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If you’ve never planned an elopement before (which, chances are, you haven’t), then how the heck are you supposed to know how to plan your elopement timeline? Once you get engaged, you’re basically just thrown right into the planning process without a clue of where to start, how to do it, or what your day is even supposed to look like.

Now, a quick note on that before we continue – your day isn’t “supposed” to look like anything. There are no rules, and there’s no right or wrong. As long as your elopement looks how you want it to look and feels authentic to your unique story, then it’s’ exactly what it’s supposed to be. 

Back to the main purpose of this blog post: helping you plan your perfect, stress-free elopement day timeline! This can be incredibly difficult to do without any help, so I’ve put together this guide to answer all of your questions, tell you exactly what elements to consider adding to your timeline, and give you 10 of my best tips for a smooth day. I’ve even included a couple of sample elopement timelines at the end, because I know that seeing a real, visual example can make it easier for you to get started. Let’s dive in!

Elopement Timeline 101

First, I wanted to answer a few basic questions about elopement day timelines that I’ve heard couples ask, or that I saw pop up on Google quite a bit.

What is an elopement day timeline?

If you’re not even sure what an elopement day timeline is, don’t worry! It’s just an itinerary of what your day is going to look like. Creating a timeline in advance is crucial for any kind of elopement or wedding, and ensures that the two of you, your guests (if any), and all of your vendors know what’s going on – especially your vendors, since they need to know where to be & when! Having a timeline set ahead of time also gives your day a structure, whether you really want to stick to that strict timeline or you just want to create a loose plan to flow with. It’ll take away a lot of stress the day of!

How do you create an elopement timeline?

Well, there are a few ways to go about creating your elopement timeline: you can put it together on your own based on what you want to include in your day, you can get help from your vendors/a planner, you can ask married friends for tips, or you can even download a pre-made one online to start with. I’ll get a bit more into this later in this guide, but basically, I recommend starting by choosing your ideal ceremony time + planning activities you want to do, and creating the rest of your timeline around those major elements!

How long should an elopement ceremony be?

There’s really no right answer to this one, as much as it would make it easier for you! I’ve seen elopement ceremonies last anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes (or even more), depending on elements like:

  • The number of guests present that need to get settled in
  • Reciting traditional vows or writing personalized vows
  • Unity ceremonies
  • Cultural ceremonies/rituals
  • Other special elements like a song, prayer, or words from loved ones

It’s totally up to you and how important it is to you to include extra elements in your ceremony! If you want to keep your ceremony short, but you still want to write long, gushy personal vows to each other, you can always recite the traditional vows during the ceremony, and find a private moment earlier/later in the day to exchange your personal vows.

The Main Elements of an Elopement Day Timeline

Now, let’s talk about the main elements of an elopement timeline that you should consider when planning yours! These may not all be applicable to you, especially if you’re having a private elopement with no guests – but I wanted to include them all just in case they make sense for your day.

Getting ready

The first part of your elopement timeline will obviously be a dedicated amount of time for the two of you to get ready! Every couple does this differently: some get ready with their closest loved ones, some get ready together & some do it separately, some spend 30 minutes getting ready and others spend 2 hours. It’s completely up to you and how long you realistically think it’ll take you, as well as if you’ll need to drive to your next location after getting ready, or if you’re getting ready on-site.

First look

Once you’ve decided whether you want to have a first look, or you want to see each other for the first time at the ceremony, figure out how that will impact your elopement timeline! Typically when couples do a first look together, there will be an extra 15-45 minutes added before their ceremony for the first look & couples portraits, as well as any time they want for a private vow exchange, gift exchange, etc. You’ll either have to push your ceremony back, or start getting ready earlier so you have time for the first look before your planned ceremony time.

Ceremony time

Your ceremony time is probably the most important part of your elopement day timeline, as it affects everything else you do! If you have a morning ceremony, you’ll have pretty much the rest of the day to celebrate, whereas if you have an evening ceremony, you’ll be spending the earlier part of the day with your guests.

When deciding on your Ceremony time, you will want to consider the location you’ve picked for your ceremony, and what the lighting will be like (ask your photographer!).

Activities

Next, it’s important to factor in time for any activities you’ll be doing on your elopement day, such as hiking, having a picnic, going kayaking, or having s’mores around a campfire. Make sure you have plenty of time set aside for each one in case you run into any unexpected traffic, weather, etc. so that you can fully enjoy everything, without having to worry about “being done in time!”

Evening festivities

The evening of your elopement can look however the heck you want it to: you could go straight back to your Airbnb for some alone time together, invite your guests to join you for an evening under the stars or a dinner with a beautiful tablescape, go out on the town and hit up a local bar, plan an sunset gathering on the beach with bonfires.. the options are endless! Unlike more traditional weddings, you don’t need to follow the usual post-ceremony schedule (family portraits > cocktail hour > grand entrance > dinner > reception games > first dances > dance floor > sendoff).

