What Does Having an Outdoor Wedding or Elopement Mean?
It can mean so many things and it's whatever is the best fit for you, your passions, and personalities! Here are just a few of the ways that you can easily have your nuptials outside:
You can elope on a mountain or beach. And guess what! All you really need is a permit for whatever park or location you have chosen!
Host your wedding, small or large, in a park, beach, or at a private residence. Again, you’ll need a permit to use these locations (unless it’s your own backyard!), but you also should really consider hiring wedding planner as they can help you turn that blank canvas location into your vision of a dream wedding!
Already have a venue that will let you use their outdoor areas? Great! But in case you haven’t found a venue like that yet, you can easily do a google search of outdoor wedding venues in your area or simply ask the venue(s) you're interested in.
8 Reasons Outdoor Weddings and Elopements Are Worth It
1. You're Outdoor Lovers
You literally just can't fathom not getting married and celebrating anywhere else except in nature because it's an instrumental part of your relationship together! Many couples want to share that love with their friends and family, but others might want to just keep it private with only each other.
2. Non-Traditional
You can do whatever the freak you want to do with it! You can elope on a mountain or beach. Host your wedding guests outdoors in the open-air, under string lights or a cool tent or pavilion, dance the night away or sit at a bonfire. You could bring the celebration to a campground or your own private residence. Close down your favorite city block to host your wedding festivities in a more urban setting. The options are limitless!
3. Less Restrictions
The best part of building the day from scratch is all of the limitless options you have because you aren't following a million indoor venue restrictions and their cookie cutter timeline. This really gives you the freedom to make it your own and to mix things up if you want to!
4. More Space
Depending on the place you decide to build your wedding or elopement, you’ll have way more space to work with and to roam for photos.
5. Incorporate More Personal Touches
With more space in your wedding set-up or more freedom in your timeline, you can bring your shared passions into the day. If you're eloping, you can go to a local brewery after you say your “I do’s” to celebrate with some fresh new brews! Or if you're having a campground wedding with your guests, you can have your favorite food truck pull up to cater! Are you as obsessed with your dog(s) as I am?! Bring your pup with you to the wedding and watch as they get to enjoy running around in nature as much as you do!
6. Every Photo is Inspiring and Breathtaking
Just imagine having a stunning outdoor backdrop that no one has ever seen before vs. an indoor ballroom that doesn't inspire you. And for your photographer, especially those of us who specialize in natural light, it's much easier and less time consuming to work with the sun's natural source of light than indoor artificial light, which gets you MORE photos and more time for creativity/variety in your final photo gallery.
7. Never Been Done Before
If you love making things unique, why get married somewhere that thousands of other brides have already been married? Make your wedding or elopement location unique to you!
8. Less Money
Elopements are simple and the most cost effective way to get married, we all know that. But a non-venue outdoor wedding can be less expensive as well because YOU get to control everything, down to every vendor and package (many venues require you to use certain vendors or their own kitchen services which often add up, are very expensive, and less personal to you).
BONUS: COVID-19 Happened.
We live in a new era now, navigating life amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic together. By choosing to have an outdoor wedding, your guests will appreciate not having to worry about their health in a room full of 100+ people. Plus, coming out of this pandemic, we mere humans will likely all have a new appreciation for the nature that gave us sanity during those tough two+ months of quarantining and the daily privileges we take for granted like getting married when we want.
We're predicting a new surge of outdoor weddings and elopements in our future as our world heals from this strange time. But we aren’t mad about it! Hehe ;)
I'm so freakin' ready to adventure outdoors with you! Let's get this show on the road!
Photographer: Sara Fitz Co
