How to Plan a Destination Elopement That Actually Feels Like You (A 10-Step Guide)

Here’s the truth about how to plan a destination elopement: the hardest part isn’t the planning. It’s giving yourself permission to do it.

Once you decide you’re not having the 200-person wedding, the seating chart, the awkward toast from your dad’s college roommate, the rest falls into place. Especially if you have someone in your corner who’s done this before.

The vision is the heavy lift. The logistics? That’s just a checklist. And I’m about to walk you through every single step.

Quick intro for anyone new here. I’m Shannon. I’m a destination elopement photographer based in Orlando and Denver, and I’ve spent the last decade making sure couples actually get to LIVE their wedding day instead of just survive it. I’ve shot in 36 countries. 47 national parks. I’ve planned elopements on glaciers, on beaches, in the middle of nowhere, and at courthouses with two people in the room. I’m also an ordained officiant and scuba certified, in case that becomes relevant to your day.

Now let’s talk about how to plan a destination elopement that feels like the best damn day of your life.

What a Destination Elopement Actually Is (And What It Isn’t)

destination elopement is just an intimate wedding somewhere that matters to you. That’s it. No church. No 200 guests. No 14-month engagement. No spreadsheets full of vendors you don’t care about.

Eloping used to mean sneaking off in secret. Now it means choosing intention over expectation. You’re not running away from anything. You’re running toward each other, in the coolest place you can think of, with as many or as few people as feels right.

It can be a sunrise ceremony on a mountain in Patagonia. A vow exchange at the edge of a glacier in Iceland. A barefoot moment on a Tulum beach. A weekend in the Italian countryside with your six closest people. A Tuesday in Vegas followed by tacos. There’s no rulebook here. That’s the whole point.

Is a Destination Elopement Right for You?

Quick gut check before we get into the steps.

You’re a great fit for a destination elopement if:

• You’d rather spend your money on the experience than the production
• The thought of being the center of attention for 200 people makes you want to disappear
• You travel well together and the idea of getting married somewhere wild excites you
• You don’t want to lose your wedding day to a timeline you didn’t write
• You want to be PRESENT on your wedding day, not performing
• Your idea of a perfect day involves more than dancing under string lights

You might not be a fit if you’ve been dreaming of a big traditional wedding your whole life, or if your family would genuinely be heartbroken not to be there. Both are valid. There’s no wrong answer here. Just the honest one.

Still in? Let’s go.

How to Plan a Destination Elopement in 10 Steps

This is the actual roadmap. Save it. Bookmark it. Send it to your partner. We’re about to demystify the whole thing.

Step 1: Imagine Your Perfect Day Out Loud

This is the most important step. And almost nobody does it.

Sit down with your partner. Close the laptop. Put down the Pinterest board. Talk it out.

Where do you wake up? What’s the first thing you see when you open your eyes? What do you eat? What do you wear? What’s the view behind you when you say your vows? Are there people around or is it just you two? Is the ground sand, snow, granite, grass? Do you cry? Do you laugh? Do you dance? Do you eat tacos at 11pm?

You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to know what brings you joy. Once you know that, the rest of the planning gets infinitely easier because every decision you make from here has to pass one test: does this fit the day we just imagined?

A few real examples from my couples:

• A morning hike in Rocky Mountain National Park, vows at 11,000 feet, beers at the trailhead, dinner at a steakhouse that night
• A sunrise ceremony on a beach in Tulum followed by a private chef dinner in a cenote
• A three-day Italian villa weekend with 12 people, pasta-making class, vow exchange in an olive grove
• A courthouse ceremony in downtown Orlando, first dance in a Waffle House parking lot, fireworks at the lake

Wildly different days. All perfect. Because they were honest

Does an animal-filled safari elopement in Africa sound like your vibe? Contact me today to plan your perfect elopement.

