What a Full Day Elopement Looks Like and Sample Elopement Timelines

Are you and your favorite person thinking about eloping and making an adventure out of it? You’ve come to the right place. Full day elopement timelines are our JAM! Whether you’re looking for that mountain hike with jaw-dropping sights along the way and at the top, an international trip you’ll never forget, or something so unique only you can come up with, we’ve got you.

we. live. for. elopements.

When thinking about your full day elopement, the right photographer can be your best friend, planner, guide, and moment-capturer. We create space for you to make memories you’ll look back on throughout your lives together. Your full day elopement is an experience – not a photoshoot! You should have the adventure of your dreams, the opportunity to be fully present with your soon-to-be-spouse, and a team to help make it happen.

check out our favorite elopements in 2020

So let’s talk about timing. What does a full day elopement look like? 8-12 hours of adventure bliss. You waking up, eating breakfast, hopping in the Jeep with the top down, driving to the trailhead blasting your favorite tunes. Getting your pack on and carrying your wedding clothes and flowers. Lacing up those hiking boots. The journey to the top! Saying your vows, putting a ring on it (cue Beyonce dance) – it’s really here! It’s actually happening! Your first champagne toast, your first dance under the starlit sky. Then reliving the day sitting by the campfire as you cuddle up under a blanket, not wanting the moment to end.

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full day elopement example:

Hour 1: you get ready (separately or together – it’s your damn day you do what you want!). Take your time while we grab some shots of your dress hanging in the sunlight, your vows, his tie, your rings, and other little details you’ll want to remember.

Hour 1 – 2.5: can’t wait to have your first look outside your picturesque AirBnB? We’ll capture the magic, tears… that. look. Already hanging out together? Keep doing you, we’ll capture the sweet moments you enjoy together as you take a walk, cheers with your favorite drinks, or snuggle with your pups.

Hour 2.5 – 3: time for adventure! We hop in the car and drive up a gorgeous mountain pass to our hike.

Hour 3 – 5: we start the climb and you two take your time soaking in viewpoints and enjoying snacks along the way. We’ll dedicate some time to spontaneity and make sure you two are able to take your time and enjoy yourselves. While you’ve been focusing on the hike, each other and the views, we’ve been capturing it all with our handy backpack system. We’re about two hours from the sunset at this point and our eyes are on the lookout for a perfect elopement spot.

Hour 5 – 8: then you find it. That perfect spot to say your vows. The light is getting really golden and beautiful, the air is crisp, you pull out your vows and look into each other’s eyes and YOU GET MARRIED! The rings are on, we’ve captured your sweet moments together, and now you soak it all in as a married couple. After a bit of alone time together, some exploring around the ceremony area and enjoying the sunset, we head back down.

Hour 8 – 9: time to put on that headlamp and hike to the bottom of the trail where we’ll take some pictures with the stars.

Hour 10 – 12: You love birds are famished at this point from all the adventuring so we drive to an awesome nearby restaurant. You have your first drink, cheers, celebrate over dinner and do your first dance in the foyer with some random music because you don’t care, you’re just having fun. Or maybe you have your first dance song ready to go and you dance under the stars, ending your magical day with a magical moment.

tips for planning your full day elopement

First things first: don’t let anyone tell you what your day should look like! You can design your day start to finish because it’s all about YOU and telling your story. 

Questions to ask yourselves:

• What makes you two feel happiest? 
• If time travel and teleportation were a thing, where would you go? What would your day look and feel like? What would you see?
• Do you have a few people you’d like to bring along? Would you prefer it to be just you two? 
• What activities do you two love doing together? Do you love to hike? Ride bikes?  Go sailing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding? Throw axes? Would you rather go jeeping, off-roading, or rock climbing? 
• Do you two love a good brunch or enjoy a delicious meal at the end of the day? (totally could be both, by the way!)

The beauty of a full day elopement is this: there is no right or wrong answer to any of the above questions, there is no ‘standard elopement’ that we’ll recommend for you, and this is YOUR day to choose what you’ll do and experience together.

people to have in your corner

Us! Having a photo/video team means you’re not alone in planning, all your sweet moments are captured, and you two can focus on what you do best: adventuring together!

You know you best. So, while we can list option after option here of elopement ideas, we really want to talk to YOU about what you want and all your ideas! That’s why we obsess for literally hours over your location scouting questionnaire we send you right after booking. Then we can make magic happen. Your ideas could even just be requests like, ‘we want to get married in the mountains’, ‘we want to have a city adventure and rent scooters at some point’, ‘we want to rent an airBnB in the middle of nowhere and hike then camp then hike back’, ‘we want to go to Ireland and elope on an island’, ‘we want to ride bikes for 50 miles to a remote destination for our ceremony and then have brunch’. 

As soon as you book, we go into Planning Beast Mode: We’re here to help with the where and when. Most of the soul on fire photos you see on our site are from locations our couples didn’t know existed before they hired us! For example, check out some of our favorite Mexico Elopement Locations, Montana Elopement Locations, how to elope in Glacier National Park, and where to elope in Moab, Utah!

Oh and don’t worry – we’ll help you take care of custom location/permit info, vendor recommendations, personalized activities, provide planning resources and build an elopement timeline built just for you two.

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sample elopement timelines

2 day ireland elopement

DAY ONE : ARAN ISLANDS ADVENTURE

9:00am: We take a ferry to Inis Mor – the largest of the Aran Islands.

10:00am: Rent bikes to explore the islands. Stop to take photos along the way!

12:00pm: Eat lunch at the infamous Teach Nan Phaidi.