Meals

It’s SO easy to forget to eat on your elopement day when you’re paying attention to your guests, the scenery around you, etc. – so make sure you add dedicated meal/snack times into your timeline! This could look like a 15-minute break at the top of your hike, or 2 dedicated hours for you & your guests to enjoy a meal back at your Airbnb. 

Portraits

Make sure to add time for portraits into your elopement day timeline, both for the two of you & for you and your guests (if you’re having any)! This could be a quick portrait session at the top of your hike, and then one back at your Airbnb, one at sunrise and one at sunset, or just a quick portrait sesh after your ceremony if you’re more focused on getting to spend time with your guests or experiencing an activity together.

Guest arrival/departure times

If you’re inviting guests, make sure everybody knows when to arrive, and that it’s included in your timeline. This way, you can make sure everything is set up by the time they get there, and that all your vendors know when to be out of the way! If you need to be out of a venue or rental space by a certain time, then you also need to plan what time your guests need to be out by. This is also important if you want to do any sort of special sendoff or exit while they’re still there! Obviously, if you’re celebrating in an Airbnb that you rented, or outdoors, then you probably won’t need to kick people out at a certain time (unless you want to!), but there may be certain noise rules in the area that you need to be respectful of once it gets later in the night. 

Setup/cleanup

If you have any sort of decor, tablescapes, floral arrangements, arbors, etc., don’t forget to plan for setup and cleanup time. Whether you’re setting it up on your own, a friend is doing it for you, or you hired a vendor to take care of it, everything is going to have to be set up & taken down at some point, especially if you’re at any sort of venue space that requires you to be out at a certain time!

8 Elopement Timeline Tips for A Stress-Free Day

It’s time to give you my top 8 elopement timeline tips, based on the many elopements and weddings I’ve photographed + the many couples I’ve helped plan timelines for their big day! I hope these tips help you have the most smooth, stress-free day possible, because you deserve just that. 

1. Keep it simple

First and foremost: keep it as simple as you can. It is SO easy to get super excited and overthink your timeline, and suddenly you’ve planned out every single part of the day down to the minute. Creating a timeline IS super helpful in making sure your day has a little bit of structure, and you know what to expect, but you absolutely do not have to over-plan and know what’s going on every minute of the day! If you do this, it’ll most likely just lead to feelings of stress if you’re behind schedule at all, and the last thing you want to be doing on the most special day of your lives is rushing. You deserve to enjoy every single moment and be fully present, without worrying about what’s next, or stressing over being a little late!

2. Plan around your ceremony time

I’ve hinted at this a couple times now in this guide, but I really recommend picking your ceremony time & location, and planning the rest of your day around that – rather than planning certain parts of your day and just adding in your ceremony wherever it fits. Your ceremony is obviously one of the biggest parts of the day, so you want it to be as amazing as possible as far as lighting, weather, scenery, & timing goes! Eloping gives you total flexibility to arrange your day as you please, so absolutely take advantage of that. Plan your ceremony when the lighting won’t be too harsh, and when the scenery around you will be at its most beautiful – e.g. if you’re  having your ceremony in the mountains, it needs to take place a bit before the regular sunset time, since the sun will disappear faster over the high peaks.

3. Include buffer time

If you do NOTHING else on this list, include buffer time – and as much of it as possible!! Trust me when I say that your timeline will not go as planned, no matter what: there will always be something that comes up unexpectedly, and usually, things will take longer than you thought they would. That’s just how it is! So it’s best to create your timeline with that in mind by creating intentional buffer space throughout the day. This way, you can soak it all in and not feel rushed, even if things get a little behind.

4. Account for driving time

If you’ll be driving between different locations on your elopement day (e.g. between your Airbnb and your ceremony location, between your ceremony location and your dinner location, to an activity/excursion, etc.), don’t forget to account for travel time! Look up how long it’ll take to drive between each location, and add in extra time for traffic or unexpected road closures. I also recommend factoring in extra time if you have guests, since you’ll need to drive in multiple cars. It’s best to have plenty of travel time planned just in case.

5. Think about lighting

Mid day lighting is harsh – Pick shaded areas like forests or indoor activities, or embrace harsh light for an activity. Sunrise or Sunset are great for your most important moments of the day, like reading your vows and portraits.

