What Is Eloping? All the deets and FAQs about Elopements

So you have been circling this idea for a while now, maybe whispering it to each other late at night, or googling it when no one is looking, or just feeling that quiet pull toward something smaller and more yours.

What is eloping, really?

Because here is the thing—the word itself carries so much baggage. Old ideas about running away, about secrecy, about somehow doing something wrong. And I get it. I have sat with so many couples who felt like they needed permission to even consider it, like wanting something different from a traditional wedding meant they were being selfish or letting people down.

But the couples I photograph in the mountains, in a meadow or at a private waterfall? They are not running from anything. They are running toward something—toward each other, toward a day that actually feels like them, toward vows exchanged on a cliff edge with nothing but the wind and the peaks and maybe their dog as witness.

Modern elopements look nothing like what your parents might imagine when they hear the word. Some couples bring their closest people. Some say their vows completely alone. Some hike for hours to reach a summit. Some get ready in a cozy cabin and never leave the meadow out back. There is no single right way to do this—and that is kind of the whole point.

If you have been wondering whether eloping could work for you, what it would even look like, or how to untangle all the logistics and emotions wrapped up in this decision—that is exactly what we are going to talk about.

I am Krystal, and I have spent years photographing and filming elopements throughout the Canadian Rockies, Costa Rica and different places around the world—learning the hidden locations, figuring out the permits and timing, and helping couples create days that feel genuinely theirs. If you are curious about what an elopement could look like for you, I would love to chat. You can reach out anytime here.

How Eloping Has Evolved From Running Away to Intentionally Choosing Your Day

The word elopement used to mean sneaking out a window at midnight—maybe because your families disapproved, maybe because you were too young, maybe because the whole thing felt forbidden, urgent and a little bit scandalous.

That is not what we are talking about anymore.

Somewhere along the way, and I have watched this shift happen in real time over the years I have been photographing couples in the Rockies. Elopement stopped meaning escape and started meaning intention. It became less about running away from something and more about running toward the version of your wedding day that actually makes sense for who you are.

And honestly? That shift changes everything.

Because when you let go of the old definition, suddenly eloping is not about secrecy or shame or doing something wrong. It is about choosing * really choosing * what matters to you and your partner. Maybe that looks like standing on a mountain ridge at sunrise with just the two of you and your vows. Maybe it looks like bringing your parents and your best friend and having dinner together afterward. Maybe it looks like hiking to a waterfall in your wedding dress and laughing so hard you cry with your furr babies.

The couples I work with are not rebelling against anything. They are simply asking themselves a question that more and more people are brave enough to ask—what if our wedding day could feel exactly like us?

And that question? It is not selfish. It is not weird. It is honestly one of the most grounded, thoughtful places you can start from when planning how to get married.

Elopement vs Wedding and Why the Line Between Them Is More Flexible Than You Think

Here is where things get interesting—and where I think a lot of couples get stuck.

Because somewhere in your head there is probably this imaginary line. On one side sits the traditional wedding with the guest list and the venue and the catering and the carefully coordinated timeline. On the other side sits the elopement—just two people, maybe a mountainside, maybe complete solitude.

But that line? I think it lies in the intention of the day.

Weddings revolve around your guests’ experience. Elopements revolve around yours.

I have photographed elopements with 20 guests and intimate weddings with 75. I have seen couples take a heli to a glacier or hike to a waterfall in full wedding attire with only their officiant and me—and I have seen couples rent a cabin in the mountains and invite their parents and siblings for an intimate ceremony followed by a homemade dinner with our private chef.

All of it counts. All of it is valid.

The truth is that modern elopements exist on a spectrum, and you get to decide where you land on it.

You can have:

- Just the two of you exchanging vows at sunrise

- Your immediate family watching in a wildflower meadow

- A handful of your closest friends hiking with you to the ceremony spot

- A tiny reception at a local restaurant afterward or a private chef at an airbnb

- A bigger celebration weeks or months later for everyone who could not be there

Or some combination of all of these things that I have not even thought of yet. There are literally so many different types of elopements too; you don't have to love hiking or travel to elope.

Here are two outside the box elopement ideas:

• Abandoned Building or Warehouse: Industrial chic with dramatic light beams. Edgy vows, artistic photos using the raw architecture, followed by a moody dinner with candles.

• Botanical Garden Escape: Lush gardens with exotic flowers and hidden paths. Quiet ceremony among the blooms, professional photos throughout the gardens, and a high-tea style picnic.

If you'd like more outside the box ideas on what your elopement day could look like, you can download my Unique Elopement Day Idea Guide.

The pressure to fit into one category or the other—elopement or wedding, intimate or traditional—is something I watch couples wrestle with all the time. And what I always want to tell them is this: the labels do not actually matter. What matters is whether the day you are planning feels like something you genuinely want to show up for.

