Written by our rad team member, Kiersten Roy

Planning an elopement is such an exciting time. Like, you’re marrying your favorite person (how freaking cool is that?!). And, something that is just as cool is when you elope or plan a small, micro wedding, you have the freedom to let go of a lot of the traditional wedding expectations that come with getting married. For you, maybe that means sharing a celebratory meal with your favorite people at a day-use area, bringing your pup of honor along for the adventure, or keeping things simple with just the two of you and a jaw-dropping view.

There are so many ways your best day ever can look, and after photographing hundreds of elopements, we’ve also seen where planning can get a little tricky. From overstuffing your timeline to forgetting about permits or trying to plan around everyone else’s expectations, there are a few common elopement mistakes that can make things more stressful than they need to be.

Before we dive in, though, we want to make one thing really clear: there is no wrong way to elope. If you’ve already made one of these choices, you haven’t ruined anything. We’ve seen couples create incredible wedding days in all kinds of ways, and that’s one of our favorite parts of this job. 

Instead, think of this as your trail guide to the things we’ve learned after years of exploring the Pacific Northwest with our couples. We’ve been out on the trails, in the forests, and standing in the rain (sometimes all in the same week), and we’re sharing the things we’ve seen make a big difference in creating your best day (or days) ever.

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Table of Contents

• 5 Common Elopement Mistakes & Regrets
  • Elopement Mistake #1: Overfilling Your Elopement Timeline
  • Elopement Mistake #2: Trying to Coordinate Everything Yourself
  • Elopement Mistake #3: Waiting Too Long to Apply for Permits
  • Elopement Mistake #4: Assuming Your Summer Elopement Will Have Perfect Weather 
  • Elopement Mistake #5: Planning Around Everyone Else’s Expectations
• Before You Go: Remember What This Day Is Actually About

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5 Common Elopement Mistakes & Regrets

Elopement Mistake #1: Overfilling Your Elopement Timeline

This is probably one of the most common elopement mistakes we see. The good news is that, with a little timeline prep, it’s an easy one to avoid.

When you’re planning your elopement, it’s easy to keep adding experiences you’re excited about. A sunrise hike? Absolutely. A picnic with your favorite snacks? Yes please. A private chef dinner, a sunset ceremony, stargazing, maybe even a stop at your favorite brewery on the way home? We can already picture it.

And while we fully support you doing all of these adventures, the challenge can come when you try to fit a full-day adventure into a smaller timeline. That’s when the clock starts running the day instead of you. And the last thing we want is for you to spend your wedding day rushing through your vows, power hiking to make it to sunset, or cutting short a dinner because you’re worried about timing.

This is why we intentionally leave room in our couples’ timelines for the moments that aren’t on the itinerary. And so often our couples tell us that these unplanned moments became some of their favorite parts of the day. (Yes, that spontaneous detour for ice cream is something you’ll remember long after you day is over). 

Examples

To give you an idea of what this can look like, here are a few things we always account for in an elopement timeline: 

• Driving between locations
• Parking and getting ready at the trailhead
• Road conditions or seasonal closures
• Coffee, snack, and bathroom breaks (the not-so-glamorous but very real parts of adventure days)
• Hiking at a realistic pace
• Time to enjoy the adventure or view a little longer than you normally would
• Space for you and your loved one(s) to be fully present together

And to give you an idea of how quickly a timeline can fill up:

• First look: 20-30 minutes
• Ceremony: 15-30 minutes
• Private chef dinner: At least 2 hours
• Hiking: Around 30 minutes per mile (Even if you’re an experienced hiker, hiking in wedding attire while stopping for photos is a very different pace than your average Saturday hike)
• Sunset portraits: 45-60 minutes

If you’re not sure how much time you actually need for the kind of experience you want, that’s okay! This is one of the things we can help you figure out. When you inquire with us, your first step is a call with our elopement coordinator. On the call, you’ll share what you’re dreaming up for your day. From there, we’ll help you figure out how much coverage makes sense for what you want to experience. And you can always add more time later on if needed.

