How to Elope and Have Your Own Adventurous Elopement.
Congratulations on your engagement!
We’re excited that you two have decided to create a day that is more tailored, intimate and reflects you as a couple. A day where you will feel special, heard, and focused on because it's all about your love story and not about putting on a show with a huge production for your family or for tradition's sake.
No matter where, when, why, or how you decide to design your elopement, the simple fact that you two are choosing to spend the most important, intimate, and meaningful day committing your lives and love together forever makes it the perfect elopement.
Before we hop into all the details on how exactly you vision your adventurous elopement, we just wanted to take a moment to share something extremely important. We understand that choosing to go the non-traditional wedding route leaves you with a lot of questions and not many resources that have answers. Therefore, a little guidance, especially from some pros who have done this before, can be incredibly helpful since we are professional elopement photographers who planned their own intimate destination wedding in the California Redwoods, so we understand.
An Adventurous Elopement is all about doing exactly what you, as a couple, dream of doing, wherever and however you like. This is one of the major reasons people choose to elope in the first place. There are no required traditions, rules, or script to follow. It's just you and your loved one on the greatest adventure to kick off the start of your lives together. You can have any type of ceremony that you can dream of, invite-only who you want to be there (including your pup) or have no guests at all, and commit your vows to one another anywhere you can think of…
A snow-capped cliff overlooking a vast valley? Of course.
A secluded sandy beach you have to paddle over to? Sure.
A crystal alpine lake tucked away in the mountains? Yes, why not.
There is no limit to where or how we go about this great adventure.
On social media when you see your friends style or size of weddings do you think to yourself, “That is something I would never want?” or maybe you have seen someone else post some photos while on an Adventurous Elopement and thought to yourself, "Now that is my kind of wedding!”
Elopements are a beautiful and unique adventure that allows couples to create the wedding experience that they have been dreaming about. In fact, we have our own definition…
AN ELOPEMENT IS AN INTENTIONALLY INTIMATE, MEANINGFUL AND AUTHENTIC WEDDING EXPERIENCE CREATED AROUND WHO YOU BOTH ARE TO PERFECTLY REFLECT THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU TWO SHARE.
A major draw to eloping is there are no rules for how your Adventurous Elopement can look. It's all up to you! It's a day about you, your love, your story and only what you want to focus on. Here are some of the top FAQs
Q: IS AN ELOPEMENT A LEGAL WAY TO GET MARRIED?
A: Yes, it is! Eloping is completely recognized as a legal marriage as long as you are abiding by the laws and regulations of the state or country you have chosen to elope in.
Q: DO WE HAVE TO BE LEGALLY MARRIED ON OUR ELOPEMENT DAY?
A: You don't have to. It's all up to you. Never let logistics, legalities or paperwork dictate your elopement day! If you want this day to be legally recognized as the day you are legally married you may have to jump a few hoops (especially if you want to elope in another country, which we can help you with). You can get married before or after your elopement day. Every location has different requirements so we will make sure that we are abiding by all the rules if you want to be legally married on your day.
REMEMBER, DON’T LET PAPERWORK RULE YOUR DAY! FOR MOST COUPLES, THE DAY THEY SAY THEIR VOWS AND COMMIT THEIR LIVES TO EACH OTHER IS THEIR ACTUAL CELEBRATED WEDDING DAY. CHOOSING TO PUT OFF THE LEGALITIES FOR ANOTHER DAY DOESN’T MAKE YOUR ELOPEMENT ANY LESS THAN A WEDDING DAY. THIS IS A DAY WE CELEBRATE YOUR LOVE STORY.
Q: DO WE NEED TO HAVE A WITNESS OR AN OFFICIANT?
A: The easy answer is sometimes. It really depends where you want to elope and if you want your elopement ceremony to be the moment you are legally recognized as married. Some states and countries do require a witness and an officiant. Both of us are ordained, so if needed, we can possibly be your officiants.
Q: IS IT HARD TO ELOPE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY? A: It's not hard at all. Where things get a little technical is if you want to be legally married in another country. That has the potential to be a little complex, but don’t let that stop you as we will help you along the way.
Q: WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW WHERE I WANT TO ELOPE? A: Not a problem at all. The world is all yours and we have a list of suggestions of where you can start. With all our years of traveling and photographing adventurous couples and stories, we have been able to compile a great list to help kick start your planning.
Q: HOW LONG DO I NEED TO PLAN AHEAD? A: We have had couples be able to successfully plan some amazing elopements from anywhere between 1 week before elopement and one year out. The average planning time for our couples is 4-9 months. This is enough time for you to not only get a deal on flights but also be able to secure your lodging.
WHAT DOES AN ELOPEMENT CEREMONY LOOK LIKE?
Your day can look however you dreamt it would be, which is the beauty of eloping! It's all about you and what you want to focus on, no more and no less. Let your imagination go wild! If you're looking for guidance we can help with ideas of what to include such as…
1. Intimate & sentimental vows and commitments that are unique to you
2.The exchanging of rings or any other symbol of your love
3. Your first kiss, first dance or even screaming “We're married" from the top of the mountains.
4. Extra surprises or hidden gifts
To make sure you have everything set to make your elopement run smoothly, we have created a completely FREE Elopement Planning Guide and Checklist. Be sure to download it and get a running start on your adventurous planning!
Hey - It's Forrest Blake and I'm your adventure elopement photographer and guide. I'm here to help you two plan the most epic and adventurous elopement day that you can possibly dream of. I can promise to help create and uniquely capture your adventurous elopement day no matter what you two can think of. As well as answer all your elopement questions and concerns, assist in finding the best vendors, select and scout out epic locations for your day. I'm looking forward to helping you two begin.
