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Eloping

ELOPING AUSTRALIA

Plan your Dream Elopement or Small Wedding

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Why You Should Consider a Weekday Elopement
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Eloping Australia

Thinking of Eloping?

 

Planning & Advice so you can plan your ultimate dream elopement.

 

Eloping all started for us many years ago when we tried to plan our own dream elopement in Australia.

It was so hard to find information and to actually find a venue that would cater to a small intimate wedding. Most places only wanted to do big traditional weddings or they gave us crazy minimum spends. Eventually we found our location and we had an awesome little elopement with our parents and a few friends.

 

So my aim with this website is to show to everyone just how awesome elopements are, showcase what is possible and also show beautiful and intimate elopement photography. There will also be plenty of elopement articles, tips and advice for couples looking to elope.

 

Ultimate Guide on how to elope in Australia

This guide will give you all the information you need on how to elope in Australia and also how to have an amazing elopement in Australia. Eloping is so much more than just listening to someone talk about marriage and signing some papers. We want you to have the best elopement experience possible. This guide will help you work out where you want to elope to, how to plan it, how to organise it, and also how to have an amazing experience that most people would never even have thought of.

READ THE GUIDE

Wedding Planning during Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Planning a wedding is stressful... planning a wedding during COVID-19 must be an absolute nightmare! I have preached the benefits of eloping long before anyone heard of COVID-19. I have been in the wedding industry for over twelve years and here are some of my thoughts.

 

This horrible disease is not going away any time soon. This might be the new normal for a very long time. Until there is a vaccine, there will be continued outbreaks in Australia and social distancing will remain in place for Aussies for a very long time.

 

Advice for Engaged Couples

Downsize your wedding - You have to. There are so many benefits to downsizing your wedding and they have nothing to do with this virus. Downsize your wedding to just your very closest family and friends. You don't need all those +1's at your wedding. You should never be introduced to people at your own wedding. And you don't need those long lost family members. By downsizing your numbers, you will spend more quality time with the most important people in your life. Get your numbers down to 40 people or less of just your 'core' people.

 

Get married now - Don't postpone your marriage another year or two. Start your new life sooner rather than later. You have to change your perception of what is important to you. Don't put your life and your relationship on hold just because you want to have a huge party. You can still get married and you can get married in as little as 30 days. Elope to a beautiful location in your city or state with your very closest family and friends.

Advice for Engaged Venues and Vendors

These are tough times for everyone in the wedding industry and wedding venues have large overheads and risk going out of business if things don't return to normal quickly. Things may not change quickly... so change your business model

Cater to elopements and small weddings - I started this website because it was so hard to find places that cater to elopements and small weddings. You can still make money with smaller weddings and elopements. People who elope don't necessarily want everything really cheap. Most still want a stunning elopement and they are willing to pay good money for quality. They don't want and now can't even have a big wedding.

 

Minimum Spends - To keep your business profitable, work out the minimum amount a couple needs to spend to have their elopement at your venue. It could be $1,000 it could be $5,000. Couples will get the very of what you have to offer (food, wine, styling, accommodation etc) and you will still have a profitable business.

 

Mid-week Elopements - If you are worried about loosing too much money with smaller weddings, offer elopements mid-week only. You will get extra revenue mid-week and it keeps your weekends free to larger events.

 

Reimagine your space - Reimagine and reinvent your space for an elopement. Even a large space if style correctly can still feel intimate and look beautiful

Find venues and vendor that cater to elopements and small weddings

of 20 or less

FIND VENDORS

An elopement is all about the two of you and your relationship with each other.

Leave all the stress and anxiety associated with a wedding behind you and just elope.

Why wait one or even two years to get married? Start your new life together sooner rather than later.

Elopements

(couple with 20 guests or less)

An elopement is when you get married with a very small number of guests, in a beautiful location, where the ceremony and the day is all about the two of you.

 

The number of guests is really up for debate, but we see elopements as around 20 guests. Because of the small size, you are often able to take advantage of free locations for your ceremony. National Parks, Council run parks and beaches, State Forests and Nature Reserves are all free options.

