Are you planning a fun elopement-style wedding ceremony ahead of your “big wedding”? Whatever reason you and your partner find yourself finding planning an elopement ahead of your bigger-sized wedding, you might be looking for fun ways to include your closest friends or family members! We’ve rounded up a few fun ways to include them in your elopement, in the blog below!
Officiant
This one will take some planning ahead, but it can definitely be done! In fact, we even discussed this as an amazing way to include family and friends in your wedding, in this blog post. But, we’ll give you the cliffs notes right now. First things first, ahead of your elopement, decide on the person that you would feel honored & privileged to officiate over your vows. Then make the official ask! Next, you’ll need to check the state & local laws in the location where your wedding will be performed. You’re looking for each and every requirement necessary for your friend or family member to become legally ordained.
Lastly, have a brief meeting with them to discuss the things you’d love included in your wedding ceremony. Do you want them to riff with personal anecdotes and stories? Or, do you imagine your vows to be more traditional? The amazing thing about having someone you know officiate your wedding is that your ceremony can be anything you want it to be! You now have the ability to be 100% open and candid with your officiant. And the added flexibility to create the wedding ceremony of your dreams!
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As Your Witness
Having a friend or a family member included in this role at your elopement will again take checking state and local laws ahead of time! Certain states still require a witness, sometimes two, to be present during your ceremony and to sign your marriage license. When inviting your close friend or family member to your elopement, the official invite them becomes, “Will you attend my wedding ceremony, as my witness?”. Anyone who has ever played the role of a witness (at a large-scale wedding this is usually fulfilled by your person of honor) will agree, that it is in fact, an honor. Not only does your witness get to stand beside you during your wedding ceremony to witness your union, but their name will also be cemented on your marriage certificate with their signature!
Content Creator
Want each and every detail of your elopement ceremony captured to share on your Guestie event ahead of your big wedding day? Your guests will love having a sneak peek at the details of your elopement on your message board ahead of seeing you again on your wedding day. It will pull them into your story and drum up the excitement of your big wedding! Ask one of your close friends or family members to attend your elopement as your official content creator. That means you’ll be handing them the reins to capture your vows through photos and video. Let them know ahead of time that the content they create that day will later be shared on your Guestie event and your social channels.
Want to make sure they capture specific moments during your elopement? Have a super quick chit-chat in advance to let them know the official breakdown of your day. Go over the importance of each detail happening during your ceremony. Keep in mind, your wedding content creator is not a professional wedding photographer or videographer! They are more like an unofficial member of the paparazzi. Their role will be less “Photoshop and frame this”, and more “TikTok made me do it”.
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Props Master
The fun thing about an elopement is that couples tend to feel a bit more at ease and relaxed at the smaller-sized ceremony. Having an intimate ceremony ahead of your wedding loosens the nerves because there will be fewer eyes on you with only a tight-knit circle by your side. That feeling of laid-back relaxation is a great recipe for letting your personality shine. This is usually when props enter the chat! Balloons, signs, banners, (easily carried) ceremony arches, bouquets, the bottle of champagne for after the ceremony, you name it! There are plenty of fun and unique ways to level up your elopement with small but mighty props.
But you and your partner, dressed in your wedding day best, are not the ones who can spend your day setting them up, trying not to forget them in an Uber, and storing or disposing of them when all is said and done! That friend of yours with the outgoing personality who always seems to bring the party wherever they go? The one who knows how to saber a champagne bottle and usually obliges as a fun party trick… That’s the friend you need in charge of your elopement props! They’ll take your props from something cute used to pose with in front of the camera, to the entire party!
Confetti Toss
Is a confetti toss a prop or part of the celebration? We’ll leave that decision up to you! Even if you are saving the big blowout celebration for a later date, you can still make your elopement a fun celebratory moment. So if you want that fun confetti toss or flurry of bubbles right after you are pronounced, then yes, they are allowed! But, it’ll take a coordinated effort to have that moment and get the picture! Ask your confetti tosser/bubble blower to coordinate with the person in charge of your props to work together, and with any other guests in attendance, to create that fun moment for you once your union has been sealed!
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Wedding Day Stylist
You know that friend that’s never afraid to tell you that you have something in your teeth or that you have a random hair out of place? They would be the perfect person to officially fluff your dress for your elopement. Or pick up your train so it doesn’t drag, later becoming a jumbled mess in front of your content creator or wedding photographer! Not wearing a dress? Your wedding day stylist can help you lint roll or primp your attire before the photographer arrives! You might need help with a bustle, a cuff link, tying a tie, or affixing some other piece of attire that you’ve never worn before in your life.
Trust us, you’ll need a second pair of hands in any of those situations! Or, if you’re working with two separate pairs of shoes for the day, your wedding day stylist can help you change from pair to pair as needed for photos, walking, foot cramps, you name it! If you’re opting to carry a bouquet, wear a boutonniere, or affix a floral crown to your head, you guessed it, in comes your wedding day stylist to the rescue!
Live Stream Your Wedding
Are you planning your elopement someplace far from home? Or do you just want to keep your elopement on the smaller size ahead of your big wedding day? Wishing that your grandparents could attend your elopement but health reasons are keeping them home that day? Ask someone that will be attending your elopement if they can live stream your wedding so that those not in attendance will still feel like a part of your sacred vows, even if your day is far from home!
Get together with your partner and decide on the best platform to live stream your wedding. Will it be Zoom with an official “meeting” invitation to those who will be watching from afar? Or would you rather stream on social media? Maybe a group “FaceTime” call will make it easy for everyone to access your elopement in real-time. Decide on the best platform in advance so that your live streamer has all the information needed making it as easy as possible for them, and your friends and family members at home!!
Take Care of Your Dog
One of the awesome things about having an elopement-style wedding ceremony ahead of your big wedding day is that it gives you an insane amount of flexibility to include your fur baby! Let’s be honest, not all wedding venues are pet-friendly, sadly. But elopement-style vows do not require a venue and they can be planned just about anywhere! On a hiking trail, at a local park, or on the shores of your favorite beach. And that means your sweet four-legged family member can be a proud attendant that day! But it might be hard to handle them while you’re, you know, in the middle of getting married! A close friend or member of your family, preferably one that knows your pup really well, can be included in your elopement by helping your pup get around, and making sure that your pup is in all the photo ops!
After Elopement Toast
Heading out to your favorite spot for lunch, brunch, or dinner after your elopement? Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone say a few kind words about you & your partner before you dig in? It’s a reaffirming way to include those special people in your life, in your new union. You know, before you get to the part where everyone is passing around plates of appetizers! But, let’s be clear, it’s not a speech, it’s a toast. Save the long version for the big wedding, but ask a friend if they’ll kick off your after-elopement celebration with a few sweet words.
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