Congratulations! You’ve decided to elope! It’s an empowering choice to celebrate your love in an authentic way that truly reflects your relationship, style, and personality. Now the fun part starts: planning your elopement! This should be a time of reflection and meaningful thought. Here are 5 tips for planning an elopement of your dreams!

 

1. Celebrate the Process

With all the steps involved in planning an elopement, it can feel like you’re losing sight of how precious each detail is. Firstly, I urge you to celebrate each milestone, every detail, and decision. When it’s all said and done, it can seem like the whole process flew by, so make a point to spend quality time with your loved one during this amazing time!

Sit down together, get comfortable, and start envisioning your perfect day. You two will inevitably have some differing ideas. Communicate your priorities and make a point to listen to each other’s needs.

 

 

2. Focus on what’s really important

Secondly, life isn’t always in the habit of giving us what we want so when something doesn’t go quite as planned, take a step back, breathe deep and relax. You two have decided to love and cherish each other for the rest of your lives. These small hiccups truly aren’t that big of a deal. Trust me on this one.

 

 

 

3. Invite the people you’re excited to see

This should be a no-brainer, shouldn’t it? Instead of your invitation list escalating along with your stress levels, you have absolute authority to only invite the people you know you will be truly happy to see, usually up to 25 guests. And it’s also absolutely okay if that means not inviting anyone! Make sure to learn about your state’s marriage requirements. Some states require you to have guests present on your wedding day, others require you to have an officiant, some don’t require anyone at all! These states allow something called self-solemnization, meaning you can marry yourselves! Colorado is one of those states. If you choose to elope alone, you can always celebrate with others on another day. You have the choice to celebrate later with everyone at a reception. Throw a party when you get your wedding photos back!

 

 

 

4. Find inspiration

The Internet is a great place to look for wedding inspiration but the sheer amount of information can feel overwhelming. The following is a list of my favorite blogs & online magazines. They have a ton of helpful advice and beautiful images to get you inspired for the big day. 

www.hellomay.com.au

www.greenweddingshoes.com

www.rockmywedding.co.uk

www.google.com/earth/

www.lonelyplanet.com/places

Pinterest is another wonderful resource but it can be super addictive. My advice for whenever you see another great post is to check in with yourself and ask: Is this truly what I want or am I getting carried away? Does this really fit with my style or is it just another really cool idea?

 

 

5. Don’t hold back

This is your chance to dream about all the ways you want to celebrate your love. Consider some of the following questions:

Ceremony

• Will it be just you the two of you or are you wanting to invite some guests to witness and celebrate your love?
• Do you plan on wearing traditional wedding attire? Or do you want to throw caution to the wind and get married in casual yet comfortable clothes? What if it rains?

 

Celebration

• Will there be music? Do you want to pop champagne? Have a picnic? Will you read your own vows or enjoy a cake? Will you have a bouquet?
• How long will your elopement celebration last? A day, a weekend, a week? Will you combine it with your honeymoon? (Learn more about creating an epic elopement timeline!)

 

Activity

• Are you planning on stargazing? Do you want to go on a hike? Will there be a helicopter involved? Maybe you’re wanting to celebrate at a brewery afterward or soak in a hot spring. Or maybe you want to go skiing or zip-lining.

 

Location + Time of Year

• Do you imagine getting married on top of a mountain? In a magical forest? On a sandy beach? Maybe you want to share your vows in a treehouse, or near a waterfall? (Check out where to elope in Colorado!)
• What season are you wanting to elope in? Do you want a share your vows in a winter wonderland? Do you imagine there being colorful wildflowers or fall colors? (Learn more about the best seasons to elope in Colorado!)

 

This is your day to make it what you want! Start the next chapter of your life with an amazing adventure!