So, thinking about Eloping ?
You and your partner are thinking of how to plan the most perfect and meaningful day to tie the knot. Do you plan a huge traditional day with everyone you know; friends and family? Do you have a small ceremony in a place you both shared memories in, with just those immediately important loved ones? Do you go down to sign the papers, then go celebrate by taking the whole day on adventurous excursions? Whatever you are leaning towards, let me give you some direction on what your day could look like depending on what's most important to you!
The Big Traditional;
This one comes to people's minds first when they think of a wedding. The big stained glass church, or classy venue. Anywhere from 75-300 people gathering to celebrate your love. All your friends and family get ready together to set up, and get you down the aisle. To celebrate, you have a reception to the stars. A catered feast, the special dances with mom and dad, the dollar dance and line dances, toasts, cutting the cake and a party till the end! You have a grand wedding exit and look back at your wedding with so much laughter and memories from so many people.
Average Cost: $28,000
The Micro Wedding;
You may be traditional, but you aren't a huge people person. You opt for a smaller, micro wedding! The backyard garden, the small revamped barn or even the state park can be your venue. You get to spend all of your wedding with grandparents, mom and dad, brothers and sisters, friends and any other special people to you. A smaller guest count, to focus on the love you cherish the most. Budget friendly and intimate, but still keeping traditional aspects and being family oriented.
Average Cost: $11,000
The Modern Elopement;
You've seen all the dreamy instagram elopements and you're like "sign me up right now". You travel to a location you've dreamed of seeing, to share your love for the place and your person. You may go tie the knot somewhere that took your breathe away and marked a special place in your hearts. So you decide on the most epic national park, then get your dream vendors and a couple witnesses to come along. You actually go wherever you want, all day, to capture moments of you and your loved one. You have a picnic on location to share with friends and family after! You walk away with the MOST intimate and personal adventure of a wedding.
Average Cost: $5,000
Your Wedding Adventure;
Maybe you just want to sign the papers and spend the day with your boo. I get that...and I am totally for it. Let's do the thing, get you married and then you to spend the day together, seeing new places, hiking, excursions, trying new things; the world is your oyster! Whatever you have both wanted to do, this your day to do it! I mean, you just got married, its still time to celebrate! For a photographer, we come along and capture the joy of you both celebrating your love of each other, and the adventure of starting your life together!
Average Cost: $5,000
What's right for you?
There are so many factors in determining what type of wedding is right for you! Budget, location, families, and what's most important to you and your partner. If you are in love with the idea of a classy and timeless vibe, a traditional or micro wedding may be for you! If you are more bold and adventurous with a bucket list, an elopement or adventure wedding would be a good fit! I love to get to know my clients better, to help them understand exactly what they envision of their most perfect day. To me, I value my partner, our adventurous hearts and our awesomely supportive families. I appreciate the little details and also epic locations. For us, I would recommend a micro wedding because I would love to use a state or national park for the ceremony, I would want my immediate family and friends there, and we would like to keep our celebrations intimate and truly about us on our day together. It seems like a simple process, but having an experienced photographer to help point you in the right direction with suggestions and vision boards, makes your process so much easier.
Your wedding day is likely to be the biggest day of your life, and the start to the life with your partner. Who wouldn't want to share those memories and look back at them over and over again? As you can see, from just a quick google search you can determine what the typical cost is for certain weddings. The main expense for the big traditional weddings is typically the venue and catering. For the micro wedding, the main expense is typically the catering and photographic services. When it comes to the elopements and adventure weddings, photographic services also tend to be the biggest investment. Why do I call wedding photography an investment? When you choose your photographer, you are investing in a relationship with someone that is trusted to take pictures of every special moment, that will take you right back to what those very moments felt like.
Families can have a huge impact on what you decide to do for your wedding. Though I am a huge believer in the "don't care what people think" mantra, I also am aware that isn't the case in all families. Maybe grandma is offering to pay for the traditional church venue, but your partner isn't very religious. You could have a more budget oriented family, while your partner's family is envisioning a lavish, high class ceremony (or vice versa). Any way that your family situation is, I totally get it. It can be especially hard to establish boundaries or communicate your wishes to family members. Photographers have heard so many stories, and been in these situations, that most of us can be super helpful in guiding you to the best outcome. We are always going to lead you towards doing what you truly want, but we also know how to balance family expectations. Another large aspect of figuring out what's right for you goes hand in hand with family; location. Depending on the type of location you choose, you may need them to be accessible to family members with specific mobility difficulties. You may want to do a beach side venue, but that means anyone in a wheelchair may struggle to get to the ceremony. If you want to do a small elopement in the Great Smoky Mountains but also want your grandparents to be witnesses, you may need to choose a shorter, much easier hike.
As a photographer myself, I want to listen to every idea you have ever had about your wedding day, and figure out what is the best option for you. Taking into account all of the aspects of planning a wedding and getting the most of your special day can be a lot of pressure. Your photographer should be there to help you create your vision, because we are going to capture every part of your day. If you don't get to plan the perfect day, your photographer can't capture the most perfect gallery of it!
If i planned an elopement right now...
If I had a client come to me asking how I would plan their elopement I would first, chat a little more about the aspects that they value most. Then we could compile a little mood board about the shots they like, location scout and build a mock timeline. I did a series on Instagram of how I would plan elopements for my followers based on their profiles. I'll walk you through what I would do for my awesome clients Alyvia and Ethan. For these lovers, I know they value experiences and personal time together. Alyvia loves being close to the water and is a very earthy soul. Ethan is a super hard worker and really values relaxing with Liv.
They told me once that they have a beach spot that's important to them and they like to go shelling. I know one of their favorite trips together was to Hawaii. With a little research, I would recommend a Hawaiian Tunnels Beach elopement. Immediate family will be invited, and would book flights to LIH airport in Kauai. Tunnels Beach is the top destination for shelling in the WORLD. It offers multiple excursions and also relaxing stays. Earthy views of the mountains and tranquil, clear waters. They wake up on the island of Kauai, in their homey VRBO next to the Wainiha Bay.
(Ethan will get Liv up to go get smoothie bowls because they are just that cute) They can go snorkeling, walk through the botanical gardens, kayaking or just get ready the traditional way in the morning. Then Alyvia walks down the aisle of shells they picked out themselves. They have so many choices for their celebration dinner, from fresh sushi and beach views, to steakhouses with live music. They will add their shells, and photos to a box of memories they keep from all of their adventures; this one officially being their favorite adventure together.
Does it sound like a dream yet?
Whatever kind of wedding you choose, should highlight the things you and your partner value most AND those wedding day dreams are entirely possible. You don't have to worry so much about what people think! If you are worried about it, there are so many ways to incorporate traditional values in an adventurous wedding day. As a photographer, I am always going to support your ideas and help make them come to life as much as possible.
I hope by reading this, lovers out there on edge about the wedding process can take a breath of fresh air. Know that there are photographers out there that want to help you achieve your wedding day dreams and capture the moments you'll blush at for the rest of your life. For the start of the rest of your life with your partner, invest in your dream day together, put both of your values at the forefront and connect with a photographer to capture every moment of that day. Photos hold emotion, and I want you to look back at a still image of your connection. I want you to look back and fall in love over and over again. Doesn't that sound like a dream in itself?
Thanks for reading! If this all sounds just perfect to you, and you have already made a connection, head to the Contact Form page to fill out a little information(so I can get to know you and your partner a little better!)
Love, Madison Mae