Step 2: Choose Your Destination (Both the Country and the Exact Spot)

Once you know the vibe, you can match it to a place. Some questions to narrow it down:

• What’s your ideal backdrop? Mountains, beaches, desert, jungle, glacier, vineyard, cityscape, volcano?
• Where have you always wanted to go but never had a reason to book?
• How active do you want to be on the day? Hiking? Helicopter? Just walking from the hotel to the cliff?
• Are you combining this with your honeymoon (highly recommend) or keeping it separate?
• What’s your budget for travel and how does the location stack up?

Some of my favorite destinations for elopements right now: Iceland, Patagonia, the Dolomites, New Zealand, Big Sur, the Scottish Highlands, the Faroe Islands, Banff, Tulum, Hawaii, the Greek islands, Bali. And every U.S. national park, full stop.

If this is where you start to spiral, this is where I come in. Location scouting is one of the most-used parts of my planning process. I help every couple I work with narrow down not just the country, but the EXACT spot. Sunrise viewpoint. Backup spot if the weather turns. Hidden corner of a popular park where you won’t bump into a tour group. That part isn’t your job to figure out. It’s mine.

If you are looking for an epic beach view, eloping in Big Sur, California, like this amazing couple could be an option for you!

Step 3: Pick Your Date (and Read the Fine Print)

Once you’ve got a destination, the date follows the location. Not the other way around.

Things to research before you commit to a window:

• What’s the weather like in that location during that month? You don’t want monsoon season in Bali or whiteout season in Iceland unless that’s specifically the vibe.
• Is it the busy season? Do you care?
• Are there local festivals, holidays, or closures that could complicate things? (Closed roads in alpine areas, religious holidays in some countries, peak tourist windows.)
• How does the lighting work for sunrise and sunset? Some destinations have very short golden hour windows in winter and very long ones in summer.
• What’s accessible? Some hikes are snowed in for half the year.

If you’ve hired a destination elopement photographer who knows the location, this part should take about ten minutes. If you’re flying solo, give yourself a week of research.

Step 4: Hire Your Photographer FIRST

I know this sounds self-serving coming from a photographer. But hear me out.

When you’re planning a destination elopement, your photographer is doing way more than taking photos. The right one is your planner, your location scout, your timeline builder, your weather contingency expert, your ordained officiant if you need one. They’re the person making sure the light hits right when you walk down whatever you’re walking down. They’re the person who’s been to that exact spot before and knows the access road washed out last spring.

For my couples, I build a custom location guide. Custom timeline. Vendor recs. Permit help. Activity suggestions. Backup plans for weather, altitude, road closures, and the dog deciding not to walk on cue (real story). This is the part of my job that doesn’t show up in the gallery, but it’s why my couples actually get to ENJOY their day.

Hire your photographer first because everything else gets easier once they’re in your corner.

Step 5: Hire the Rest of Your Vendors

Your vendor list for a destination elopement is short. That’s part of the appeal. But here’s what you might still want:

Officiant. Some places allow self-solemnization, meaning you marry yourselves with no officiant present. Colorado. Some parts of Pennsylvania. Wisconsin under specific conditions. Most international locations don’t allow this. I’m ordained in all 50 states, so for a lot of my U.S. couples, I handle this too. One less person on the trail with you.

Florist. Optional. A simple bouquet, a floral crown, or no florals at all (Leave No Trace matters more in some locations than others, more on this in a sec).

Videographer. Eric (my husband and second shooter) does cinematic video for our couples and it’s some of the most replayable footage you’ll ever own. Highly, highly recommend if it’s in the budget.

HMUA (hair and makeup artist). Most destinations have great local artists. I keep a list of recommendations for the locations I shoot in often.

Private chef, sommelier, or activity guide. Depending on what your day looks like.

Transportation. Helicopter, sailboat, vintage car, horseback, whatever the day calls for.

That’s usually it. No DJ. No caterer. No 18-vendor coordination dance. This is one of the quiet luxuries of planning a destination elopement.

