15 Unique Eloping Ideas

Elopement Tips

Elopements are such a special and unique way of getting married! They allow you to get married exactly how you want and keep the focus of your wedding on the two of you. But, are you wondering what type of things to do or include in your elopement?!

Let me begin by saying you can do whatever the heck you want on your elopement day! This is the beauty of eloping. It’s all about you! So, let’s get your mind racing with all kinds of ideas with these 15 Unique Eloping Ideas!

Unique Eloping Ideas

1. Elope in National or State Park

National and State Parks hold some of the most incredible views in the states! If you’re all about adventure, exploring, and having to pick your jaw up off the floor then this one is for you. From the epic mountain views in Glacier National Park to the desert vibes of Joshua Tree, there’s bound to be a park that fits what you’re looking for!

You can spend the day adventuring around and hitting up your favorite spots in the park. You could go hiking. You could make it a relaxing day of sightseeing. Or all the above!! Make it a day that you’ll never forget!

Be sure to check out my Tips for Eloping in a National Park!

unique eloping ideas for your elopement

2. Have an Airbnb Elopement

Airbnb’s are the greatest place to stay at for your elopement! You can choose a secluded cabin out in the mountains with gorgeous views. You can say at a cute A-frame cabin out in the woods. You can choose a house to host your 10 closest loved ones you want to celebrate with.

They truly make the greatest home base to get ready, celebrate afterward, or even to hold your ceremony! The options on how to utilize an Airbnb/VBRO are endless.

Be sure to check out my complete guide on How to Plan an Airbnb Elopement!

3. Elope in a Place You’ve never been

You’re choosing to have an adventurous elopement, so why not make it even more adventurous?! Choosing to elope in a place you’ve never been or a place you’ve always dreamed of exploring will add such a fun and unique element to your elopement experience.

How fun would it be to start off your marriage in a place that you’re both exploring for the first time?! Together! It can make for some of the best memories. Plus, you can easily turn it into your honeymoon afterward of exploring!

unique elopement during winter

4. Elope in a Place that’s Meaningful to You

Have you been to a place together that you fell in love with? If you’ve visited a beautiful place together on vacation or while exploring and you both absolutely loved it, why not get married there?! It would turn a special place into a place that you’ll never forget!

5. Have a Private Chef cook you dinner

Calling all the foodies out there!! If you both are all about the food wherever you go then this is a perfect choice for you. How fun would it be to come back to your Airbnb after hiking or exploring all day to relax, sit by the fire, and let a professional cook you a crazy delicious meal?!

After dinner, you can sit outside by the bonfire and enjoy the night sky with happy bellies! I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the perfect end to the perfect day!

6. Go hiking or backpacking

Hiking is one of the greatest ways to explore and get privacy during your elopement! In a busy national park, going on a hike is the perfect way to beat the crowds and be able to have your ceremony in peace!

Don’t think that you need to go on a crazy long hike either. You can definitely hop on a short trail if you’d like to include other activities besides just hiking! But, if hiking is your thing and you want to go on an all-day hiking elopement, then have at it and do it!

Plus, the views along hiking trails are always to die for. Be sure to check out my tips for your Hiking Elopement!

unique eloping ideas

7. Go on a Unique Epic Adventure

If you want to reach a gorgeous mountain peak to say your vows without having to trek up there then the perfect alternative would be to take a helicopter or 4×4 Jeep tour! These add a thrill factor and it’s something you’re bound to never forget!

Including an adventurous activity like a helicopter ride, a 4×4 tour, a boat ride, etc. is a great way to be able to hit up multiple locations during your day in half the time! Who wouldn’t want to include more adventure into their elopement?!

8. Enjoy a Picnic Surrounded by Nature

Picnics are so fun and that’s a fact! Imagine reaching the end of your hike and taking some time to relax, sit down, and enjoy your picnic right before the sun starts to set. Picnics are truly great at any location! The beach, the middle of a forest, a cliff overlooking the ocean, the mountains… Sounds picture perfect, right?!

