Fun Elopement Ideas That to Make Your Day Feel like a Date

Elopement ideas are often hard for couples to come up with because they’re still thinking about their elopement day like a wedding day. While to some extent, yes, it’s a wedding day, it’s also a day to celebrate you and your love in a way that uniquely reflects who you are as a couple. Choosing to elope opens the doors to so much freedom in choosing how you want to spend your time together, whether it’s just the two of you or a small group of loved ones. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities but the key is to think of elopement ideas that feel like you and structuring it around those.

An Elopement that Feels like an Experience vs. Just a Wedding

Thinking about your elopement in terms of a wedding still keeps you in that traditional box of ‘get ready, ceremony, photos, reception’ with some variation of course, but it’s still the same outline. There is also soooo much pressure to make it the ‘best day of your life’, but if your elopement day is where it peaks, it’s not leaving much to look forward to in the future of your whole lives together. I’m here to encourage you to reframe and instead of thinking about it as a wedding day, think about it like the ultimate date day instead.

Your elopement day shouldn’t be the best day of your life, but it sure as heck should be the best date! Without further ado, here is a huge list of elopement ideas to inspire you to think outside the box and plan a date to rival all others.

Not only will approaching your elopement day like this ensure you have the best time, you’ll also get the best candids and photos that will help you remember how those moments felt years down the line. Having buffer time and unstructured activities allows for so much room to play and relax and get those sweet in between moments.

What do Couples Do When They Elope?

This is a pretty common question and this blog post will answer it for you. Ultimately it depends on the couple, their vibe, and what lights their souls on fire!

Before you jump into things, ask yourselves a few questions to guide your planning. These will help you shape a day that actually reflects who you are and not just doing something because you’re ‘supposed’ to do it.

Questions to Ask Yourselves Before Planning:

• What do we want this day to feel like?
• When we look back, what moments do we want to remember most?
• Are we doing this for us… or trying to meet someone else’s expectations?
• What types of places feel like us.
• Do we want a full adventure or something slower and cozier?
• Are we open to traveling?
• Do we want it to be just the two of us or include a few guests?
• Are there activities that we do together often and want to include?
• What photos are going to mean the most to us?
  

Think about how you spend your favorite weekends as well, what do you love doing together when no one else is around? Is there something you’ve always wanted to do together, big or small, that would be fun to include?

Expert Insight: I’ve photographed over over 200 elopements, and the most meaningful ones always reflect the couple’s personality and not a generic Pinterest shot list

Now that you’ve got a clearer sense of what matters most to you, it’s time to start dreaming! Below is a mix and match list of elopement ideas to bring your vision to life. None of these are tied to a specific schedule or part of the day so you have ultimate freedom to pick and choose.

Elopement Ideas to Start Your Day Slowly and Intentionally

This portion of the day can be structured a variety of different ways depending on how you choose to get ready, whether together and helping each other with your attire or totally separately. Pick any of the below options that fit your vibe. Many of these can be done either before hair and makeup, or in between hair and makeup and when you get into your wedding attire, if you want to be ‘put together’. This time together or apart lays the groundwork for the rest of your day so making sure it matches the vibe you want to channel (upbeat and exciting, or calm and peaceful) is important! Your day also doesn’t have to start in the morning if that’s not your vibe!

Relaxing Activities

• Make a meal together, enjoy a cozy beverage (either wherever you’re staying or in the wild with a camp stove!)
• Hit up your favorite restaurant or coffee shop if you’re not down to cook
• Bible study or journaling sesh
• Start a puzzle together and work on it throughout your trip
• Spa/Hot tub relaxing
• Have a peaceful snuggled reading moment
• Play board/video games (the winner gets to read their vows first!)
• Write each other love letters to read on your first anniversary
• Facetime friends and family before the day kicks off
• Have a first touch around a corner or blindfolded (if you choose to get ready separately)
• Read through your vows one more time before the ceremony

Active Activities

• Go for a hiking/biking/walking (or other) adventure
• Go for a swim at a local lake or pool
• Exercise or yoga sesh
• Dance around in your pajamas and have a playful moment
• Get ready in nature (opposite sides of car, changing tent, camping tent, etc.)

Bonus: Create a getting ready playlist to set the mood for your day that you can listen to independently or together throughout the process.

Once you’re ready to officially kick off the ceremony portion of the day, here are some creative ways to personalize it.

Creative Elopement Ceremony Ideas To Make it Super Special

Ceremony’s typically all follow a similar itinerary, vows, i do’s, rings, first kiss, voila. Whether you’re eloping or not you can customize and truly make it your own. Just don’t forget the legalities if you’re doing that in conjunction with your elopement day.

