Elopement and Micro Wedding Timelines
“How much time do we need for our elopement?” — timeline planning and advice for Colorado and PNW elopements and micro weddings
While you won’t need to keep to as tight of a schedule as you would with a bigger wedding, a solid timeline is an amazing way to enjoy your elopement day in a grounded, structured way.
Here are some things for us to consider as we build your timeline together:
Travel time — Driving between your getting ready site, your ceremony site, reception/celebration site, and any other locations we’ll be headed to that day
Hiking — We’ll most likely be stopping for photos along the way, but we’ll budget your hike time in to your timeline. Most people hike at a 2-3 mile per hour pace, depending on athleticism, incline, elevation, and being hindered by wedding outfits.
Activities — For example, if you want to hop in your canoes for an hour during your elopement, we’ll factor in loading, unloading, and paddling time
Getting ready — This is always the time of day with the most excitement and anticipation. We’ll be focusing on those butterflies and candid moments of connection, and I’ll pop in and out for details and finishing touches. I’ll be watching out for meaningful moments between you and those getting ready with you. I usually allot 60-90 minutes for getting ready & details.
Ceremony — Will your ceremony just be an exchanging of vows? Will you be including any other rituals? Will any of your guests be involved with readings or blessings? Most elopement ceremonies are 15 minutes or less.
Guest portraits — to make time for group portraits and quality time spent with your people. We’ll allot 15-30 minutes for some portraits of any guests attending your ceremony, and I’ll make sure to tuck in candids during other parts of the day
Couples portraits — Are you having a first look? Are we going off site for any of your portraits? For micro weddings, will you be doing private vows?
Reception or celebration — Micro wedding receptions can be semi-traditional with a dance floor or they can be a completely relaxed sit down dinner with mingling afterwards. Let me know if there are any special events (toasts, dances, family traditions, etc) to capture, but otherwise, I’ll be capturing candids & celebration throughout the space. Usually, 1-2 hours is enough for half day coverage and 2-4 hours is enough for full day coverage. But it all depends on what’s happening!
Sample Half Day Timeline (based on four hour coverage) - Hiking
4:30pm — photography coverage begins
5:00pm — getting ready finishes
5:15pm — first look
5:30pm — drive to ceremony trail head
6:00pm — hike into ceremony site (1.5-2 miles)
6:45pm — ceremony
6:55pm — marriage license signing & champagne
7:00pm — couples photos
7:30pm — sunset
7:45pm — hike back to trailhead (1.5-2 miles)
8:30pm — photography coverage ends
Sample Half Day Timeline (based on four hour coverage) - no Hiking, no guests
5:00am — photography coverage begins
5:05am — getting ready
5:35am — drive to ceremony site
6:00am — getting wedding attire on
6:10am — sunrise, first look
6:15am — ceremony
6:30am — breakfast picnic, watch the sun come up
7:00am — couples photos
7:30am — drive down the road to next location
7:45am — marriage license signing & champagne
7:50am — exploring, chatting, a few couples photos
9:00am — photography coverage ends, we all depart
Sample Half Day Timeline (based on four hour coverage) - no Hiking, with guests
5:00am — photography coverage begins
5:05am — getting ready
5:35am — drive to ceremony site
6:00am — getting wedding attire on
6:10am — sunrise, first look
6:20am — guests arrive
6:30am — ceremony
6:40am — breakfast picnic + celebration
6:50am — group portraits
7:10am — guests depart
7:15am — couples photos
7:45am — drive down the road to next location
7:55am — marriage license signing & champagne
8:00am — exploring, chatting, a few couples photos
9:00am — photography coverage ends, we all depart
Sample Full Day Timeline (based on Eight hour coverage) - Hiking
3:30am — photography coverage begins
4:15am — getting ready finishes
4:30am — head to ceremony site trailhead
5:00am — hike into ceremony site (1-1.5 miles)
5:30am —sunrise, get wedding attire on
5:45am — ceremony
6:00am — sign marriage license
6:10am — couples photos as we hike back to trailhead (1-1.5 miles)
7:15am — car camping & coffee to warm up
7:45am — drive to hot springs
8:05am — hike into hot springs (1 mile)
8:30am — hot springs couples photos
9:15am — hike back to trailhead (1 mile)
9:40am — drive into town
10:30am — breakfast & couples photos on main street
11:30am — photography coverage ends
Sample Full Day Timeline (based on Eight hour coverage) - No Hiking, no guests
12:00pm — photography coverage begins
12:05pm — lunch and board games at the cabin
12:45pm — getting ready begins
2:15pm — getting ready ends, drive to ceremony site
3:00pm — arrive at ceremony site
3:05pm – get wedding attire on together
3:20pm — first look & ceremony
3:35pm — marriage license signing + champagne
3:40pm — couples portraits and exploring
4:30pm — head back to the cars
4:40pm — drive into town for dinner
5:30pm — burgers and beers at your favorite seaside restaurant
6:30pm — hop over to the beach
6:45pm – tide pooling and sea shell collecting while we wait for the sunset
7:20pm — a few more couples portraits at golden hour
7:45pm — watch the sunset
8:00pm – photography coverage ends
Sample Full Day Timeline (based on Eight hour coverage) - No Hiking, with guests
12:00pm — photography coverage begins
12:05pm — lunch and board games at the cabin, candid moments with family
12:45pm — getting ready begins
2:30pm — getting ready ends, drive to ceremony site
3:05pm — everyone arrives at ceremony site
3:20pm — first look & ceremony
3:35pm — marriage license signing + champagne
3:45pm — group portraits with your guests
4:00pm – guests, depart
4:05pm – couples portraits and exploring
4:35pm — head back to the cars
4:45pm — drive into town for dinner
5:15pm — burgers and beers with everyone at your favorite seaside restaurant
6:00pm — any speeches, dances, or other reception traditions, otherwise just hanging together
7:15pm — hop over to the beach
7:25pm – tide pooling and sea shell collecting while we wait for the sunset
7:35pm — a few more couples portraits at golden hour
7:45pm — watch the sunset (bonus points if you invite your people down to the beach with you)
8:00pm – photography coverage ends
At the end of the day, your vision for your elopement and all the factors that contribute to timing are unique. We’ll craft a custom timeline together once we have all our details! I typically schedule timeline calls 4 weeks out once everything is finalized.