All-Day Elopement Timeline Examples

Elopement day timelines are allowed to last more than just two hours. You can have all-day activities scheduled within your elopement day timeline.

Firstly, what is an elopement? The word “elopement” use to mean people getting hitched in an Elvis chapel in Vegas or running away with the love of your life because your love was “forbidden”. Ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but I promise that elopements have come a long way from those old and dated beliefs!

So. What is an elopement? Today, eloping means an actual experience for a couple getting married to celebrate their marriage and their relationship. It’s meant to be a low stress day and could potentially include a small number of family and friends (usually 10-40 guests) with the day focusing entirely on the couple and their relationship.

To me, as the photographer, elopements are a huge honor to get to capture because not many other people are in attendance. Sometimes, I’m the only person in attendance capturing photos of the couple and their elopement experience. However, I think it’s equally important to have an entire day to celebrate and capture your marriage, just like I would at a more “traditional” wedding. You only have one wedding day to look back on for the rest of your life.

Think about that: on your anniversary, you’re going to think back to your day and how you celebrated it. Do you really just want to go to the courthouse, get a few photos taken for an hour, and call it a day? Or do you want to do something fun and create an entire day that is entirely perfect for you and your partner, that truly represents your relationship, and makes you smile every time you think or talk about your wedding day? I don’t want you to look back 10, 15, 50 years from now and regret your short 2-hour elopement shoot and that’s how you remember your entire wedding day.

You deserve to have an entire day celebrating your marriage.

The options are limitless: you could choose to elope in the mountains, by the beach, or in a city. You could elope near home, at a brand new destination place, or a more nostalgic spot like your childhood vacation spot or where you two met. It’s completely up to you and your fiancé whether you choose a sentimental place to read your vows and explore or if you choose a place on your bucket list to explore and commit your life together.

So, let’s get into it. Here are two examples of elopement day timelines: one of a 12-hour day and one of an 8-hour day — because you deserve an entire day to celebrate getting married. Below is an example of what I would send to you while planning your elopement timeline:

Alex & Cameren | Big Bear, CA | 10.28.2022

All-Day Mountain Elopement Timeline

– Getting Ready Location: Alex and Cameren’s rustic Airbnb

– Ceremony Location: Mountain top in Big Bear, California

– Additional Portrait Location: lookouts, brewery, sunset mountain views

– Meal/Celebration Location: picnic lunch at park and dinner at brewery

8:30am –

• wake up, coffee, light breakfast & being together in common area
• getting ready – separate rooms

9:15am –

• photographer (me) arrives

9:45am –

• emotional first-look & private moment

10:00am –

• leave – travel in Jeep to trail

10:30am –

• arrive and drive with Jeep on trail

11:15am –

• vows, first kiss, and portraits at top of mountain before heading back down
• on the way down, stopping for portraits at lookouts

12:15pm –

• head to town park – taking scenic route with Jeep

12:30pm

• picnic brunch, mimosas, cake/donuts, music, first dance, private moments

1:20pm –

• (travel time included) head to private brewery for portraits with beautiful views, open fields, rolling hills, small pond with canoes
• 30-35 of your closest friends and family meet here to join for toast, feast, photos, and little dancing

4:30pm –

• dinner is served to everyone

6:30pm –

• couple leaves for trail for a sunset hike (about 1.5 miles roundtrip)

7:00pm –

• arrive at trailhead, begin hike

7:30pm –

• get to top of mountain, take portraits, and champagne pop

8:00-8:10pm –

• sun starts going down, start hike back to parking lot

8:45pm –

• couple and photographer part for night, couple gets ready for honeymoon

Here’s another timeline example of 8-hours:

Emerson & Riley | San Diego, CA | 05.07.2022

All-Day Beach Elopement Timeline

– Getting Ready Location: Emerson and Riley’s tropical Airbnb

– Ceremony Location: Sailboat on the Pacific Ocean

– Additional Portrait Location: on the sailboat, on the beach

– Meal/Celebration Location: charcuterie board for a late lunch/snack and dinner on sailboat

1:00pm –

• end of getting ready, Photographer (me) arrives

1:30pm –

• first look and private moments

2:00pm –

• leave – drive out to the docks

2:30pm –

• arrive at the sailboat, load up everything (food, props, etc.), meet up with 4 guests

3:00pm –

• ceremony/vows, first kiss, portraits on the sailboat

3:45pm –

• charcuterie board and drinks to celebrate, soak in the views

5:00pm –

• dinner is served on the sailboat

6:15pm –

• champagne toast / champagne pop

6:45pm –

• get off sailboat, drive to the beach

7:15pm –

• portraits on the beach

7:45pm –

• sunset beach portraits

8:00pm –

• couple and photographer part for night, couple gets ready for honeymoon

These are just a few ideas! YOU get to plan your dream day, and that is okay if it looks a little differently than the above examples!

Elopement Planning and Photography

Well hey there – if you didn’t know me already, I’m Emily! I’m a California and Destination elopement and wedding photographer. I spend a lot of time photographing adventure elopements of rad couples around the world. I love all things elopements, being out on the water, outdoor adventure, and am truly so grateful that I get to call this my job!!! 

If you’re looking for a photographer for your elopement who will:

• Photograph your elopement and activities through storytelling photos that you can look back on for the rest of your life
• Help you come up with your dream elopement
• Help you find activities in the local area to make your elopement intentional, unique, and memorable

…then I’m your person!!!

Visit my website to learn more about me, get to know my approach to photography, and then reach out to me if you think we are a good fit. I cannot wait to hear from you and start planning your dream elopement day!!

Final Tips for All-Day Elopement Timeline

• Should I Do a First Look? (Including More Timeline Examples)
• Where to Get Started in Planning Your Dream Elopement
• 12 Ways to Have a Unique Elopement
• What To Do With Your Elopement Photos Afterwards
• Check out more elopement photos that I’ve taken here