Intimate weddings or elopements: 7 Tips to organize them.

Due to Covid restrictions, intimate weddings or elopements have become very fashionable lately.

In recent years and above all, last summer, I have been lucky enough to be able to photograph several intimate weddings, including this intimate wedding in Asturias that you can see here and this intimate wedding or elopement in Menorca that you can see here. So it occurred to me that I could tell you about my experience and thus help you organize your intimate wedding.

I am going to talk about the two types of intimate weddings that I have photographed: Today I will talk about intimate weddings in Nature or elopements and next week about an intimate wedding in a rural house or private estate.

Intimate weddings in Nature or elopements.

For this type of intimate wedding, less organization is needed, since normally there are usually a maximum of 10 people and both the ceremony and the lunch or dinner do not require much complication.

I’m going to tell you a little about what things to keep in mind when organizing it.

1. Location

For this type of weddings the priority is the place. Normally, you are looking for a place with spectacular views and that is not very difficult to access so that guests can get there easily.

In the case of Cristina and Nathan’s intimate wedding or elopement in Menorca, we chose one of the most touristic places in Menorca: Pont d’en Gil, with its wonderful rock bridge in the background. Access to the ceremony site is fairly straightforward and the 8 guests did not have much of a problem arriving.

Intimate wedding in menorca pont den gil

At Bea and Gerardo’s intimate wedding in Asturias, we chose a cliff in the LLanes area with spectacular views and although it was perhaps a bit far from where we left the car, the walk was well worth it.

In both cases I helped them find the place since I know a lot of places that can perfectly fit with an intimate wedding. So if you are thinking of getting married this way, don’t hesitate to ask me places.

2. Schedule

The best time to do the ceremony is between 90 and 30 minutes before sunset if the weather is good; and at any time if it is cloudy.

Normally the ceremonies are usually short and last between 10 and 20 minutes, so afterwards it leaves us time to do a portrait session in the same place of the ceremony.

It is important to try to meet the schedules because we can run out of power. In the intimate wedding or elopement in Menorca, Cristina and Natahn were delayed and we had to start the ceremony half an hour late, which caused us to lose power almost at the end of the ceremony. Thanks to the fact that we had done the couple’s session that same day at dawn because otherwise we would not have had couple photos.

3. Ceremony

We can choose to have an officiant or not. In my case, all the intimate weddings in Nature that I have photographed have been symbolic and without an officiant. In them the bride and groom read some emotional vows and their guests also said a few words about them. And usually the emotion is so high that tears always end up appearing.

At the intimate wedding or elopement in Menorca, the symbolic ceremony consisted of each guest reading a few words to the bride and groom and tying their hands with ropes as a symbol of union. When each guest had put their rope Cristina and Nathaniel their vows were read and their love sealed, with the exchange of rings and a kiss. You can see the complete wedding here

4. Decor

In the intimate weddings of this type that I have photographed in recent years, no decoration was put on, no flowers, or bows.

Normally people who choose to have an intimate or elopement wedding seek to connect with Nature and have such a beautiful natural setting around them that they do not need any type of adornment.

In addition, moving decoration to a place in the middle of Nature is usually quite complicated and makes organization quite difficult.

5. Clothes and shoes

Usually intimate weddings have very informal ceremonies, so the clothes are usually in keeping with this. You normally wear a wedding dress, but it is usually very simple and it fits the chosen place, it also makes it easy for you to move around. As for footwear, he usually opts for shoes with very wide heels or platforms since the terrain is not usually very comfortable for walking.

The groom can choose not to wear a jacket or tie, this depends a bit on the place you choose to get married. In the two intimate weddings that I have shown you on the blog, Gerardo chose to wear a tie and Nathan did not, so it goes a bit in your choice.

As for footwear, think about comfort, since you will have to walk on dirt or rock paths and if you do not wear suitable footwear it will not be easy.

6. Guests

They are always usually less than 10 and very close, so it is very important to explain the type of weddings you are going to do and tell them that you want them to participate in it.

As doing an intimate wedding or an elopement is a relatively new thing, it is best to show them one like this or this and explain how they can be part of it.

It is also convenient to tell them that they adapt their clothes and footwear to the type of terrain in which you will do the wedding, since more than once I have seen people with high heels in the middle of a cliff and I think it is not the most appropriate .

7. Lunch or dinner

Normally, at least in the weddings that I have shot, they look for a nearby restaurant where they can celebrate the celebratory dinner.

As there are few people, any restaurant can host the celebration, so organizing this is very simple.

I have also seen an intimate wedding triggered by a partner in which they themselves order food from a caterer and eat together at the ceremony site or somewhere nearby, but this already complicates the organization of course.