Planning an Elopement

Weddings are the highlight of you and your partners lives - but the BIG wedding may not be exactly what you had in mind for yourselves or maybe during the planning process, you have come to find that it is unrealistic for you. For me, Covid was the turning point where we realized a big wedding just wasn’t going to happen. Yes, I was a COVID bride… I know. I know. I had to re-plan my wedding 3 different times and eventually, I reached the point of no return. I was ready to call it quits when I looked over to my partner and said “let’s just elope!!!” We picked a destination we have always wanted to visit and two weeks later we were married. It was the best decision we could have made and it ended up being more than we could have ever imagined. I’m going to share with you a How To Guide to plan your perfect Oregon Elopement.

1: Organize Your Planning

The first thing you need to do whether you are planning a big local wedding or a traveling elopement is get organized! If you are planning your wedding yourself and skipping hiring a planner, this step is vital. Organizing your thoughts and plans will prevent you from becoming overly stressed. An organized approach can truly make the process more enjoyable. The best way to do that is to find a journal or a binder to keep everything into one place. You can find a popular one here that is sold on Amazon for around $30.

2: Pick A Destination

After you start to brainstorm and get your thoughts organized, the next thing you will need to do is pick out a destination. Do you want your big day to be on the white sands of Florida? Are you imagining exchanging your vows at the top of a mountain in Colorado? I would recommend picking a destination you and your partner have always talked about going to or have been before that is special and unique to the two of you. If you are needing some help getting inspired about the perfect destination, try looking at Pinterest or searching hashtags or geotags on Instagram.

3: Decide On Guest List

After you have the big things out of the way like destination, date and travel arrangements; you will need to decide who you wish to attend to your big day. Do you prefer it to be just the two of you with an intimate day or are you wanting a few close friends and family members to attend? Keep in mind that when planning an elopement or destination wedding, give your guests enough time to plan and save for them to make arrangements if it is your desire for them to attend.

4: Look Up Marriage License Laws

Different states have different guidelines and procedures for obtaining the marriage license so make sure you are well informed in your state and traveling states filing for marriage licenses.

5: Hire Vendors

Hire your vendors in advance! You may not be having the big traditional wedding but you may still want to make sure you hire the vendors that are must haves for your wedding day. I would highly recommend hiring a photographer and/or videographer to have the moments captured as well as having content to send your friends and family back home or to post on socials. You will also need to hire an officiant. If you are bringing guests with you, think about appointing one of them to officiate. Make sure they are ordained in advance. If you are eloping with just your partner, there are officiants for hire in most cities.

6: Plan The After

Because you will be in a different destination, take some time to plan what you want your day to look like after. Your ceremony likely won't last all day so think about what you would like your day to look like either before or after you exchange vows. Plan a romantic dinner or book a spa day.

7: Announcements

After your elopement, you are going to want to share the good news! Most of the time, an elopement is kept quiet beforehand for one reason or another but regardless if it was a secretive get away or a planned event, the people in your life are going to want to hear all about your big day! Come up with a way that you will share the big news. Some creative ways can include vlogging the experience, sending out mailed announcements, posting one of your gorgeous wedding photos on social media or maybe planning a get together back home with all of your loved ones.

Elopement or traditional big wedding day! Whatever your vibe, I hope that you are well on your way to your happily ever after! If you are going to Elope, where are you headed?

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