Still want to know how much time you actually need for your adventure? We break down what you can realistically fit into a half-day, full-day, or multi-day elopement (and what kinds of adventures work well for each) in our guide to choosing your elopement photography package.

Elopement Mistake #2: Trying to Coordinate Everything Yourself

One of the best things about an elopement is that it can feel much simpler than a traditional wedding. You might not need a giant guest list or a team of twenty vendors to pull off your day. But simple doesn’t mean there are no logistics. Even a two-person elopement can have quite a few moving pieces. Add in guests, vendors, meals, permits, activities, and multiple locations, and suddenly someone has to keep track of all those little details.

This is where we really encourage couples to think about what will add to their experience and what might take away from it. If your budget allows, hiring a planner or coordinator can be an incredible investment in your day. Not because you need more vendors just for the sake of having more vendors, but because you’re paying someone else to manage the logistics for you.

That said, not every task needs to be outsourced! Maybe doing your hair with your best friends is something you are excited about and want to remember as part of your wedding day. Amazing. But if the thought of trying to get everyone ready on time makes your eye twitch a little, hiring a hair and makeup artist might be money very well spent.

The same goes for all the little jobs that come with the day. Cleaning up after dinner might be no big deal if cooking together and tidying up with your favorite people is part of the experience you want. Or maybe the last thing you want to do after watching the sunset is take out a bag of trash while everyone else is hanging out around the fire. (We would vote for option two.)

The point isn’t that you need to hire someone for every little thing. It’s that your time and energy are part of your wedding budget, too. Before deciding to DIY something, ask yourself: Will doing this make the day more meaningful for us, or will it pull us out of the experience?

If it’s something you love doing together, keep it! If it’s something you’re only doing because you feel like you should save the money, it might be worth looking at your budget and seeing if there’s a way to hand it off.

Speaking of budgets (not everyone’s favorite topic, we know), we put together a guide to how much it actually costs to elope so you can get a realistic idea of what to expect and decide where you want to put your money. 

Elopement Mistake #3: Waiting Too Long to Apply for Permits

We love helping couples find those jaw-dropping places to say their vows. But there’s usually a little more to getting married in the great outdoors than finding a pretty spot on Google Maps and showing up with your bouquet. (Wouldn’t that be nice?)

Depending on where you’re planning to elope, you may need a photography or ceremony permit, a parking reservation, or permission for a certain group size. Some locations also have rules around where you can stand, what you can bring, whether you can set up decorations, or even what time of year you can access the area.

And to make things even more confusing, those details aren’t necessarily set in stone. They can change year over year. This is why we always recommend looking into the requirements early, rather than realizing a few weeks before your wedding that your dream location needs a permit you haven’t applied for yet.

As a general rule, if you are planning to elope somewhere popular (ie – a national park), research the requirements at least 3-6 months before your big day. That way, you have plenty of time to apply for anything you need. Some permits only take a few days to a couple of weeks to obtain, while others can take over a month to process. (And nobody wants to add “frantically refreshing our inbox for a permit approval” to their wedding week itinerary).

And again, this is one of those common elopement mistakes that’s much easier to avoid when you have an experienced photographer in your corner. We’re out exploring these places all the time, and we keep up with location updates, so we can help you understand what’s involved with your chosen location.

Elopement Mistake #4: Assuming Your Summer Elopement Will Have Perfect Weather 

If we had to pick just one season to elope in Washington, it would have to be summer. Not only do these months offer the most trail accessibility, but the long days give you so much more flexibility when planning your adventure.

That being said, summer does have a few quirks that are helpful to know about, especially if you’re dreaming of those big, clear mountain views. Late July and August are some of the most incredible months in Washington, but they also happen to be wildfire season in the PNW. This means smoke, trail or road closures, and changing conditions can sometimes be part of the equation. A location that looked perfect when you started planning in January might not look quite the same by the time your August elopement rolls around.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t elope in the summertime! At a minimum, wildfire smoke can simply change the way a landscape looks. You might not have the crystal-clear mountain views you pictured, but the day can still be absolutely incredible. The important thing is knowing there’s a possibility we’ll need to pivot and having a backup plan ready if conditions change.