You can have a cheese and wine board, bring along sandwiches, or whatever you want! Check out these super cute picnic backpacks to take along on your elopement. Talk about fun and unique eloping ideas!

unique eloping ideas

9. Include your Favorite Activities

Eloping is a very intentional way of getting married and allows the focus of your day to remain on you! This is amazing for so many reasons, but a fun perk is that you can include your favorite activities or hobbies on your elopement day!

If you both love to ski or snowboard, why not hit the slopes on your elopement?! If you both love to longboard, why not take your boards along and take some time to go ride around?! You can include absolutely anything on your day!

10. Have a Romantic First Look

First looks are always so special and create a fun moment for the couple to anticipate! You can get ready completely separate from each other so you don’t see each other at all until the first look or you could get ready together until it’s time to put on the final touches like your outfits, shoes, and any other accessories you’ll be wearing. I’ve seen it done both ways and every time someone usually tears up!

bride and groom share a first look

Unique Eloping Ideas

11. Add personalized details to your elopement

Just because you’re eloping doesn’t mean you can’t have details! You could do things like a bouquet, a boutonniere, a jeweled hairpiece, a veil, a rug to stand on during your ceremony, etc. The list could go on and on, but I think you get the idea! This is YOUR wedding day so do whatever you want!!

12. Share a first dance

Who says you can’t share a first dance?! All you need to do is take along a Bluetooth speaker and dance away! How sweet would it be to play a song and share a dance at the top of a mountain or wherever you are with nobody around?! …Except me 🙂

Heck, if slow dancing isn’t your thing why not pull out the tunes and break out a few dance moves?! Nobody to watch, but me! I’ll be dancing behind my camera with you, don’t worry!! unique ideas for your elopement

13. Get Married with an epic view

Let’s be real – A big reason you’re eloping (and a reason most couples choose to elope) is that you can get married exactly where you want! There are no rules or limitations on where you decide to have your adventure.

So, why not get married in your dream location? Why not get married with the backdrop of your dreams?! There is nothing and no one holding you back!

Check out these posts for some location ideas!

Best Places to Elope in the US

10 Best Places to Elope in the PNW

Best Places to Elope in Idaho

Best Places to Elope in Utah

Best Places to Elope in Washington State

eloping ideas for couples planning their elopement

14. Include your loved ones

Some people still have a misconception that you can’t elope with your loved ones. Let me tell you that you absolutely can! I’ve written an entire article on Eloping with Family that goes in-depth in all the different ways to include your friends and family. So, if eloping with your absolute closest loved ones be sure to check it ou!

15. Literally anything you want

This is your elopement day. This is your chance to have an unforgettable wedding day! Dream it all up and dream big! You can celebrate your way and get married however you want to. There are no rules!! Why not come up with your own unique eloping ideas?! Just think about the things you love to do or the things you’ve always wanted to do!

I totally understand that you might be thinking, “How on earth to start to plan my adventurous elopement?”. There are no rules and it’s a totally different and unique way of getting married which makes it so dang amazing!

But, don’t worry, that’s what I’m here for! I’ll work closely with you to help plan out all the details and logistics of your elopement. I want to keep the focus on you and help you get married exactly how you want!

If you’re looking for an experienced Elopement Photographer who can tell the story of your day and help guide you through all the planning, you’re in the right place! I’d love to chat with you and hear all about your vision! You can contact me >HERE< and I can’t wait to hear from you!!

Want more tips and advice for eloping?!

11 Most Common Questions About Eloping Answered!

How to Avoid Crowds During Your Outdoor Elopement

What to Do After Eloping

Reasons You Should Elope

15 Unique Elopement Ideas for Elopement Planning | Courtney Lynn

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You know you want to elope,

and you know you want it to be meaningful and adventurous, but where do you start?!

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Courtney has a very warm and bubbly personality that shows through her work! She made my husband and I feel SO comfortable throughout the whole day.

We were very confused on how to start planning our adventure and she was there to answer a lot of our questions in the beginning and honestly with a very short time frame! We planned and got married in 6 weeks, because we knew we really wanted her there for our day and that is what she had available! It was a challenge well accepted for all three of us.

