So you’ve heard this term called Elopements before, but you aren’t completely sure what it exactly means. You’ve heard your grandmother talk about her “wild” friends who ran off with their partners and secretly got married, disregarding the permissions of their families. But you’ve also seen recently a distant friend who shared photos of them getting married at their favorite mountain spot with their closest friends and families.

But what even is an Elopement?! And do I want to do one?!

This blog is going to tell you a few things about what Elopements are, some of the many ways that they can look, and finish with asking you a few questions that could help lead you into your decision about whether you should elope or not!

Elope – e·lope/əˈlōp/ Definition: a marriage conducted in a sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one’s place of residence together with one’s beloved with the intention of getting married.

Above you’ll find a common definition of an Elopement, but it is SO much more than that. An Elopement is an intentional experience created for a couple. It could include hiking up a mountain peak or heading to your childhood home’s backyard. You can elope with some of your favorite family and friends, or you can escape just the two of you.

Do you consider yourself slightly more introverted than the average human being?

Do you prefer the company of a few close friends versus large groups and parties?

Does the idea of planning a huge wedding with hundreds of guests at a large venue just sound plain horrible to you?

Do you crave having an intimate space where you can comfortably express your vulnerabilities and love for your partner?

An elopement might be the perfect thing for you.

Your elopement can be something simple like hopping over to your local courthouse and doing a quick civil ceremony. It could also be an epic multi-day outdoor adventure that includes hiking, dance parties and so much more. AND it can be anything and everything in between!

The beautiful thing about an elopement is the sole focus of that day is you and your partner. It isn’t about entertaining guests with cocktail hours and reception speeches. It’s not about pleasing the desires of in-laws and pressures of societal standards. It is a moment in time curated and customized to exactly how YOU want your day to look. You get to create a space for vulnerability, intimacy and so much fun.

You get to walk away from your elopement thinking “Wow, that was exactly how we wanted to get married. It felt like us“.

Below you will see a gallery of a small example of what your Elopement could look like. These photos are of two of my dear friends, Matt and Angelica. On a whim helped us put together a fun little “faux-elopement” while we discovered some new locations around Mount Rainier National Park. The beautiful thing about this afternoon was how much love was radiating through the air. These two have been together for a few years now, and you could just feel how deeply and passionately they cared for one another; even if this was just a pretend version of a wedding ceremony.

Do you think an Elopement is right for you?

Let’s chat about that and make some magic happen.

You could also check out another beautiful Mount Rainier Elopement I photographed and officiated!