This is one of the places where working with a local photographer can really help. We’re constantly keeping an eye on conditions, closures, and what’s happening around the areas where we photograph. We also have friends who work as park rangers, so we’re often able to get the inside scoop on what’s actually happening (which is pretty handy when you’re trying to figure out where to go next).

If your original location isn’t looking its best, we’ll help you come up with a plan B or even a plan C. We know the trails, forests, and mountain areas well enough to recommend alternatives that still fit the experience you were hoping for, rather than simply telling you to pick somewhere else and figure it out on your own.

A Note on Rain

And while we’re on the topic, wildfire smoke isn’t the only thing that can change your plans. Rain is possible year-round in Washington, although you’re more likely to encounter it during the fall through spring. Luckily, rain doesn’t scare us away. We know plenty of incredible forested spots that can be just as beautiful when the clouds roll in, and we’re perfectly happy throwing on our rain jackets and heading out with you. Sometimes a rainy forecast means changing locations, and sometimes it just means embracing the weather and seeing what happens.

After years of photographing elopements here, we’ve worked in sunshine, rain, snow, smoke, fog, and pretty much everything in between. So when the forecast does something unexpected, you don’t have to figure it out alone. We’ll help you look at the conditions, talk through your options, and decide what makes the most sense for you and your day.

If you’re curious about what it’s actually like to embrace the rain, we put together our tips for making the most of a rainy wedding day. (Spoiler: it can be pretty freaking magical).

Elopement Mistake #5: Planning Around Everyone Else’s Expectations

Figuring out who you want to include in your wedding day can bring up a lot of feelings. Maybe you’ve always pictured getting married with just the two of you, but your family wants to be involved. Maybe having your parents, siblings, or closest friends there is actually what would make the day feel meaningful to you. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between and have no idea what you want yet. (Also completely normal.) There’s no right answer to this question, and we’re not here to tell you which one you should choose.

What we do want you to think about is whether the people you’re including are there because you want them there, or because you feel like you’re supposed to include them. Weddings come with a lot of expectations, and it’s easy to start making decisions based on what everyone else will think. Maybe you add traditions you don’t actually care about, change your location because it’s easier for your family, or invite people because you’re worried they’ll be hurt if they aren’t included.

But remember, your wedding day doesn’t have to account for everyone else’s feelings. If having your favorite people there sounds amazing, invite them! Just make sure you’re planning an experience that works for the group you’re bringing. Adding guests can affect everything from where you can go and how far you can hike to how much time you’ll need for meals and getting everyone from one place to another.

And if you’re dreaming about a private adventure with just the two of you, you’re allowed to want that, too. At the end of the day, we want you to look back on your wedding day and remember how it felt to be there, not how hard you worked to make everyone else happy. Your family and friends can be an incredible part of that experience, but they don’t have to be the ones planning it for you.

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Before You Go: Remember What This Day Is Actually About

After all that talk about timelines, vendors, permits, weather, and logistics, the biggest elopement mistake would be forgetting why you’re doing this in the first place. You’re marrying your person.

It’s easy to get caught up in the planning, so make sure you’re still enjoying this part together, too. Go on planning dates, celebrate the little decisions, and talk about what you’re excited about for your future together. 

And when the day finally arrives, give yourselves permission to be present. Your elopement doesn’t need to go perfectly. Maybe the weather changes, you take a wrong turn, or the s’mores get a little too crispy (we’ve seen it all). The best days tend to be the ones where you can laugh when things go sideways and enjoy the little moments that never made it onto the timeline.

And if you’re looking for someone to help you navigate the logistics, find incredible places to explore, and create a wedding day that feels true to your relationship, we would love to be part of it.