When planning your elopement, it is likely that this is your first time doing such a thing. You may be wondering where do I start, what do we do, what can we do? The answer is, you can do anything! I always ask my couples if there is something that is just “so them” that we can include on their day. Often times, they don’t think there is, but there is always something. If you are stuck on what to do during your elopement consider doing something that might make your mom or grandma cringe. Though, if you are wearing a dress outdoors, that might be enough to do so! These unique ideas for your elopement are here to help you come up with ideas for your day that you may otherwise not have thought of.
Grab a Drink
If you and your partner are brewery lovers or cocktail aficionados, grabbing a drink at some point together might just make sense. You could stop by somewhere before your ceremony to help ease the nerves; that is what we did and I highly recommend! If it a place with food, you might consider ending the day with that so you can eat as much as you want.
Luckily, if you and your partner are eloping in New Mexico, there are amazing breweries everywhere! Some of my favorites in the Albuquerque area are Bosque, Marble, and Tractor Brewing! Tractor also has great cocktails if you are not a beer drinker. All of these locations have great food choices as well, which I will get into in the next section.
(See more from this elopement here.)
Get Some Food
Many couples have that one food that they both are just known for loving. It could be tacos, sushi, pasts, pizza, a fast food chain, literally anything. If you are one of those couples, ending your day with your favorite food might be the greatest part of your day. Or close! A meal on your wedding day, whether you are having guests or not doesn’t have to be a fancy $100 chicken that you don’t love. Eating the food that you really enjoy is something you will remember, versus trying to just be fancy.
If you want food and a drink, finding somewhere that has both, or a brewery that lets you bring in your own food is a great idea. Many breweries around New Mexico don’t have their own food but they have several options who deliver and/or have food trucks. You really cannot go wrong with the food and drinks here! To piggy back on my input on Albuquerque breweries, all of those have great food options.
- Bosque (Bernalillo) makes their own delicious food, and you need to try the nachos!
- Marble (westside) has a few food options, but my favorite is Ohana Hut who shares their kitchen and makes great sushi.
- Tractor (westside) also has a few options, but on Friday evenings the food truck Cheesy Street is there and they make the best grilled cheese. Beer, cocktails, great food… you need to try it out!
(See more from this elopement here.)
Include The Vehicle You Love
Whether you have a classic car, motorcycle, jeep, converted bus or even a four wheeler that is just so you, bring it! Even if it is not the main part of the day, it could be really fun for some photos or even a getaway vehicle. If it is not something you want to deal with or worry about, you could always have a trusted friend bring it by for photos and then bring it home for you. Including a vehicle is definitely something that is unique and will create some really fun memories to look back on.
Another idea would be to rent something to take photos with and include. If you don’t have a four wheeler but really want to go four wheeling in your wedding clothes, rent one! This can go for any type of vehicle, though renting a motorcycle might be a harder idea figure out.
(See more from this elopement here.)
Bring Your Pup
If your dog(s) are a big part of your life, they should we invited to your elopement if possible. Well some of it at least. We personally have 3 large dogs and eloped in a different state, so bringing them along would have been pretty stressful. If you are eloping closer to home, or have a more mellow pup, this would be a super cute idea!
If you are considering bringing your dog to your elopement, there are a few things to consider.
- One, is the park or location you are getting married at pet friendly? if not, you could always go somewhere else for some photos with your dog.
- Two, how much of your day do you want to have them there for? If only for a certain part, arrange for a friend to bring them by and back home for you.
- Three, read this post with all my tips for Bringing Your Dog To Your Photo Shoot. Your elopement is not just a photo shoot, but this will still relate to you and help with making your day stress free for everyone!
Do Your Favorite Activity
Here is the fun part with endless ideas! Think about what you two love to do together. For some couples this is easy because they go mountain biking every weekend. For others it might be harder, but you are always up to try something new. When it comes to including you favorite activity, the activity can literally be trying something new. So keep that in mind!
For those of you who fall into the first category with the obvious answer, make sure to bring that up to your photographer. Even if the activity doesn’t seem like something cute, I promise everything in cute in wedding clothes. If the activity is something you do every weekend, why wouldn’t you do it on your wedding day?!
For those of you that fall into the second category, don’t worry we will do something! If you are up for trying something new, that is great. Keep in mind, that since you have never done it before, or maybe once as a practice, it might not be super successful but there will be incredible memories.
Finally, if you do not fall into either of those, that is okay. You don’t have to be super outdoorsy to elope outdoors. You don’t even have to elope outdoors. Your favorite activity to do together might be more simple, but still just as special. Do you love to cook together? Go grocery shopping for your wedding night meal and cook! Did you meet at a coffee shop and still are obsessed with coffee? Go grab a cup and walk around downtown together. The ideas are honestly endless. Many couples who are not super adventurous might not think they have an activity. But everyone does!
Here are some ideas of new things to try, or maybe it is something you already do together:
- Climbing
- Horseback Riding
- Off-Roading
- Kayaking
- Hiking
- Swimming
(See more from this elopement here.)
Pop Champagne
A lot of people pop champagne at their wedding or elopement. It is still a fun thing to do, and the outcome is always unique! If you are eloping outdoors and plan to pop champagne, make sure to be mindful of your surroundings and follow Leave No Trace principles.
- You always want to make sure that someone keeps an eye on where the cork goes, never leave it behind!
- Make sure you are allowed to have alcohol at the location.
- Choose a spot that is not in the woods where it will land on plants or an area popular for wildlife. This often will mean doing it in a parking lot, but champagne pops are not the most glamorous photos anyway.
- Consider popping sparkling water instead if you are unsure of the above. Then open the champagne to drink, more for you anyway!
- If possible, purchase your bottle in the same area that you will be popping it. Especially with the high elevations here in New Mexico, they can explode!
Another option that is similar to popping champagne would be to shotgun beers! This can also be messy, so be sure to follow the above suggestions to avoid harming vegetation and wildlife!
(See more from this elopement here.)
Cut A Cake
You may be thinking to yourself, well that is not very unique, everyone cuts a cake at their wedding. That is not true for elopements! Cakes are often not on the top of a couples priority list, or even possible when eloping outdoors. But, if cutting a cake is what you want to do then do it! If the location for your portraits and ceremony is a rough drive or a long hike, consider doing the cake part somewhere else. Driving with a cake is not fun, so the less bumps the better. After all the adventure is done, you could find a cute spot to have your cake towards the end of your day. There will be happy stomachs and probably a lot of giggles.
(See more from this elopement here.)
These unique ideas for your elopement must have sparked and idea in your head! I believe that every couple has a unique love. Even if you think you are not super adventurous or outdoorsy, that is a part of what makes your love unique. If you can do something during your elopement to showcase your unique love, I say go for it. Even if it seems way to out there or even “overdone”, if it is you then do it! Your elopement day has no boundaries and you are allowed to do literally whatever you want!
I would love to hear below about the most unique or memorable thing you did on your elopement day! Even if it wasn’t planned, it was meant to be a part of your day.
Happy eloping!
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