6. Gather your details ahead of time

If you have any details you’d like photographed (such as stationery, rings & other jewelry, shoes, veil, perfume/cologne bottles, vow books, flowers, etc.), you’ll save your photographer a lot of time on the day-of if you gather them before they arrive! This way, they don’t have to go around trying to find everything in your Airbnb or asking around to see who has the rings – it’s all in one place once they get there, so they can get started right away. Trust me, they’ll appreciate it more than you know!

7. Be ready to go with the flow

You know that saying, “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst”? That’s exactly what you should do when it comes to planning your elopement! As much as we’d all love to think that the day will go perfectly, without a hitch, it’s just not realistic. Something will go wrong, somebody will be late, some road will be closed, or there will be unexpected rain – it’s inevitable. If you can get into a headspace where you’re ready to just go with the flow, you’ll be much more prepared to embrace whatever comes your way, instead of letting it ruin the day! I recommend having backup locations in place, as well as noting backup options/potential adjustments in your timeline in case something happens that would affect the timing of the day.

8. Turn to the pros

Last but not least, I always recommend asking your vendors for help. They’ve planned WAY more elopements & weddings than you, and have plenty of firsthand experience, so you can absolutely put your trust in them to help you plan what’s best for your big day! If you don’t have a planner or coordinator, your photographer will often help you create your timeline (I always help my couples with this!) and ensure that you’re set up for the best, easiest day possible.

Sample Elopement Day Timelines

Before I send you off to plan your perfect elopement timeline, I wanted to give you a few examples of what your timeline could look like. Of course, your timeline will be completely unique, and not everything in these samples may make sense for/apply to your elopement! Hopefully, though, they’ll give you an idea of where you can start, and how long certain parts of the day might take.

4-Hour Elopement Timeline

4:30pm – Getting Ready (final details) + First Look

5:45pm – Drive to Ceremony Location (10 min drive)

6:15pm – Ceremony

7:00pm – Portraits with guests

7:30pm – Picnic on the Beach

8:00pm – Sunset Portraits

8:30pm – Head back to Airbnb

6-Hour Elopement Timeline

3:30pm – Get ready at Airbnb

5:00pm – Drive to a nearby coastal viewpoint for first look (15 min drive)

5:30pm – First look & portraits

6:00pm – Drive to ceremony location

6:30pm – Golden hour ceremony on the beach

7:00pm – Portraits with guests

7:30pm – Champagne pop & sunset portraits 

8:30pm – S’mores on the beach, under the stars

9:30pm – Head back to Airbnb

10-Hour Elopement Timeline

11:00am – Cook brunch together & enjoy coffee on the porch

12:30pm – Get ready together in Airbnb

2:00pm – Drive to the beach (10 min drive)

2:30pm – Couples portraits on the beach

3:30pm – Drive to ceremony spot in the forest (15 min drive)

4:00pm – Private ceremony in the Redwoods

4:30pm – 2-mile hike to viewpoint

5:30pm – Couples portraits at viewpoint

6:00pm – Head back to trailhead to meet guests

7:00pm – Drive back to Airbnb for the evening (20 min drive)

7:40pm – Dinner in the garden w/ decorated tablescape

9:00pm – Games & drinks around the campfire

2-Day Elopement Timeline

Guests arrive at luxury glamping resort the night before, everybody stays on-site together

DAY 1: With guests

9:00am – Welcome brunch with guests

12:00pm – Get ready in separate spaces

2:00pm – First look outside under the trees

2:15pm – Private vow exchange & couples portraits

3:00pm – Pre-ceremony outdoor cocktail hour with snacks, drinks, & games

5:00pm – Ceremony in the forest

5:45pm – Elegant picnic dinner

7:00pm – Campfire and Chill Hang out time with your guests

DAY 2: Without guests

10:00am – Quick breakfast together in town

10:30am – Head to trailhead (40 min drive)

11:30am – Start 3-mile hike up the mountain

1:30pm – Portraits & picnic at the top

2:30pm – Head back down the mountain

4:00pm – Drive to back to Resort (40 min drive)

5:00pm – Rest + light meal

6:00pm – Put elopement attire back on & head to beach (40 min drive)

7:30pm – Golden hour dessert charcuterie boards on the beach

8:30pm – Sunset portraits at the beach

9:30pm – Head back to resort for the night

And there you have it, friend – absolutely all of my best elopement timeline tips & advice for planning a smooth and stress-free elopement day. I hope you feel prepared to tackle your timeline now, and to embrace the day & be present no matter how “behind schedule” you may get!

Want more helpful elopement resources like this one? Check out my most recent guides below!

How to Plan an Epic Micro Wedding in Northern California

How to Plan an Epic Airbnb Wedding or Elopement in California

How to Elope at California’s Stunning Timber Cove Resort

Wedding Weekend at AutoCamp Joshua Tree

How to Plan a Stress – Free Elopement Day Timeline

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