Elopement Advice: How to Avoid Crowds on your Elopement Day
If you’re considering an adventure elopement, congrats! Adventure elopements are an awesome wedding experience that lets you get married the way YOU want. There are a lot of things that are in your control when it comes to elopements: how may people you’re inviting (if any), what you’re going to wear, what you’re going to do, if you’re going to have florists or a hair and makeup artist etc. BUT when it comes to getting married in nature, there are a few things that are still out of your control: weather and crowds/other people. So today we are here to talk about the best ways to minimize/avoid crowds on your elopement day.
So I’m just going to jump right into it!
If you’re looking to elope in an adventurous destination such as a National Park or Land, a State Park etc- it is most likely that you’ll be sharing this destination with anyone else who decides to visit the park that day. National and State Parks typically do not allow for areas in the park to be shut down or ‘closed off’ for elopements, which can create a lot of uncertainty and fear in couples who don’t want to be surrounded by crowds of people on their wedding day.
Before we go further, let’s talk about why parks don’t allow areas of the park to be ‘closed off’ for weddings. Public lands are just that: public. They are meant for everyone to enjoy, so it wouldn’t be fair for visitors who paid to enter a park to be restricted at certain areas of a park just because one couple was getting married there. There are hundreds-thousands of weddings in each park every year, that would lead to places being closed constantly, and taking way the experience from all the other visitors that want to explore & share this land’s beauty- who are we to take away experiences from other people? The adventure elopement industry is blessed to be able to hold weddings in these beautiful places, for a fraction of what a traditional venue costs- so I’m just thankful that you will be able to have this amazing wedding experience in such an breath-taking location. So now let’s get back to the topic at hand- how do you avoid crowds on your elopement day?
Avoiding crowds it’s about two things: timing and research. Let me explain…
the most important thing consider when avoiding crowds for your elopement:
TIMING
Okay this may sound straightforward, but there are three different ways that timing effects crowds:
Time of day
Time of week
Time of year
All of these different types of ‘timing’ can directly impact what the crowds will look like on your elopement day. My biggest advice, which I will probably mention a BUNCH in this article, is you need to think about the typical park visitor. Then try to do the OPPOSITE of what the visitor is thinking (keep reading to get a better understanding of what I mean by that).
Time of Day
Time of day drastically affects crowds at a National Park/Forest. Depending on the location in the park, the middle of the day tends to be the most crowded time to visit. So there are a few ways to work around this: eloping at sunrise, having an early morning ceremony, or planning stuff later in the afternoon when things settle down the park.
Let’s go back to my ‘park visitor’ example. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes for a minute: you’re on vacation and ready to head out to the National Park for the day to explore. You don’t want to wake up tooooo early because you know… you’re on vacation, but you also don’t want to sleep in too much- since you’re there to do stuff. So what’s a good time to wake up? Let’s say 8:30am. Perfect. You wake up, jump in the shower, have your coffee and ready to head to the park around 9am. Realistically, starting on the trailhead at 9:30am. In the summer, the sun rises around 5-6am, so you (the eloping couple) could have 3-4 HOURS in the park with limited crowds and ‘park visitors’ if you choose to elope at sunrise. Or similarly you can have your ceremony mid morning while it’s not super crowded, take a mid day break, and come back into the park in the afternoon if you need too.
Now I’m not saying you have to elope at sunrise to have a good elopement experience. It’s ALL about doing what is best for you two as a couple. There are plenty of other ways to mitigate crowds which I talk about below!
Time of Week
Alright so we’re back thinking like classic park visitor. When does the local park goer have time to visit these public lands? Typically weekends right?
So that’s definitely something to consider when picking your elopement date. Parks are significantly less crowded on weekdays over weekends- so eloping on a weekday is a great option for couples. In general, Tuesday-Thursday are the least crowded days of the week since Monday/Friday can be part of visitors ‘long weekend’ vacations. Since you’re most likely already taking time off for your elopement, why not pick a day where you’ll have the best experience in the park too?