Unity Ceremony Ideas

Unity ceremony’s are totally optional but a lot of couples really enjoy including something along these lines to add more symbolism to their vow exchange.

There are some common ones we see quite often:

• Candle lighting
• Hand fastening
• Knot tying
• Sand ceremony
• Tree planting

And there are also some different/fun ones depending on you and your partner:

• Paint something together
• Make a PB&J
• Get matching tattoos
• Come up with a secret handshake
• Build a small puzzle
• Create a time capsule
• Take a shot
• Mix a cocktail
• Cut a small cake and feed each other now(you make the rules!)

There are also many religious and/or culturally significant unity traditions you can incorporate as well based on what makes sense for you and your partner. I won’t list them all here since it is personal to each couple, so be sure to do a little digging into your roots if you’re curious!

If it’s your style, don’t forget the champagne to pop in celebration! (Bring two bottles, a cheap one to spray and a nice one to drink.)

Fun bonus idea: Split your ceremony up into parts if you can’t decide on just one backdrop. You can read your vows in one location, exchange rings in anther, and so on and so forth for your unity ceremony(if applicable) and your first kiss!

Fun Elopement Ideas For the Rest of the Day

• Hiking
• Enjoy time on the water (kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, water taxi/tour or sailboating)
• Hammock nap
• Horseback riding
• Hot air balloon
• Fixed wing plane tour
• Rockclimbing
• Winter sports(skiing, ice skating, dog sledding, snowboarding, snowshoeing, sledding, snow machineing)
• Visit your fave ice cream shop/brewery/coffee shop/etc.
• Wander a local museum
• Mid-day picnic (who says food has to happen at the end of the day?)
• Jeeping/Off-roading
• Helicopter tour to a scenic destination
• Wildlife watching
• Berry picking
• Cake cutting on a mountaintop
• Incorporate hobbies (musical instruments, fishing, art, etc)
• Visit a local landmark

How to Finish off The Day, for Two (or a Few)

• Read letters from loved ones
• Picnic or charcuterie board
• Bowling
• Cozy night in puzzling, board games, or along those lines
• Spa/hot tub time
• Enjoy a campfire and s’mores and reminisce
• Go bowling
• Wine tasting
• Cook dinner together and dance around the kitchen
• Bake something
• Hit up an arcade and compete for high scores
• Fast food or fancy takeout meal
• Hire a private chef for a luxury dinner
• Candlelit dinner under the stars
• Go out dancing
• Go to a concert or live music
• Group hang out/gathering to include friends and family
• Cliff jumping
• Visit a local fair/market
• If you’re musical, have a jam sesh and play some music together
• Sing karaoke
• First dance in the wild
• Hire a musician to add to the mood
• Stargaze or chase the northern lights if available

If you’re eloping in Alaska specifically (my speciality), check out this list of Things to Do in Alaska, it has a variety of recommendations from all over the state.

Optional Multi-Day Elopement Ideas to Extend the Fun

• Day-after session (glam or casual)
• Camper Van/Rooftop Tent Camping
• Scenic road trip or backpacking adventure
• Booking two totally different locations for variety

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can you have guests at an elopement?

A: Yes! Elopements can be just the two of you or include a handful of your closest people. Choosing activities that can accommodate your guest count is key as well.

Q: How long should an elopement be?

A: Many of my couples book full-day coverage to make sure they don’t feel rushed or stressed about any part of the day or ‘running out of time’.

Q. How to make elopement feel special?

A: By personalizing and planning your elopement like a date you’re ensuring that you’re not only excited about what you have planned, but that you’re going to actually enjoy it and have fun!

Q: Do you say vows when you elope?

A: There are rarely other times in life when you’re going to be that sentimental and actually voicing it to your person all at once. So I highly recommend doing so! Plus, you likely won’t have an audience watching so you’ll likely be more comfortable showing emotions and speaking your heart.

Q: Are you legally married if you elope?

A: If you file for, fill out and submit a marriage license then absolutely! If you’re choosing to have a commitment ceremony then it isn’t legally binding.

Build Your Own Elopement Adventure

There is no right or wrong adventure or activity for your day and it’s entirely up to you and your partner You can choose to keep your day short and sweet and only incorporate one or two ideas, or you can go all out and make a whole day of it! Here’s the inside scoop on Why You Deserve a Full-Day Elopement Timeline.

Wondering How to Elope in Alaska? I’ve gotchu! You can also read about Winter Specific ideas and tips.

If you’re ready to have an elopement experience that feels more like a date than a traditional wedding day, you’re in the right place! I help couples plan intentional, meaningful adventures that are filled with fun, laughter, connection and photos that actually feel like you. Reach out, and let’s start planning!