2:00pm: Head to Dún Aonghasa and obviously take all the photos while you take in the magic.

5:00pm: Have a romantic picnic at Kilmurvey Beach – we’ll take just enough photos then give you two some space to take it all in.

7:00pm: Enjoy your glamping set-up, AirBnB, or bed and breakfast and take photos with stars at night while sipping whiskey.

DAY 2 : CEREMONY ON THE CLIFFS

11:00am: You get ready while we take photos of your details, special moments (first look!), and pre-ceremony moments.

1:00pm: Ceremony on Inis Mor – lots of options here – you could have a traditional celtic handfasting ceremony, or decide to do your own thing! We’ll capture it all.

1:30pm: We explore Inis Mor and the cliffs, get some gorgeous photos. 

4:00pm: We head over to Joe Wattys Bar for some live music, a celebratory cheers, a dance (or two!) and the couple enjoys the bliss of being married.

See the full post on Where to Elope in Ireland

Want to know something cool? All and we mean ALL our travel is included in our pricing! Check out our Custom 2 Day Elopement Experience to see how we can help build your perfect and unique 2 day experience! 

all day yosemite national park, california – sunrise ceremony at glacier point and star shot with epic hike

*Don’t worry about the permits required for eloping at Yosemite National Park – we’ll make sure you have all the right paperwork necessary for your big day!

4:00am: We meet at your hotel in Yosemite National Park to grab some shots as you’re getting ready for your big adventure day.

5:00am: We drive to Glacier Point for the ceremony.

6:00am: We arrive at Glacier Point just in time to have you two see each other for the first time as the sun comes up through the Valley.

6:30am: Ceremony at Glacier Point and photos of your marital bliss overlooking Yosemite’s Half Dome and exquisite views.

8:00am: We drive through the Yosemite Valley for more photos in your wedding clothes.

10:00am: Time to change and go for a hike with snacks, photos, and adventure! What’s better than a hike together? Going on a hike right after being married!

1:00pm: We’ll head back to the hotel for some celebratory drinks and a little time to rest

2pm – 6pm: Take a NAP! 

6:00pm: Sunset picnic in the valley – couple changes back into wedding clothes for some epic shots and to enjoy dinner together as a MARRIED COUPLE.

8:00pm: We take some incredible photos in the starlite Yosemite Valley, the stars come out and we get some epic star photos.

Looking for a full day elopement adventure? We’ve got you. Our Full Day Elopement Experience covers up to 12 hours of documentation ensuring every minute of your elopement experience will be remembered. 

glacier national park micro wedding

(see the real thing here)

DAY 1 : HIKE TO ALPINE LAKE CEREMONY & CELEBRATION

8:00am: We arrive at Sam & Nick’s lodge and photograph them getting ready with their closest family and friends. They enjoy time together as we capture their special details.

10:00am: We drive up to Many Glacier, soaking in the amazing mountain pass.

12:00pm: While on the hike around the lake, Sam & Nick see each other for the first time! We take photos of the couple as their wedding day gets even more real. 

12:45pm: We photograph their small wedding party smiling ear to ear.

1:15pm: Hike to Lake Josephine where they find their perfect elopement spot. The alpine lake is gorgeous and the couple is stunning as they say their vows with the snow capped mountains in the background. 

1:30pm: They. Get. Married! They say their vows, happy tears are cried, all of their closest family is there to see!

2:00pm: We get some more gorgeous photos of this epic place with the now MARRIED couple.

3:00pm: We drive back to the lodge.

4:00pm: Sam & Nick share a car ride in a Checker car, just the two of them to soak in the moments that just happened.

5:00pm: Family photos.

6:00pm: They eat dinner, celebrate, dance the night away with first dances, champagne toasts, and cake cutting.

8:00pm: Sunset photos with the couple and wedding party.

DAY 2: SUNRISE HIKE TO ALPINE LAKE

6:00am: We arrive at Logan Pass for a hike to Hidden Lake.

6:10am: We hike up the mountain, pausing for photos along the way, soaking in the amazing views.

7:30am: We arrive at the top where the clouds are settled below the mountain and get those. gorgeous views as the sun comes up over the mountain. Couple enjoys a snack and drinks.

8:00am: Sam & Nick explore the scenery, stopping for photos along the way.

9:00am: We hike back down the mountain, the sun has risen all the way over the peak.

10:00am: We arrive back at the parking lot.

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worldwide destination adventure & intimate elopement packages

We’ve said it before and we’ll keep saying it: Your elopement is exactly just that: YOUR elopement! We have so many tips and tricks up our sleeve to make sure your elopement experience is perfect. From the moment you hire us, we are a team. 

It all starts with the questionnaire so we can find out what is important to you for your elopement. You’ll get a list of customized location options, resources to help you plan, and vendor recommendations. We’ll dream and scheme! We’re available for advice, jumping ideas around, and talking through logistics. No matter what, we’ll create an elopement timeline to make sure we’re at the right spot at the right time. We’re your dream team and we’re ready to guide you through all things eloping!

all elopement packages include photography & videography and our travel is covered

Whether you’re looking for a two-day elopement experience (think: two 8 hour days of documentation, or mix it up and do a 12 hour day and a 4 hour day), a full day elopement experience (up to 12 hours of coverage), an 8 hour elopement experience, or a partial day elopement experience (up to 4 hours of coverage), we can’t wait to plan your dream elopement experience. 

Oh and if you haven’t heard: We LOVE international elopements! If you’re thinking about a destination elopement in Peru, Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Italian Dolomites, Switzerland, or Patagonia, we’ll give you a steep discount! Let us know about your dream elopement – we can’t wait to connect with you.