Small or Micro Weddings

(couple with 40 guests or less)

Small or micro weddings are similar to elopements but the guest count is increased. You can still get married in a beautiful location, but the day becomes less about just the two of you and more about celebrating with your close family and friends. But a small or micro wedding is a great way to really connect to your closest people.

 

The larger size ceremony also means you will need to pay for and apply for a permit at National Parks, State Forests and Council parks and beaches.

100 of the Most Breathtaking Places to Elope in Australia

This is the most comprehensive guide on the most amazing places you can elope to in Australia.

With this guide I want to show you what can be possible with your elopement. And they are a wedding photographers bucket list of locations in Australia I want to shoot at.

There are tropical rainforest & waterfalls, mountain top lookouts, red deserts, epic gorges & luxury resorts.

READ THE GUIDE
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Real elopement day features:

Eloping Australia

We are so glad you found us at Eloping Australia. You probably found us because you are getting married and are thinking that maybe you should elope or have a small intimate wedding? Well, I am here to tell you that elopements are absolutely amazing and more people should be doing them.

There are absolutely no rules to what you should do when you get married. The most important thing is that your elopement or small wedding is truly a reflection of who you are as a couple. That’s it!

If you guys just want an intimate back yard wedding with just your parents… then that is perfect. Want to dress in shorts and a mini skirt… go for it! If you want your dogs as your bridal party… awesome! You want a dress that shows your tattoos… great… want to get matching tattoos on your wedding day… even better!! There are no rules.

The main header images on this page have been photographed by Australian Elopement Photographer – Cavanagh Photography.

If you are new to the whole concept of eloping, then check out some of our eloping essential articles to get you started.

free elopement location in sydney

Why We Love Elopements

There are so many reasons for eloping as a couple. Eloping is just plain awesome! Eloping is an exciting experience and a wonderful way of starting your married life. It’s also much more personal and intimate than a large conventional marriage.

Deciding to elope is a very personal choice and couples do it for so many reasons and maybe, if you are on the fence about eloping, have a look through this website and hopefully, I can convince you.

Get married now!

There is absolutely no reason why you need to wait 12 to 24 months to get married. Wedding planning takes a lot of time and the most popular wedding venues book out so far in advance. But two years is a long time to wait to start your new life together.

If you elope, you can be married in just over a month! That’s right! In a months time, you could be officially married and starting your new life together. What a crazy thought.

Under Australian law, you just need to submit a “Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM)” to an authorised celebrant at least one month before your intended date of marriage.

So, in a month or two, you could start your new life together as a couple. Or you could wait one or two years before you commit your lives to each other. Hmmmm, I know which one of them sounds better to me.

 

Elope to an amazing location

Have your elopement in an incredible location.

With elopements you aren’t limited to certain locations like you are with a bigger more traditional weddings. You don’t need to organise how to get people to the bottom of a waterfall. Or where a hundred people are going to stay in the middle of nowhere.

You can pretty much elope anywhere. Think of the type of locations that you are naturally drawn to. And imagine the ultimate location for your ceremony.

If you love the city and urban environments, you could get married in an inner city warehouse or on the top of a building surrounded by the cityscape.

If you love nature, you could get married deep in a forest or at the top of a mountain.

Australia is a big, beautiful country... so let your imagination run wild.

Escape wedding planning stress

Wedding planning can be very stressful. And if you have even a slightly nervous personality, or you get anxious really easily, then the wedding will definitely bring out those traits.

You have to find a wedding venue that your parents approve of and that your friends will enjoy. Get the wedding invitations out, inviting all your parent’s friends and long lost family members. Then there is the menu tastings, searching wedding vendors, attire for your eight-member wedding party, gift for your wedding party, get all the dietary requirements, chase ups RSVPs… and so on.

You’re usually doing this with a full-time job. And your weekends are slowly going to be all about this one day for two years. So unless you’re in the business of event planner, or you both really enjoy the process, it can become mentally and emotionally draining.

So if thinking of this stresses you out, then ditch all the stress and just elope.

Elopements are more intimate and personal

The entire day becomes even more about the two of you. The ceremony becomes so much more intimate and personal. You can speak from the heart and not hide emotions. There is no fear of embarrassment if you show your feelings and commit your lives together.