Step 6: Book Travel and Accommodations

Once your photographer and date are locked in, book travel like your life depends on it. The best accommodations book up 6-12 months out, especially in popular elopement destinations.

Your booking checklist:

• Flights (round trip, with some buffer days on either side of the wedding date)
• Accommodation (book the most “sought-after” first, especially small boutique places)
• Travel insurance (NON-NEGOTIABLE for a destination elopement)
• Activities (heli-rides, scuba, glacier tours, private dinners, all of it. Book early.)
• Rental car or private transport
• Dinner reservations or private chef
• Anything that requires a reservation in your destination

A note on travel insurance: get the kind that covers cancellation for any reason. Weather happens. Flights get canceled. Volcanoes erupt (yes, this has actually happened to a couple of mine). You want flexibility built in.

Step 7: Decide on Guests (and Tell Them Early)

You can elope with zero guests. You can elope with 20. You can elope with your dog. There’s no rule.

If you’re inviting people, only invite the ones who genuinely make you feel loved. Not the ones who’ll be offended if you don’t. That’s a different kind of obligation and it doesn’t belong on this day.

Tell your guests as far in advance as humanly possible. They’re booking international flights, taking time off work, possibly arranging childcare. Give them at least 6 months. Ideally more.

And consider this: a “guestless” ceremony followed by a celebration dinner with family later that week or back home is a beautiful way to honor everyone without compromising the actual wedding day. I’ve seen this work brilliantly.

Step 8: Sort Out the Legal Stuff

Every country and every state has different marriage laws. This is the part that trips couples up most when they’re figuring out how to plan a destination elopement abroad.

You have two main paths:

For U.S. national parks, every park has its own rules. Some require you to apply 2 days in advance, some require 21 days. I help my couples navigate this for every park I shoot in.

Step 9: Get Your Permits

This one is critical and often forgotten.

Most U.S. national parks require a special use permit for any wedding ceremony, even just two people exchanging vows. Same for many state parks, public lands, and protected areas. International locations vary widely.

A few quick rules of thumb:

• National parks in the U.S.: yes, almost always required. $50-$300 typically.
• State parks: usually yes, varies by state.
• BLM land and national forests: often no permit required for small groups, but always double check.
• International locations: varies wildly. Some require permits, some require an officiant licensed locally, some require nothing.

Permits are usually your responsibility to apply for. I walk every one of my couples through which permits they need, which forms to fill out, and what the timeline is. Don’t skip this step. Showing up to your wedding spot and getting turned away by a ranger is not the vibe.

Step 10: Plan Your Activities (This Is the Fun Part)

This is where the day actually becomes YOURS.

Most couples I work with end up extending their elopement into 2-3 days. One day for the ceremony and core photos. The other days for the experiences they actually want to remember. And honestly? This is where the magic lives.

Some ideas to steal:

Pick the things that are actually YOU. Not the things you saw on someone else’s elopement. The day works because it’s honest.

A Few Things Nobody Tells You About Planning a Destination Elopement

A handful of things I wish every couple knew before they started planning:

The weather will not always cooperate. Build in flexibility. Have a backup plan for your backup plan. Some of the most stunning elopements I’ve shot happened in conditions nobody asked for. Robin and her now-husband eloped at 13,000 feet in Colorado with class 5 winds and a malfunctioning dress. The photos are some of my favorites I’ve ever taken.

Altitude is real. If you’re getting married above 9,000 feet, you’ll feel it. Hydrate days in advance. Skip the heavy alcohol the night before. Bring snacks.

Leave No Trace is not optional. This matters. Don’t leave petals scattered in fragile alpine ecosystems. Don’t release lanterns. Don’t carve initials into trees. Don’t bring confetti you can’t pick up. The wild places we get to elope in are wild because people have protected them. It’s our job to keep doing that.

You will be tired. Travel days, time changes, hiking, big emotions, all of it. Build a rest day into your trip. Don’t fly in the night before your wedding day. Give yourself buffer.

