If you and your partner love nature, want to escape from crowds, and get married in a scenic location, an adventure elopement is perfect for you!
An adventure elopement is usually when a couple gets married in nature, often without any guests. It’s an alternative to a traditional wedding so that you can enjoy an authentic, fun, and stress-free experience without expectations.
In this elopement guide for adventurous couples, I’ll share fun ideas and the best locations for an epic wedding adventure. Whether you want to plan a destination wedding or stay close to home, I’ve got you covered!
Why Have an Adventure Elopement
As an elopement photographer who also had a just-us wedding in nature with my husband, I’ve found many incredible reasons to have an adventure elopement.
- Less is more – When you don’t have to plan a big wedding or accommodate guests, you can enjoy a day that’s entirely authentic to you and your partner.
- Enjoy spontaneity – During your adventurous wedding day, you can have spontaneous moments together. Grab coffee together or hike another trail – whatever feels special as it comes!
- Appreciate nature – Scenic locations offer the best wedding backdrops – no extra decor needed! The opportunities are endless, whether you want a beach, lake, or mountain elopement.
- Get away from the crowds – During your adventure elopement, you can explore off-the-beaten-path locations to escape the crowds and enjoy an intimate day with your love.
- Stick to a budget – Whether you’re planning an affordable elopement or you want to splurge on your big day, an adventurous elopement experience can fit any budget.
Fun Ideas for Your Adventure Elopement
Your elopement should be all about you, your partner, and starting this next chapter together. So make this experience whatever you want it to be!
Here are some fun ideas for your wedding day adventure:
- Go hiking – A hiking elopement is one of the best ways to explore nature and enjoy adventure. You can chase waterfalls, explore hidden gems, and find secluded areas to explore with your love.
- Bring your dog – Many couples I work with love making their dog a part of their wedding day, and this is totally doable with an adventure elopement. Just be sure to plan accordingly to ensure your elopement is dog-friendly.
- Go camping – Have the ultimate adventure with a camping elopement. This can allow you to fully enjoy nature, spend intentional time with your partner, and create a new memory together.
- Incorporate your honeymoon – Extend your experience for a wedding and honeymoon. This is especially fun if you’re having a wedding getaway and allows you more time to explore and relax together.
Best Places for an Adventure Elopement
Whether you want to elope in the US or have an international wedding getaway, the opportunities are endless! Below, I’ll share a few of my favorite places for an adventurous wedding.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains is easily one of the most incredible elopement locations. It covers about 1,200 square miles and is most known for its gorgeous waterfalls and ancient sequoia trees.
Adventurous couples love eloping at Yosemite National Park because of its natural beauty and many cliffs, lakes, meadows, and waterfalls to explore.
There are several ceremony sites at the park, including Glacier Park, a breathtaking viewpoint that sits at more than 7,000 feet, and Taft Point, which offers one of the best sunset sceneries I’ve seen!
The best time to elope in Yosemite is in the fall, especially in October when there’s nice weather, fewer crowds, and colorful foliage. Spring and summer elopements are also fun.
Dolomites, Italy
The Dolomites are a gorgeous mountain range in northeastern Italy, with 18 mountain peaks spread over five provinces. The dramatic peaks, beautiful alpine lakes, and scenic roads make for a fun wedding adventure.
There are endless areas of the Dolomites to explore during your elopement. There are also tons of picture-perfect ceremony spots, whether you want to exchange your vows lakeside, on top of a mountain, or tucked away off one of the many hiking trails.
While September and October are my favorite months for a Dolomites elopement because of fewer crowds and great weather, it’s a stunning place to get married year-round.
Moab, Utah
Moab is easily one of my favorite adventure elopement destinations! It’s home to two famous national parks, Arches and Canyonlands, and is surrounded by stunning scenery.
With endless public land, there are so many ceremony sites and adventures, including rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and more. There’s also a cute downtown area with restaurants, shops, and breweries.
While spring and fall are the best times of year for a Moab elopement, couples also enjoy winter and summer elopement.
Washington State
Washington State is gorgeous, with unmatched sunset scenery, lush green forests, and picturesque coastal views. During winter and spring, you can even have snow-capped mountains as your wedding backdrop.
Adventurous couples love Washington State’s opportunities for hiking, skiing, swimming, and camping. There are several amazing parks, forests, and other outdoor areas perfect for an adventure elopement.
Summer and fall are the best times of year to get married in Washington State if you want to enjoy the most activities and beautiful weather.
Colorado
As a Colorado-based elopement photographer, I’ve worked with many couples in gorgeous locations across the state. Whether you want to have your adventurous wedding experience in a cute mountain town, a secluded area off the beaten path, or a popular national park, there’s something for all couples in Colorado!
A few of my favorite places for a Colorado elopement are Rocky Mountain National Park for endless adventure, Garden of the Gods for a unique setting, and Crested Butte for a quiet mountain town experience.
While you can get married year-round in Colorado, summer and fall offer the best weather, prettiest views, and most accessibility.
Adventure Elopement Packages
Ready to start planning your adventure? My elopement packages are created for adventurous couples and include more than just taking photos.
We’ll work together to create the perfect elopement experience and capture gorgeous photos!
My adventure elopement packages include:
- Location scouting – I’ll help you find your dream elopement destination based on the scenery, accessibility, weather, and activities you’re looking for
- Timeline planning – Whether you’re having a mini elopement, a full day of adventures, or a multi-day wedding, we’ll get your timeline just right for a stress-free, fun-filled experience.
