Your Ultimate Elopement Planning Checklist

Have you been thinking about eloping, but the elopement planning process has felt like a bit of a mystery? Well, have no fear – Lilli Productions is here! I’ve crafted an 8-step checklist to help teach you how to plan an elopement.

Step One: Decide to Elope

Before you dive head-first into planning your elopement, check in with yourselves; is an elopement right for you? Here are 10 signs eloping is the perfect choice for you.

1. Quality time is important to you. You don’t want to spend half the day apart. 
2. You prefer privacy & intimacy. You don’t need or want an audience of hundreds.
3. You want to travel somewhere new. It’s an elopement & honeymoon all in one!
4. You want to exchange vows somewhere INCREDIBLE! Cliffside ceremony? What a STORY! 
5. Epic wedding photos are a priority for you. You don’t just want your grandma’s wedding photos. You want something beautiful, epic, exciting, and artistic.
6. You don’t want to feel stressed or rushed. Take as much time as you’d like and fill the day up with as little or as many activities as you want. It’s all up to you!
7. You’re all about EXPERIENCE. You want to enjoy the day from start to finish.
8. Nature feels important to your day. Most elopements happen in the great outdoors. It’s not a rule, but it’s a great way to let mother nature serve as your chapel.
9. If you’ve read this far, and something in your gut says “elope,” it’s probably the right decision for you. Trust your instincts!

Step Two: Choose a Country and State.

• First things first, you’ll want to decide a general location for your first day of forever! You don’t have to pick a city or an exact region yet, but narrowing down your choices from THE WHOLE WORLD to one Country and/or State is the best way to get started with the support you need from your future team.
• I’m based in the beautiful Pacific Northwest in Portland, Oregon, so of course I’m biased to “Pacific Wonderland.” Here are some of my favorite areas to elope in the PNW:
  • The Coast
    • Brookings, Oregon & Crescent city, California for a stunning rocky coastline AND the beautiful redwood forests.
    • Seaside/Cannon Beach, Oregon for classic Oregon Coast Vibes plus cutie towns.
    • Pacific City, Oregon for stunning natural beauty.
    • Astoria, Oregon for a port town and shipwrecks.
  • The Mountains (best in July/August/September to avoid snow closures!)
    • Mt. Rainier National Park outside of Seattle, WA is a DREAM.
    • The North Cascades & Mt. Baker offer some incredible mountain views!
    • Mt. Hood is just over an hour outside of Portland, Oregon and offers some amazing options for weddings, elopements, and beyond.
  • The Desert (July/August/September are going to be HOT and the winter will be COLD, so I suggest March/April/May/June or October/November!)
    • The Painted Hills
    • Bend, Oregon or Sisters, Oregon (there’s also some mountains out here haha!)
  • Waterfalls (yes, we do go chasing them!)
    • Silver Falls State Park (1.5 hours from Portland or Eugene, Oregon) is an incredible natural beauty and also home to Smith Village, a boutique camp-y lodge and resort that can hosts groups both big and small.
    • Latourell Falls is on the Columbia River Gorge and is a gorgeous easy hike where you can stand RIGHT under the falls.
• If you really want to get into the “location scouting” hunt for a perfect location, try out Google Earth to virtually see your options!

• If you’re really open to anywhere and want to prioritize finding your dream photo/video team first – skip to step three!

Step Three: Find your Elopement Photographer and Videographer (hey, that’s me!)

• I know it seems early – but trust me on this one! Booking a photographer and videographer for your elopement early on in the process is the BEST idea. Why? Because a good photographer/videographer will be an excellent resource and support in your planning process. For example, if you choose to book me (like you totally should) I’ll help you out by suggesting areas that fit your desires, drafting pro-con lists, sending location options, creating timelines, brainstorming activity ideas, and so much more. Not only will you be locking in a date with the artist of your dreams (me, me, me!!) – but you’ll gain a team member in the elopement planning journey.

Step Four: Pick your exact location.

• When you’re ready, lock down a specific city or region to have your elopement. Once you have the “where” figured out, the rest gets a whole lot easier!
• Guess what!? That was step four. That means you are halfway done with learning how to plan an elopement!

Step Five: Brainstorm your perfect day!