Weddings are designed around the guests’ experience. Elopements are designed around the couple’s experience.

So if you have been thinking that eloping means you have to give something up—the people you love being present, the dress, the photos, the celebration—take a breath. You get to keep whatever pieces feel essential and let go of the ones that never made sense for you in the first place.

Addressing the Guilt and Whether Eloping Is Actually Selfish

Okay so let us talk about the thing that is probably sitting in your chest right now—the guilt.

Because even if everything I have said so far resonates with you, even if you are nodding along and feeling that pull toward something smaller and more intimate, there is probably a voice in your head whispering that wanting this makes you selfish. That your mom will be devastated. That your grandmother has been waiting your whole life to see you walk down an aisle. That choosing something different means choosing yourself over the people who love you.

I have sat with so many couples who feel this exact tension—and I want to tell you something I have learned from watching hundreds of people navigate this decision.

Your wedding day is not a performance you owe anyone.

That might feel uncomfortable to read. It might bump up against everything you have been taught about weddings being family events, about honoring traditions, about gratitude meaning you show up in the expected ways. And I am not saying those feelings are wrong or that the people who want to celebrate with you do not matter—they absolutely do.

But here is what I have noticed over and over again. The couples who plan their day around guilt? They often end up exhausted and disconnected, going through motions that never quite felt like theirs. And the couples who give themselves permission to do something different—even when it was scary, even when they had hard conversations with disappointed family members—they show up fully present. They cry during their vows. They laugh until their faces hurt. They remember the day as something that actually belonged to them.

That is not selfish. That is honest.

And the beautiful thing is that choosing an elopement does not have to mean excluding everyone forever. You can have a celebration later. You can share photos and videos that bring people into the moment even if they were not physically there. You can write letters to the people you love explaining why this choice matters to you—and in my experience, the ones who truly love you will understand. Maybe not immediately, maybe not without some initial disappointment, but eventually.

So if you are carrying guilt about wanting something smaller, I see you. And I want you to know that wanting a day that feels genuinely yours is not a character flaw. It is clarity, honesty and you have the right to choose it.

Yes Your Dog Can Come and Other Logistics You Might Not Know About Rocky Mountain Elopements

Now that we have talked through the emotional stuff—the guilt, the permission, the reframing of what eloping even means—let us get into the practical questions that are probably swirling around in your head.

Because yes, your dog can absolutely come.

I have photographed elopements where the couple's furr baby wore a flower collar and sat perfectly during the vows. I have also photographed elopements where the dog got distracted by a squirrel, or the river mid-ceremony and we kept on going while the pups just lived their best lives. Both versions made for incredible moments. Both were exactly right.

Here is a guide to including your fur babies on your special day.

But dogs are just the beginning of the logistics that people do not realize are totally possible—or that they worry about unnecessarily.

Here is what I want you to know from years of doing this in the Rockies:

• You do not need a traditional venue. Provincial parks, national parks, mountain meadows, lakeshores, cliff edges—all of these are options, though some require permits and some have specific rules about group sizes or where you can stand.

• Permits sound intimidating but they are usually straightforward. I help couples navigate this all the time and it is rarely the barrier people fear it will be.

• You can get married in a wedding dress on a mountain. Seriously. I have watched brides hike in hiking boots with their gown stuffed in a backpack, changing behind a rock once we reach the spot. I have seen couples trek through creeks in full wedding attire. It works—you just need a plan, and that's where I come in.

• Weather is unpredictable and that is actually part of the magic. Some of my favorite photos have come from days that started with rain or unexpected clouds rolling through.

The biggest thing couples underestimate? How much flexibility they actually have.

You can get ready in an Airbnb or a hotel room or a camper van parked at a trailhead. You can have your ceremony at sunrise or golden hour or somewhere in between. You can hike for twenty minutes or four hours depending on how adventurous you want to get. You can bring a picnic and champagne and have a little celebration just the two of you in a meadow, at a waterfall, or beside a lake.

And if you are sitting there thinking—okay but how do I actually figure all this out without losing my mind—that is exactly why working with someone who knows the ins and outs of elopements and these mountains (if you are planning to elope in Alberta) makes such a difference. The locations, the timing, the backup plans for weather, the spots where you will have privacy versus the spots that get crowded on weekends—all of that becomes so much easier when you are not starting from scratch.

The logistics are real, but they are not the obstacle. They are just details waiting to be sorted.

How to Start Planning an Elopement When You Have No Idea Where to Begin

So you are feeling it now—the pull toward something smaller, something more intentional, something that actually sounds like a day you want to live through rather than just survive.

But where do you even start?

I get asked this all the time, and honestly, the answer is simpler than you might expect. You do not need to have the location figured out. You do not need to know exactly how many people will be there or what time of year or whether you want to hike or stay close to the car. All of that comes later.