- Vendor recommendations – If you’re looking for other vendors, like a videographer, caterer, florist, or makeup artist, I’ll help you find ones just right for you
- Elopement guide – My 90-page elopement guide is packed with planning resources to help you prepare for your wedding
- Photography and custom online gallery – I’ll capture all your meaningful, authentic moments so you can remember this special time forever and share it with loved ones
Let’s Plan Your Adventure Elopement
I hope you found this article helpful and are inspired to plan your dream elopement experience. Working with adventurous couples is my favorite, and I would love to help you plan and capture this special day for you and your love!
kinsley + caden
“Brooke was the perfect choice for our wedding day! We had a micro wedding at Sapphire Point in August. I had never been to Sapphire Point and Brooke was so helpful suggesting vendors, picture locations, parking, marriage license info etc. She was so kind and helpful before and during the whole process and was a large part of why the day went so smooth. She does so much more than just show up and take pictures, Brooke will truly go out of her way to make your wedding day perfect! The photos are gorgeous and I keep getting so many compliments! I truly cannot recommend her enough!”
"Brooke was a large part of why our day went so smooth and will truly go out of her way to make your wedding day perfect!"
We chose Brooke to capture our Colorado elopement and she did exactly that and more. She made it easy to plan our day out with locations and timelines so that we could focus on ourselves. We decided last minute to change our afternoon/evening elopement to a 6am sunrise one so beat the heat of the day. Brooke accommodated us without hesitation and even created a new timeline for us so that we knew where to be for the perfect sunrise. She was kind and understood what we wanted in terms of our elopement and we are so grateful to have her capture the day. Our photos turned out beautiful and truly helped us relive the day. I would recommend Brooke to anyone wanting their special day photographed.
"Brooke accommodated us without hesitation and even created a new timeline for us so that we knew where to be for the perfect sunrise."
erica + stacy
kirstie + colin
Brooke not only photographed our mountain elopement beautifully, but she put so much thought into the details and knew all of the answers the questions I didn’t even know to ask. She really puts a lot of thought into each photo and brings her expertise while still remaining very open to what we wanted and ideas we had. She even helped pick the perfect spot for us and advised us on the logistical details like securing a reservation at the mountain lake where we wanted our ceremony. She is SO easy to work with and very friendly and chill. My husband and I are super awkward in front of a camera but she made it so natural and easy - and the shots came out better than we could have imagined.
"She really puts a lot of thought into each photo and brings her expertise while still remaining very open to what we wanted and ideas we had."
amanda + jace
Brooke is many things; talented, calm, flexible, experienced/ knowledgeable, patient, incredibly responsive, organized, resourceful in a pinch, supportive, creative, professional yet a blast to work with, and goes above & beyond w her clients. Our wedding was a spectacular dream and we couldn't be more grateful that she made that single day last forever. Whether she's photographing nature or an intimate event, her pictures tell a story of peace, love, whatever your vision may be. We couldn't recommend her more and we look forward to booking with her for all of our vow renewals, seasonal and family pictures for as long as she'll have us.
"Whether she's photographing nature or an intimate event, her pictures tell a story of peace, love, whatever your vision may be."
linden + brent
Working with Brooke was a dream come true! Before we even met, my husband Brent and I were impressed by her portfolio. After meeting, we were even more convinced that her photography skills and knowledge, and her fun and easygoing personality were exactly what we were looking for in an elopement photographer. Brooke was able to take our vision and facilitate everything so that it worked out beautifully, especially when it came to finding the perfect location (the incredible mountains surrounding Ouray). Throughout the entire planning process, she was honest and flexible, and made it clear that her goal was for us to be 100% happy. In the end, her creativity and our happiness totally shine through in every single photo.
"Throughout the entire planning process, she was honest and flexible."
lauren + branden
I can't begin to express my gratitude for the intimacy and beauty behind Brooke's photographs. In capturing our wedding day, she went above and beyond to document our story, our families, and the depths of our love in ways that I'll forever be grateful for. Brooke has an eye for not only capturing the adventure and magic of your love, but deeply connects with your personal story, understands your relationship, and then gives that back in the most incredible way. She is truly an artist and tells your story in an authentic and creative way for you to look back on for years to come. We are forever grateful to Brooke for spending the time to get to know us, our story, and capturing the memories that we'll relive for years to come.
"Brooke deeply connects with your personal story, understands your relationship, and then gives that back in the most incredible way."
heather + jedd
“If you're contemplating which photographer to go with, THIS IS YOUR SIGN TO CHOOSE BROOKE!!!! She is so so so talented and was able to capture our elopement exactly how I pictured and wanted! We eloped in Ridgway, CO this past September and she was so helpful figuring out picture locations, recommendations of timeline for the day, and just made the whole day feel so smooth. She schedules multiple check ins, phone calls, etc., leading up to the big day to ensure everything is as you want it. Brooke has such a calming, down to earth presence and is one of those awesome people you feel like you've known forever after just the first time of meeting."
"Brooke has such a calming, down to earth presence and is one of those awesome people you feel like you've known forever."
christy + austin
Brooke is the absolute best. She truly went above and beyond for my fiancé and I to be able to get our engagement photos taken with the fall colors. Brooke is so sweet, fun, personable and incredibly talented. We could not be more in love with our engagement photos! Our engagement session with Brooke was such a special experience and a memory we will cherish forever.
"Our engagement session with Brooke was such a special experience and a memory we will cherish forever."