Your photographer is the most important hire. Said this earlier, saying it again. The person you bring with you on this day is the person you’re trusting with your only memories of it. Pick someone who’s done this. Pick someone who’ll actually be present with you. Pick someone who handles the curveballs without flinching.

What It’s Like to Plan a Destination Elopement With Me

Real talk on what working with Love Like Wild looks like.

When you book with me, you’re not just hiring a photographer. You’re getting a full planning experience built into every elopement package. That includes:

• Location scouting and recommendations
• Custom timeline built around the light and your priorities
• Permit help
• Vendor recommendations
• Weather backup plans
• Unlimited planning calls
• Access to my 80-page elopement planning guide
• A custom location guide built for your specific day

I do this because I’ve watched too many couples try to plan a destination elopement on their own and end up burned out before the wedding day even arrives. That defeats the entire point.

You came here to GET MARRIED. To be present. To laugh. To cry. To eat the meal. To kiss in front of the view. The logistics? That’s my job.

Ready to Make This Real?

If you’ve read this far, you’re not just curious. You’re considering it. And honestly? You should.

Destination elopements are not the smaller, lesser version of a wedding. They’re the bigger, bolder, more honest version. They’re the day you actually wanted to begin with, before everyone else’s expectations got involved.

Tell me where you’re dreaming about. The mountain. The country. The vague half-formed idea you keep coming back to. Whatever it is, I want to hear it.

Send me a message and let’s start making your dreams a reality.

Now booking 2026 + 2027 elopements worldwide.

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FAQ SECTION

How much does it cost to plan a destination elopement?

It depends on the destination, the length of the trip, and the experience level you want. A two-day Florida elopement is going to look very different from a five-day Iceland adventure. My destination elopement packages start at $6,500 for the half day experience and include the full planning experience, all USA travel, and a custom location guide. International elopements start at $7,600. The biggest line items in your overall budget are usually travel, accommodations, and your photographer. Everything else can scale up or down depending on how you want the day to feel.

How far in advance should I start planning a destination elopement?

For domestic destinations (U.S. national parks, Florida, Colorado), 6 to 12 months out is a sweet spot. For international elopements, give yourself 9 to 18 months to lock in flights, accommodations, and any permits you might need. That said, I’ve planned elopements in 6 weeks. Tight timelines are absolutely possible, you just want to move quickly on the photographer and accommodations. Those book up first.

Do we need an officiant for a destination elopement?

It depends on where you’re eloping. Some U.S. states allow self-solemnization, which means you marry yourselves with no officiant present. Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are the main ones. Most international destinations require a licensed officiant or recommend you handle the legal paperwork at home first. I’m ordained in all 50 states, so for many of my U.S. couples, I officiate the ceremony AND photograph it. One less person on the mountain with you.

Can we elope just the two of us?

Absolutely. Most of my elopement couples have either zero guests or fewer than ten. There’s no minimum. There’s no rule that says someone else has to witness this. If you want it to be just you two and me behind the camera, that’s a beautiful way to do it. I’ve shot elopements with just the couple, the dog, and a view. Some of the best days of my career.

What happens if the weather is bad on my elopement day?

We pivot. Every elopement I plan includes a weather backup plan and often a backup-to-the-backup. Sometimes “bad weather” turns into the most spectacular conditions of all. Fog over a mountain. Snow at sunset. Rain at golden hour. I’ve shot in everything from class 5 winds to whiteout snow to surprise tropical storms. The day still happens. It just looks different than you imagined. And honestly? Often better.

Is a destination elopement actually less stressful than a wedding?

If it’s planned well, yes. Massively. You’re managing a fraction of the vendors, a fraction of the guest list, and a fraction of the decision points. The trade-off is that travel logistics get more complex. That’s where having a destination elopement photographer who plans alongside you becomes a game-changer. The whole experience feels different when someone else is carrying the logistics.