Our day was perfect. She captured our true essence of love and laughter and each photo shows it. There weren't very many set up photos unless we asked for them. She just gets you in the moment!

You can absolutely tell that Courtney loves what she does and wants your day to be perfect. She listens to you and really tries to understand you as a couple first and then uses that within her photography skills.

If you are looking for an adventure/elopement photographer I would highly suggest Courtney Lynn. We will be looking at and reliving our elopement forever thanks to her amazing photos. You won't be disappointed!

Amber & Ryan

Courtney was so helpful during the whole process! She helped put together a wonderful day! She really wanted to make sure our wedding was just right for us. She made our elopement perfectly formulated for us, and I can't think of a more beautiful day!

One of our concerns going into an elopement was wanting to have pictures that let us remember the entire day. Courtney was there from start to finish and captured the whole day! Because of her outstanding work, we can share it with our loved ones, and they can experience the event almost as if they were there. We also really appreciated that she captured genuine moments between us instead of making it a photoshoot.

It felt like we were hanging out with a friend, and we think that helped us enjoy our day to the fullest.
If your dream wedding is an adventurous elopement day, I couldn't recommend Courtney more. She went above and beyond and was such a joy to work with throughout this whole experience.

She made us feel at ease and relaxed. Some wedding photographers are all about capturing posed moments that can be really awkward; that's NOT Courtney's style at all. Not only was she down to do whatever we wanted and go on little side adventures, but she made us feel comfortable.

She captured our true personalities and who we are as a couple! When looking at our gallery, our love for each other and our personalities can be seen in each image! She is extremely talented and did a phenomenal job of capturing the beauty of our wedding location. If you hire her, you will not regret it!

Sadye & Matthew

We are SO happy we decided to go with Courtney for our wedding photos! Originally we were supposed to elope in Italy, and she helped a TON with planning things like travel and what our day was going to look like.

Then the pandemic hit and we realized we probably weren't going to be able to go to Italy. So, we decided to change locations to Glacier!

She made it super easy and stress free, and helped plan what our new day in Glacier was going to look like!

Courtney was super easy to spend the entire day with, very friendly and fun to talk to! Even though our day didn't go exactly how we planned due to the weather, we all just went with the flow of it and it still turned out to be an amazing day!

If you're in doubt, just hire her!! You won't regret it one bit and you will get so many incredible photos to look back on your day!!

robbie & Aryton

When my now husband and I started planning our elopement, we were confused to the max. We didn’t know where to start or how to go about planning anything. We knew we wanted to get married in Ireland, but had too many options on exactly where. After doing some research of elopements, I was scrolling on Pinterest and came across some BEAUTIFUL photos taken by Courtney!

Courtney made the process so easy! She is organized, professional, sweet, and so so funny!! Courtney does more than just photograph your day, she cares about you having the BEST day! She helped us plan EVERYTHING! Even down to the little details, like what type of shoes to wear! She helped us narrow down where, giving us her informative opinions on each of our options! She gave us cool ideas that we could incorporate into our special day. No idea was too big! When the day came, we had the absolute best time exploring and getting married! After we exchanged our vows, we went to celebrate at a local pub (Courtney’s idea ;) ). It was a blast!!

Our elopement was an absolute DREAM COME TRUE! I will never be able to thank Courtney enough for making it happen. So for anyone on the fence, swaying back and forth about whether or not work with Courtney on your big day, SWAY NO MORE! You’ve found your person!! My day couldn’t have been any better and my pictures are beautiful and capture the fun we had!!! I can’t wait to work with her again!

Taylor & andrew

"Planning for our day and the day itself would have been completely different without Courtney. We only knew that we wanted to share our vows in the Tuscan countryside and have beautiful photos, and Courtney planned the perfect agenda for that to happen.

She coordinated our timing around sunset, and not only were the photos breathtaking, but the actual evening was too. I remember looking out over the vineyards as the sun set, the view becoming more and more stunning by the minute. There were no moments that felt forced or posed, every shot was comfortable and fun and full of love.

