Where to Elope: How to Choose Your Dream Elopement Location

Elopement Tips

WHOO-HOO! You’ve officially decided to elope!! Elopements are such an incredible way to get married. They allow the focus of your wedding day to remain on the two of you without having to worry about all the tiny little things that at the end of the day don’t really matter. One of the greatest parts about eloping is that you can get married literally anywhere you want! Whatever scenery you’re hoping for you can absolutely make it happen, but with SO many stunning locations throughout the states and the whole world, you might be wondering how to choose your dream elopement location.

I totally get it!! With endless options, it might seem a bit overwhelming, but let me help you get those wheels turning in your mind by giving you a bit of direction on where to elope. Definitely don’t think you have to have your exact location nailed out. As an experience elopement photographer, I’m here to help you pick out your exact location, but this will help you narrow it down to a state, national park and give you guidance on what to start thinking about!

where to elope

1. Pick an elopement location that’s meaningful to you

As you start to contemplate locations, is there a national park that you absolutely fell in love with when visiting? Is there a state that you traveled to a long time ago and sticks out in your mind? Is there a place you’ve gone vacationing at that has meaning to your relationship? If any of these ring true for you then take some time to think about those places and decide if it’s a place that you’d love to get married at.

2. Pick a location you’ve always wanted to go

Here’s an easy one! Is there a national park you’ve been dreaming of going to? Is there a state you’ve been dying to visit? If there is any place that you’ve been wanting to go to or visit then it very well could be a fantastic elopement location! If you decide to elope in a location you’ve never been to before it’ll add another level of adventure to your day to experience a new place together for the first time!

Definitely don’t worry about choosing a new location because you don’t know much about it. That’s what I’m here for! I’m here to give you all the ideas, help you choose your dream location, and guide you throughout the entire process. I got you!!

3. Choose an elopement location that has the scenery you want

What kind of scenery are you hoping for? Do you want mountain peaks? An alpine lake? A stunning forest or cliffside? Epic desert views?

Deciding on the scenery you want will have a huge impact on your location! For example, if you want insane desert views I would recommend eloping in Utah or if you want insane mountain views I might recommend eloping in Glacier National Park! There are definitely certain national parks or states that hold better views in each category. So, take a bit of time to think about what your dream elopement location and backdrop would be!

4. Choose a location that has the activities you want to do

Choosing the type of activities you’re looking to do could also have a direct impact on your location! Whether you want to go hiking, take a canoe ride, go stargazing, take a helicopter tour, or just drive around will help guide you in picking out the right location.

For example, if you want all the options I would definitely check out everything about Montana Elopements. If you’re totally fine with just hiking you could look into eloping in Washington State. While certain states will have more options for particular activities there’s something special that every state provides! advice on how to choose your elopement location

5. Think about how much privacy you want for your elopement

There’s no question about it, but when it comes to eloping in the outdoors it’s just a fact that you’re bound to run into someone at some point. The question is, how many people do you want to run into? If you’re wanting as much privacy as possible then you’re going to want to avoid popular locations like national parks during peak season. However, there are ways to Avoid Crowds During Your Outdoor Elopement so be to check out my blog for more tips on how to do this!

6. Consider how you want to get to your elopement location

In relation to the kind of activities you want to do, consider how easily accessible you want or need your location to be. There are certain accessible locations that will be less crowded than others and certain states will be able to provide prettier drive-up spots as well! tips on where to elope

7. Consider the time of year and what the weather is like

When picking out your location one thing you do not want to forget about is to keep in mind what the weather is like at the time of year you’re wanting to elope. If you’ve decided to elope in December, but don’t want snow then you’ll be limited to certain states to be able to avoid that. If you’re eloping in May mountain pass roads might not be open yet and you’ll probably still have a decent amount of snow in particular spots.

This will have a direct impact on your day so this is something you don’t want to forget about!

Picking out your dream elopement location is such a fun process and is one of the greatest things about eloping! You get to enjoy nature and be in a serene spot on such a special day. If you’re looking for someone to guide you through picking out your dream spot and give you all the ideas I’d be stoked to chat with you!! You can CONTACT ME to get started on creating your dream elopement!

Check out these related elopement tips!

10 Best Places to Elope in the PNW

Best Places to Elope in Montana

Best Place to Elope in Idaho

Ultimate Guide for Eloping in Ireland

How to Choose Your Dream Elopement Location - 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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