• I always recommend that my clients dream up the PERFECT day like they would a favorite vacation day. When you do this, close your eyes and think of all your senses: what do you want to do on your wedding day? What do you want to see/hear/smell/see? Write down an epic list of everything that comes to mind, and you can always pare it down later!
  
• Here’s an idea of what your list could look like:
  • See whales.
  • Go chasing waterfalls.
  • Make coffee by a lake.
  • Watch the sun rise.
  • Smell salty sea air.
  • Go sandboarding!
  • Horseback ride to an epic view and have a picnic!
  • Sky dive! Air balloon!
  • A helicopter tour.
  • A private boat tour or fishing excursion.
  • An intense hike to a rewarding location.
  • An easy stroll through a forest.
  • Eating cake at a picnic table in nature.
  • I could go on and on and on…

Step Six: Pare down your dream list to include only exactly what you want to do to celebrate your elopement. 

• When thinking about how to plan your elopement, remember: there are no rules. Your elopement can last six hours, twelve, or span over three days. The sky’s the limit! DREAM BIG!  With the help of your photographer/videographer, create a timeline of how the day(s) will look from start to finish. Just to give you an idea, here’s an example of a low-key ten hour coastal elopement timeline:
  • 11:00 am – Have brunch and coffee together at your Airbnb, start getting ready for the day.
  • 12:30 pm – Get final touches & outfits on separately for a surprise!
  • 1:30 pm – Head to the forest for your first look!
  • 2:00 pm – First look in the forest, walking hand-in-hand between ferns, and a snack picnic.
  • 3:30 pm – Head to the trailhead for the short hike to your ceremony location.
  • 4:00 pm – Private ceremony and vow exchange on a cliffside. Portraits, exploration, and a short hike out.
  • 6:00 pm – Champagne & a sunset walk on the beach  (plus, golden hour photos!)
  • 7:00 pm – Campfire on the Beach (S’mores, please!)
  • 7:00 – 9:00 pm – Head back to your Airbnb for a private chef catered dinner.
• If you want more detail on elopement timeline building, here’s my full blog post on that: www.lilliproductions.com/elopement-timeline-sample

Step Seven: Find the rest of your dream vendors and businesses!

• Once you’ve decided everything you want to do/see/smell/hear/experience on your elopement day, it’s time to find the right vendors to make that happen! Here are some types of vendors that you may want to consider working with to bring your dreams to life:
  • A florist.
  • A stylist/decorator.
  • A stationary artist.
  • A private chef or catering company.
  • A hair & makeup artist.
  • A bakery/cake-baker.
  • A luxury picnic set-up company.
  • A solo musician or ensemble group.
• If you choose to book me as your elopement photographer and/or videographer, I’ll also be able to provide you a list of recommended vendors or help you search for the right people to book in your corner! That’s right, I can personally help you plan your elopement.
• This is also the step where you’ll want to officially book an Airbnb or hotel, book your travel, and book activities (like horseback riding, a helicopter or boat tour, bicycle rentals, or any other type of activity that may require reservation!)
  • PS: Booking an Airbnb or hotel or VRBO that speaks to you is SUCH an important part of your elopement! That’s why I include it in this check list of how to plan an elopement – it’s the home base of your wedding day!

Step Eight: Wait excitedly (& work on your “look!”)

• While you’re planning all the details of your elopement, you’ll also be finding your perfect outfits for the day! If you want to go with a traditional white wedding dress and/or black tux (or any combination of the two), that’s great. Or you can go wild and wear anything you want. You can wear whatever makes your hearts sing. REMEMBER: THERE. ARE. NO. RULES!
• Once you have everything booked and figured out… all that’s left to do is wait!

And that’s it! WOW! You have learned how to plan an elopement.

If this all seems overwhelming, don’t worry, I’ll help you through it! Book me and start your elopement planning adventure today. I offer elopement photography, elopement videography, and photo/video combo options… not to mention 35mm film and Super8 add-on options!

You can get in touch with me here: https://lilliproductions.com/contact

Can’t WAIT to meet you! I hope you enjoyed my checklist on how to plan an elopement! Finally, I really hope you consider me as your elopement videographer or photographer so that I can help you every step of the way.