The very first thing? Just talk to each other about what actually matters.

Not what your Pinterest board says should matter. Not what your mom imagines. Not what you have absorbed from a decade of attending other people's weddings. What matters to you—the two of you, specifically, as the humans who are going to stand there and promise each other forever.

Maybe it is being surrounded by mountains. Maybe it is having your sister there. Maybe it is reading vows you wrote yourselves without an audience. Maybe it is adventure—a real one, with hiking boots and sweat and the kind of views you have to earn. Maybe it's a cozy cabin in the woods, playing card games, soaking in a hot tub and having a private chef cook an amazing meal.

Start there. Write it down if that helps. Say it out loud to each other.

Once you have that anchor—that sense of what the day needs to feel like—the logistics start falling into place almost naturally. The location becomes clearer when you know you want solitude versus accessibility. The guest list becomes obvious when you get honest about who you actually want present for this moment. The timeline shapes itself around sunrise or golden hour or wherever your priorities lead you.

And if you are sitting there thinking this still feels overwhelming, you can check out my Ultimate Elopement Idea guide. Or if you are leading more towards an Intimate wedding with guests, then this guide is for you. Either way, this is exactly where having someone in your corner changes everything, and I'm here to help, every step of the way!

And honestly? I love this part. Helping couples take that initial spark—that whispered maybe we could just elope—and turn it into an actual plan that feels doable and exciting rather than stressful.

" She is so kind and thoughtful, thinking of things I hadn’t and suggested ways to include little touches to help make our elopement special. She found the perfect ceremony location for us as well had lots of ideas for where else we could take pictures (she is a wealth of knowledge for Alberta locations). She has adventure in her soul and Ioves to make sure she’s got the best shot. " - Emma

Banff Elopement

If you know you have your heart set on a Banff elopement, then this ultimate guide is the next step in planning that adventure.

Frequently Asked Questions about Elopements

• Do we need to tell our families before we elope or can we surprise them after?

This is entirely your call and there is no right answer. Some couples share their plans ahead of time and find that the conversations—while sometimes hard—bring unexpected support and closeness. Others keep it between themselves until after the vows are said, then share photos and the story when they are ready. What matters most is that the choice feels authentic to your relationship and how you want to experience the day emotionally.

• What if we want to elope but still have a celebration with everyone later—is that weird or confusing for people?

Not weird at all, and honestly this is one of the most common approaches I see couples take. You get the intimate mountain moment that feels sacred and yours, then you throw a party weeks or months later where everyone can celebrate with you without the pressure of it being the actual ceremony. Most guests genuinely love this because they get the fun parts without watching you nervously stumble through vows, and you get to actually enjoy your own party because the big emotional moment already happened.

• What if we are not outdoorsy people—can we still have a mountain elopement?

Absolutely yes. (Please read that again) I have worked with couples who had never hiked a day in their lives and couples who summit peaks for fun—and honestly both kinds of elopements are equally beautiful. Not every mountain ceremony requires a four-hour trek to a glacier. There are stunning locations you can reach with a short walk from a parking lot, meadows accessible by car, and lakeshores that take five minutes to get to. We just find the spots that match your comfort level and build the day around what actually feels good to you.

So Where Do You Go From Here

You made it through all of that—the reframing, the permission, the logistics, the guilt untangling—and if you are still here, I think that says something. Maybe eloping went from a whispered maybe to something that actually feels possible now. Maybe you are realizing that the day you have been imagining does not have to look like anyone elses.

That is a really beautiful place to land.

If you are still in the dreaming phase and want to start picturing actual locations, I put together a free guide to the best places to elope in Canada—hidden spots in the Rockies, lakes that take your breath away, meadows where you will have complete privacy. It is a good place to start when the idea is still taking shape.

And if you are further along than that—if you are ready to talk through what your day could actually look like, figure out the timing, find a location that matches exactly what you are hoping for—I would genuinely love to hear from you. Or you can check out my elopement packages here.

This is my favorite part of what I do. Helping couples take that quiet pull toward something smaller and turn it into a real plan that feels exciting instead of overwhelming.

No pressure, no timeline, just a conversation about what matters to you and if eloping somewhere in the world is right for you.

Either way—trust that pull. It is telling you something worth listening to.

If you'd like to see some real galleries of couples to chose to design a day based around their experiences, you can check out Emma and Anthony who paddleboarded at sunset, Chrissy and Raymon who flew in from Holland to have a picnic in the meadows or Elyse and Charlie who chose to celebrate with their loved ones in Bragg Creek.

The world is literally your oyster my friend, and I'd be honoured to help you create the best dang date day ever, while documenting it as your new best friend! :)

Till our paths cross again, friend,

xo Krystal