Time of Year
When picking your elopement date, time of year can make a big difference on crowds. Most National Parks have ‘peak seasons’ when the weather is the best and it is the most ideal time to visit that park. Peak season also attracts the most crowds, so it’s important to take that into consideration when picking your elopement date.
If the weather gets extreme in the off-season (aka super cold/snowy or super hot/unbearable) I recommend eloping either a month before or month after the peak months. Doing this will give you both optimal weather and less crowds. When considering eloping in ANY National Park, also be prepared that the summer months will attract crowds since a lot of families vacation in the summer when school isn’t in session.
While the most ideal situation related to crowds would be an elopement at sunrise, on a Wednesday in the off-season at a National Park... let’s be honest; we know that’s SUPER specific and probably unrealistic. My advice here is to pick and choose, if you really want to elope on a weekend, then I would recommend including sunrise into your day and/or not eloping during the peak months. Taking at least one of these timing aspects into consideration when picking your elopement date will have a huge impact on crowds at these famous parks.
second thing to consider when avoiding crowds during your elopement:
UNIQUE LOCATIONS
If you truly want to be alone during your elopement day, finding unique locations and less crowded trails is one of the best ways to have your ceremony location all to yourself. Sometimes choosing a secluded ceremony location and then taking photos at the more popular and epic views is a great option for being able to experience different parts of the park. Here are some tips on how to find these spots.
Ask Locals
Locals can be extremely helpful when trying to find lesser known spots in National Parks or adventurous locations. Whether you ask the bus driver, nearby coffee shop barista, or a park ranger; people who live in the area have more experience and will be able to tell you about some secrets in the area. It can’t hurt to ask!
Explore & Trail Maps
Head out and explore the day before your elopement, look at descriptive trail maps and Google Maps to try to find unmarked trails that are not as popular to the common tourist. Finding your ceremony spot can take some time but it will be worth it the next day when you are completely alone in a beautifully secluded area.
While some people want to find their ceremony location on their own, I offer location scouting for all my couples to help them find the best location that is a perfect fit for them. If you’re looking for help planning the logistics & locations for your elopement, get in touch with me here, I’d love to help you find your perfect elopement ceremony spot! Feel free to fill out my contact form by clicking the button below!
The third way to reduce crowds on your elopement day:
Have your ceremony on Private Land
If you really want your ceremony to be super intimate & private, then I would recommend finding a small ‘elopement venue’ or renting out an Airbnb that allows events. These are the best ways to guarantee you won’t have anyone around, and it gives you the ability to customize your backdrop a little more. On private land you can have backdrops, arches, chairs, tables, and more ‘free-standing’ items that are typically restricted in National Parks/Lands.
Having your ceremony on private land also gives you a place to have a celebration and reception afterwards! A lot of couples who go this route will Go into the park just the two of them for that ‘just us’ elopement time, and then come back for their ceremony & celebration with friends and family later! It gives you the best of both worlds to get that adventurous wedding experience, beautiful backdrop, and celebration with everyone after.
Here are some examples of small elopement venues that are great for small groups or just couples:
The Red Earth Venue, Moab, Utah
The Emerald Forest, Washington
Interested in Eloping with family? Check out this blog post talking about how to include family in your elopement day
AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!
If you’ve made it this far, hopefully you have a better idea on how to manage and avoid crowds on your elopement day. If you are looking for some more ideas or guidance on how to plan your elopement, let’s chat! As an adventure elopement photographer, it’s my job to help couples create & capture their dream elopement days.
INTERESTED IN BEING THE NEXT COUPLE WHO TURNS THEIR WEDDING DAY INTO AN EPIC ADVENTURE?
WHO AM I?
Hey There!! My name is Amanda Vaelynn and I am an elopement photographer & guide who works with couples all over the country to help them plan & capture their own unique wedding adventure. Interested in planning your own elopement or learn more about this type of wedding?
I’d love to help, let’s chat!
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