You can really be yourselves.

You also spend way more time together than couples do on their wedding day. At a more traditional wedding, the couple spends the morning apart, sees each other at the ceremony in the afternoon and at the reception they are busy talking and catching up with all their guests. There is very little time for just the two of them.

 

Some couples just don't like weddings

If the very thought of a wedding and all the traditions associated with it make you roll your eyes or even make you sick in the stomach, then eloping is definitely for you.

I know it’s a crazy thought, who doesn’t like a wedding? We have spoken to many couples that just dislike the whole pomp and ceremony of a wedding. The traditions are outdated and most people have no idea why they are doing them anyway. They just know that you are supposed to do these things at a wedding.

So ditch the old fashioned traditions and elope. Have your elopement and do it your own way.

You don't have to be the centre of attention

People who elope often don’t like to be the centre of attention. It may be an insane idea to the extroverts, but some people don’t want to be on stage and centre of attention. It doesn’t make them feel good.

An introverted couple can feel ill at the idea of walking down the aisle to a hundred people. The very thought of saying your vows and speaking in public can stress them out. Then there is the speeches and first dance, cake cutting… arrhhh! Some people just want a private marriage ceremony.

Elopements are much much smaller events. It is way more intimate and less intimidating than a traditional wedding. And so much more appealing to some introverts.

Elopements are so much more affordable

Weddings are really expensive.

Let’s do the math on just one item at a wedding. Let’s say 120 people at $200 per head. That’s $24,000 before you have done anything. How often do you buy 120 people a three-course dinner and unlimited drinks? And close to half those people, you won’t even know. They are partners, wives, husbands, second cousins, their children etc

How else could you spend that $24,000 on? You could put it towards a home deposit, your kids future. Or you could have the most amazing elopement you could ever imagine. You could stay in a $2,000 per night luxury resort, helicopter to a mountain top for your elopement ceremony, hire the most awesome photographer to capture that elopement… of course. Fly down the mountain and land on a beach and have a 10-course degustation menu on the beach for the two of you. With your personal chef and butler. Fairy lights, a string quartet and a roaring fire. Then go back to your luxury villa, having had the most awesome elopement you could image. And you would still probably have money left over for a honeymoon in Paris for a week.

 

Escape the politics

Maybe you have the perfect family where everyone agrees with everyone. I know family can be complicated. And planning a big wedding can get really complicated. Friends can be complicated as well and your guest list can get out of control.

Everyone also has an opinion and they will give it to you even if you didn’t ask for it. Where you should have your wedding, what style of dress is best, who you should invite, when you should have it… and so on.

You can cut out a lot of that politics by just eloping. By eloping, you can tell everyone that is it just the two of you. Or the two of you and your parents or even just your immediate family.

Then you can have a dinner reception, party or just a barbecue with everyone when you get back home after the honeymoon.

Incredible wedding & elopement photos

By eloping, you can potentially get the most incredible wedding photos imaginable. You can get better and more amazing photos than you could on a traditional wedding day. Think of some of the most beautiful locations in Australia... now imagine having your ceremony and photos there. This can be your reality and you can make it happen by eloping.

You are not restricted to where you can take photos. And you have far less time restrictions than on a wedding day.

If you hire an amazing elopement photographer... do some planning together... you will get some amazing photos of your whole elopement day.

Australia is a wonderful place for Aussies to elope or for overseas couples to have an elopement. It offers so many unique locations and destinations to choose from. The red dirt of Australia’s outback region, to the crystal clear waters and white sands of Australia’s beaches. There is the lush hinterland wilderness, mountain ranges, sand dunes, caves, waterfalls, snow and desert and is home to some of the natural and modern wonders of the world.

Don’t be fooled, Australia is a huge country. It is the sixth-largest country in the world. It is around the same size as the United States of America and a similar size to western Europe.

If you are looking to elope in Australia, you are really only limited to your imagination. And Eloping Australia, we hope to open up your mind to the unlimited possibilities for your Aussie elopement.

Discover the best small wedding venues in Australia

Our Definition of Elopements

“An elopement is to get married with a small number of guests, in a beautiful location, where the ceremony and the day is all about the two of you." - eloping.com.au

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