THIS WILL SET YOU UP TO HAVE YOUR DREAM ADVENTURE

Sometimes the thought of planning an elopement can be difficult, because you just don’t know where to start.

Especially because they’ve evolved into so much more than what people traditionally think about elopements. Its not some little walk to the courthouse and signing a piece of paper anymore- they’re endless with possibilities and scenarios! But as different as every elopement is, there are 3 steps to start with no matter what you plan for your adventure elopement:

What do you need to plan an elopement?

1. Time of Year & Location

This is a two in one, because time of year will be different depending on your location! you could be tied to a date, but depending on the location you want, the date could affect how that location looks! (example: you want to get married in the mountains with blue lakes and forests, but your hearts are set on a November date- i can almost guarantee you will not be getting blue mountain lakes as they’ll be frozen!)

Its vice versa too! You might have your hearts set on a location, but the ability to get there and stay there could be unavailable of the time of year/date you want. So the sooner you know this. The better!

f you want to see some inspiration for where to elope in Alberta, you can check out some places to elope OTHER than Banff here! You can check out a couple other elopement adventures, like a sunrise one in the mountains here, and one western inspired one in the badlands of Drumheller here!

2. Any Permits Needed

Even if you get married in the middle of a field on the side of a mountain- you still need a wedding permit! Especially if you’re in a provincial/state or national park.

Parks require a wedding permit just like a regular venue would. This is so they can track how many weddings/elopements happen in the area, what spots are popular that they can reinforce LNT, and so they can let you know if anyone else plans on getting married in the same spot at the same time! (you can learn a little bit more about my take on LNT here)

You should also make sure that you vendors have the necessary permits! For example, myself as a photographer, I need a permit for EVERY national/provincial park I intending on shooting in. By making sure your vendors have the necessary permits, you can avoid fees and tickets, and avoid loosing out on the vendor you paid for in case they get told they cannot work in that location!

Permits can also include things like day passes, parking passes, or anything for your guests for driving to your location!

To find out what permits are needed for most parks in Alberta, you can check out the national parks here, and ones for provincial parks here! Kananaskis specific can be found here

3. Make a list of BOTH your priorities and nail it down to 5 main ones

You want to make sure that you’re not having an elopement just to get married. You’re embarking on this adventure together to start one of the biggest adventures of your life! And you want to make sure that you both are including elements that you want. This isn’t just for the bride- its for both of you!

A strategy for this step: each of you make a list of 10 priorities when it comes to your wedding. Anything from what vendors are important, to location, timeline, food, whatever you want that is a priority to you. Then, sit down and compare your two lists. you’ll probably be surprised at some priorities that you have in common! Then, from your two lists, narrow it down to 5 main points that you know neither of you can live without for your elopement. This will help you with decisions like your budget, guests and planning!

When you have your 5 must haves, you’ll now know what you need to prioritize. You’ll also get a better idea of what kind of budget you need! As much as a lot of us would like to think money doesn’t matter for your dream adventure, but it definitely can effect what kind of vendors you can get and what adventure you can create! Thats why prioritizing what is most important to you both will help you decide what you can and can’t include.

And if you think you can’t include some things just because you’re eloping, check out a blog I wrote on Squashing Rumours about Elopements here!

After these 3 steps, you’ll have the perfect base to start planning the rest of your adventure elopement! These steps are vital for all the other things that are to consider for your elopement, including if you want to include anyone (yes you can include people if you want.. a small group!) what kind of vendors you need and what you can get, and what you have room include and what you don’t!

Every elopement is so unique and personal to each couple. Just like every adventure you go on. Making sure you have these helpful elements to make that adventure happen is the first step! If you want to learn more about planning your dream elopement and having the best memories from it to look back on, fill out my contact form here, I can’t wait to hear all about it!