifts from friends and family
5:30pm - Relax in hammock or play games
6:00pm - Private chef arrives and set-up for dinner
6:30pm - Dinner, cake cutting
7:30pm - Photo coverage ends
Half-Day Elopement (4 hours)
4:30pm - Photographer arrives at AirBnB for getting ready & detail shots
5:30pm - Drive to alpine lake (15 minute drive)
5:45pm - Short hike to ceremony spot, taking portraits along the way
6:15pm - Arrive at ceremony spot
6:30pm - Pop champagne to celebrate, small picnic next to lake
7:00pm - Sunset portraits
7:30pm - Sunset, return to AirBnB for cake-cutting (15 minute drive)
7:45pm - Arrive back at AirBnB, cake cutting, open letters from friends & family
8:30pm - Photo coverage ends
Now if you’re wondering, “Why should I have all-day coverage, or even multi-day coverage, of my elopement?”, great question! Ultimately, it boils down to how much of your elopement you’d like to have photographic memories of. Let’s apply this same question to weddings – would you only want partial coverage of your wedding day (such as just your ceremony and a few portraits), or full-day coverage starting from when you start getting ready to the final send-off after your reception? Likewise, ask yourself how much of your elopement experience you’d like captured.
Here are some reasons why you might want all-day coverage of your elopement:
An elopement isn’t just about saying your vows and spending an hour or two taking portraits. All-day coverage of your elopement is NOT an all-day photoshoot. Rather, it’s a documentation of everything that happens on your wedding day that makes up your entire experience. Your elopement is your wedding day, a day you’ll celebrate forever as your anniversary. Your entire elopement experience deserves to be captured, just as you would for a traditional wedding.
If you’re eloping just the two of you, photos would be the only way to share the entire story of your day with family and friends who weren’t present with you.
After all those hours dreaming up and planning your most special and authentic day, wouldn’t you want to be able to look back on everything you’ve planned, rather than just a small portion of your day?