How to plan an elopement in Margaret River

Elopements are fun and relaxed - everything is stripped back and you can focus on what’s most important between the two of you. 

If you’re wondering how to plan an elopement, here’s some tips to make your sure your day is easy and stress free.

I’m happy to help with advice about ceremony locations, connecting you with wedding vendors you can trust and delivering amazing photos.

You might also want to check out our Wedding Planning Guide for some more tips that you might also find useful too.

So, what exactly is an elopement?

Elopements are small weddings. Quite often it’s just the couple and two witnesses, but it can be anything with up to 10-15 guests, because sometimes you’ll want to have some family and a few of your closest friends there too.

If you want to be true adventurous and just have the two of you at your ceremony, I am always honoured to act as one of your witnesses. Usually your celebrant can help organise another witness too.

Ceremony location

I like helping couples research and choose a spectacular ceremony location. 

There’s so many stunning spots around Margaret River, Yallingup and Dunsborough. The main options are the coast, forest or a private property. 

For coastal elopements, I tend to recommend the beaches around Dunsborough as there is more protection from the wind. On most summer afternoons the wind is howling from the south west, which is pretty uncomfortable on the beaches on the west coast. But beaches like Bunker Bay and Eagle Bay are calm and lovely, with long stretches of white sand and sublime turquoise water in summer.

Depending on the weather, Sugarloaf Rock is another amazing location with some of the most spectacular scenery for a coastal ceremony.

If you love trees, it’s hard to go past Boranup forest. There’s some secret clearings deep in the forest, with plenty of shade which is lovely on a warm summers day. Nearby are some of my favourite rock formations some photos at sunset too.

You can also have your ceremony at a property or holiday home - if it’s a huge property with a mix of fields and forests, you’ll have a lot of options for photo locations too. 

Have a late afternoon ceremony

As a general rule, plan for a late afternoon ceremony.

If photos are important to you, it works well to have a late afternoon ceremony, followed by some celebrations and then photos in the last hour of so of light. photographers guide to planning an elopement right?

And then you can head back to your accommodation or town for a celebration dinner.

Exact timings will depend on your location, sunset and your plans for your elopement – get in touch and I can help you out with some recommended times once I have an idea of your elopement plans.

Stay somewhere awesome

Get some ace accomodation close to where you want to married. It’s nice to not have to travel far on your wedding day. 

Sometimes a couple will want to get married at say, Boranup forest, but they’ll book accomodation in Dunsborough. Which is totally fine, but you’ll be spending a couple of hours driving to and from your ceremony, so that’s just something to have a think about. 

If you want some photos of your final preparations (I love shooting some portraits just before we leave for your ceremony) then a cool house - whether it’s modern and spacious, or quirky and cute - is awesome for photos.

Having great accommodation is super important if you are planning a winter elopement. If the weather is stormy it’s good to be staying somewhere that could potentially work for a back-up ceremony location.

Find a great celebrant + wedding vendors

A great celebrant is a must. Plus your celebrant will also help sort out any permits for you ceremony location too. I have a list of recommended celebrants here: Wedding Vendors We Recommend

You can also find a bunch of other wedding vendors listed there too – florists, DIY farm direct flowers, hair + make-up.

If you get in touch with anyone, say hi from me and they should be extra nice to you.

Consider doing something different

You might want to choose a really unique location – we can bounce some ideas around for some rad spots that are really out of the way – like a coastal cliff at the end of a 4WD track.

If you’re a bride, you don’t have to wear a white dress – in fact you don’t even have to wear a dress at all.

Or ditch the glam and go for something quirky, like tropical vibes for a summer elopement, or a quirky feel.

Generally we’ll go for a little walk here and there, maybe hop across a few rocks or down a forest track. So be cool with getting a little bit dirty. You can wear fancy shoes, but make sure it’s something you’re comfortable walking on uneven paths in.

Book a photographer you love

Because you are going to want to have some killer photos of your wedding day.

The excitement of your final preparations, your amazing ceremony, probably a few tears and definitely a heap of laughs. The two of you in some epic scenery and a collection of incredible photos.

And don’t worry about being nervous in front of the camera. Every couple I’ve ever photographed has mentioned they’re nervous about photos, and not really looking forward to it to having their photo taken. Afterwards everyone comments that it was easier and more fun than they could have imagined.

How much does elopement photography cost?

My elopement photography starts at $1600 for two hours of coverage – this includes your ceremony, candid shots with your guests, and a heap of amazing photos of the two of you.

Many couples include an extra hour of photos to include some of their final preparations and to have more time for extra location photos.

You can view my full pricing here (scroll down for Elopements)

Ready to take the next step?

Awesome!

I’m keen to hear more about your elopement plans and everything you’re excited about – let’s chat about your big day.