True Elopements Are Making a Comeback In A Huge Way
For the last few years, micro weddings and intimate weddings have been everywhere. Couples started scaling back, trimming guest lists, choosing smaller venues, and realizing they didn’t necessarily need 150 people to have a wedding day that felt meaningful.
And I loved it.
But lately, I’m seeing something else start to creep back in.
The true elopement.
And as a wedding photographer who absolutely loves intimate weddings, I am not mad about this trend at all.
Because when I say elopement, I don't mean a 25-person wedding with a ceremony, cocktail hour, catered dinner, and a seating chart. That’s a micro wedding.
In my eyes, a true elopement is simple:
Just the two of you.
No family.
No wedding party.
No guests.
No one asking what time dinner is.
Sometimes my assistant and I are the only other people there and depending on the location and requirements, we may even serve as witnesses while you get married.
And honestly?
There is something pretty awesome about that.
Your Wedding Day Doesn't Have to Be Chaotic
One of the things I love most about true elopements is how peaceful they are.
There isn't a room full of people waiting for you to finish getting ready.
There isn't a timeline that has to account for 75 people moving from one location to another.
There isn't a family member wondering when we're doing family photos.
There isn't a wedding party standing around while we're trying to photograph the two of you.
There is just you two.
You can take your time getting ready.
You can put on your dress slowly. Fix your hair. Have a drink. Listen to music. Help each other get ready. Sit on the porch for a while.
You get to actually experience the day instead of constantly feeling like you're running behind it.
And that is a pretty incredible way to start a marriage.
Pick a Place That Feels Like You
The beauty of an elopement is that you don't have to choose a venue simply because it can accommodate a guest list.
You can choose a place because you love it.
Maybe it's a mountain overlook.
Maybe it's a quiet beach.
Maybe it's a cabin in the woods.
Maybe it's somewhere you've traveled together.
Maybe it's a place that has absolutely nothing to do with weddings and that's exactly why you love it.
Your location becomes part of your story instead of simply being the place where the wedding happens.
And because there are only two of you, we can build the entire day around that location.
And Then We Take Our Time With the Photos
This might be my favorite part.
There is no rushing through portraits because cocktail hour is starting.
No disappearing for ten minutes because we have to get back for the reception.
No squeezing 47 family combinations into a tiny window of time.
We can actually photograph the two of you.
We can walk.
We can explore.
We can stop when the light gets good.
We can make portraits that feel like you instead of checking boxes on a shot list.
And if we find a ridiculously good patch of light?
We're staying there.
Nobody is waiting for us.
Nobody cares that we're taking another 15 minutes.
Because the entire day was planned around you two.
Let's Talk About Golden Hour
One of the biggest advantages of an elopement is that we can build the schedule around the light.
Instead of trying to squeeze sunset portraits into whatever tiny opening exists between the ceremony, dinner, speeches, and everything else, we can simply say:
Sunset is the plan.
We can have you get ready earlier.
Take our time with your ceremony.
Explore your location.
Have some quiet time together.
And then when that beautiful evening light starts showing up, we're ready for it.
Golden hour becomes part of the wedding day instead of something we desperately try to squeeze into the timeline.
And if you're a photographer who loves dramatic light, you already know where I'm going with this.
Give me two people, an epic location, sunset, and enough time to actually work?
Yes, please.
Your Wedding Doesn't Need to Be an Event
I think that's what I'm really loving about the return of true elopements.
A wedding doesn't have to feel like an event that you're hosting for everyone else.
It can simply be a day that belongs to the two of you.
You can spend the morning getting ready together.
You can choose a place that means something to you.
You can exchange vows without an audience.
You can wander around with your photographer afterward.
You can stop for food.
You can drink champagne.
You can sit somewhere and watch the sunset.
You can do absolutely nothing for an hour because you have nowhere else you need to be.
There are no rules saying your wedding day has to be packed from sunrise to midnight.
Maybe the Elopement Was Never the Problem
For years, elopements sometimes got treated like the sad little cousin of a “real” wedding.
Something you did because you couldn't afford a wedding.
Something secret.
Something rushed.
Something that happened at a courthouse and was followed by dinner at Applebee's.
And hey, if that's your thing, I'm not judging. I will never turn down an appetizer sampler.
But that's not what a true elopement has to be.
A thoughtfully planned elopement can be incredibly intentional.
You can invest in the things that actually matter to you.
Your location.
Your outfits.
Your flowers.
Your photography.
Your experience together.
And most importantly, your time.
Because that's the one thing you can't get back.
Maybe Less Wedding. More Marriage.
That's what I love about true elopements.
They strip away all the stuff that can make a wedding day feel overwhelming and leave you with the part that actually matters.
You.
Your person.
Your promises.
Your favorite place.
Your ridiculous amount of excitement.
And a whole damn day to enjoy it.
After years of micro weddings becoming the go-to alternative to the big traditional wedding, I think true elopements are finally making their way back.
And honestly?
Good.
Give me two people, a killer location, beautiful light, plenty of time, and absolutely no seating chart.
I'm in.