Courtney is such a sweet, kind, fun person and we truly enjoyed spending the day with her. Courtney helped us to turn our dreams into reality, and we hardly had to do a thing. She allowed us to be in control of our day but gently took all of our wants and needs into consideration while making everything happen. Lastly, our pictures are just magical. Courtney is an incredibly talented photographer, and I feel so lucky that we were able to work with her. I would recommend her over and over again to anyone eloping."

Ellie & Zac

"Let. Me. Tell. You. It's not the technical aspects of photography that are the most difficult. It's the human aspect. Remembering that as a Photographer, you may be behind the lens but you are still a human, in front of other humans, in some of the most raw and intimate of moments.

Courtney balances both of these necessities (but rarities) with poise, great direction, and an overall kind calmness that just makes you breathe a sigh of relief. If you've come across Courtney's page and see what you like already, BOOK HER NOW. Don't spend another second looking for another Photographer that doesn't bring anywhere near the amazing light and spirit that this girl brings right here. Thank you again Courtney for allowing my husband and I to marry each other all over again! The images are stunning and I can't wait to blow them up and hang them in our home."

Shannon & Brandon

"Working with Courtney was an extremely easy experience, seamless, positive and obviously fun. My wife and I went on our honeymoon and wanted to surprise her with a surprise honeymoon adventure session.

Courtney worked with me to make that dream gift for my wife a reality. Meeting and posing for a photographer for the first time can be intimidating, but with Courtney it was anything but that.

Courtney is extremely positive and helpful and made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera. She played some of our favorite songs and before we knew we were just having fun and she was catching them every second. Perhaps the best part of our session was that Courtney knew all the characteristic and peaceful places of where we were, which made our photos even more extraordinary.

She kept the focus on my wife and me. When we shared our images with friends and relatives, everyone complimented on Courtney's aesthetics and the emotion she was able to capture. I can't thank Courtney enough for exceeding all our expectations with this photo shoot!!"

NINA & JASON

"Pick her -- she's the best! Courtney is amazing! Seriously! If you're thinking about eloping you should snatch her up to capture your day. She makes the entire experience fun and relaxed plus the pictures just blew us away. I will never forget our magical time in Venice and I'm obsessed with the gorgeous photos Courtney took of us. She's so so good!"

Jami & Tim

Courtney is not only a talented photographer, but she makes you feel so comfortable even though being in front of the camera can be nerve-wracking! She did such an amazing job with our day and if I had to pick my favorite photo it would take FOREVER, because I love so many! Definitely consider her if you want adventurous and beautiful photos coupled with an amazing experience!

walker & mac

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Don't take it from me,
Take it from my past couples!

You’re in the right place!

I’m here to guide you through EVERY. SINGLE. STEP.

Let’s toss that’s confusion out the window and focus on how you want to get married!

Let me relieve those feelings of being lost, save you time, tell the story of your day and let’s get started creating a day that you’ll never forget!

So, if you know you want to elope,
but feel unsure on where to start,

contact me & let's get starting creating your dream elopement!

...and you want an amazing storyteller to document your day

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Let's freaking do this!!

15 Unique Eloping Ideas

Unique Eloping Ideas

1. Elope in National or State Park

2. Have an Airbnb Elopement

3. Elope in a Place You’ve never been

4. Elope in a Place that’s Meaningful to You

5. Have a Private Chef cook you dinner

6. Go hiking or backpacking

7. Go on a Unique Epic Adventure

8. Enjoy a Picnic Surrounded by Nature

9. Include your Favorite Activities

10. Have a Romantic First Look

Unique Eloping Ideas

11. Add personalized details to your elopement

12. Share a first dance

13. Get Married with an epic view

14. Include your loved ones

15. Literally anything you want

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You know you want to elope,

and you know you want it to be meaningful and adventurous, but where do you start?!

Don't take it from me,Take it from my past couples!

So, if you know you want to elope, but feel unsure on where to start,

Don't take it from me,
Take it from my past couples!

So, if you know you want to elope,
but feel unsure on where to start,