One of the most intimidating aspects of eloping is narrowing down where everything should take place. Since you don’t need a traditional wedding venue, you have the entire world to choose from! As amazing as this is, if your travel bucket list looks endless (like mine), then the overwhelm is real.

Here’s a step-by-step process that will help you narrow down your choices to the perfect spot to say your “I dos”!

1. Guests

First things first — if you’re inviting others, you’ll need to think of their needs as well as your own. You’ll need to consider how far everyone in your party can travel and if they’ll need special accommodations. Things to consider are travel distances, accessibility, and mobility needs. If you have a guest that may need accommodations, ask what they’re comfortable with – don’t assume.

Know that some locations provide better support than others. For instance, national parks have better ADA accommodations than national forests, and more developed countries will have better roads, travel conditions, and accommodations as well. Taking your party's needs into consideration when planning will help everyone have a more enjoyable and safer experience.

2. Travel

Do you have a preferred mode of transportation? How far are you and your guests willing to travel? Take into consideration seasonal road conditions and potential layovers.

The guidelines you set here will determine your travel radius, and while it may be limiting, remember that it’s also realistic and will be more enjoyable than pushing yourself to travel further than what’s ideal for you at this time.

3. Activities

What kind of activities are you hoping to partake in, either on your elopement day or within the same trip?

What activities am I talking about? Anything your heart desires! Since you won’t be catering to hundreds of guests, you’ll have so much more time to add fun things to your day. View this list of ideas for inspiration and don’t be afraid to go a little wild!

If you have an activity in mind, you can research the best locations for it, or see what each place you’re interested in seems to specialize in — you might be surprised at how easy it is to create an unforgettable day.

4. Optimal weather

This is something you’ve likely unconsciously thought about. When you imagine getting married, what weather would you ideally like?

It’s totally up to personal preference, and although the weather is never under our control, it’s possible to choose when to visit a place based on the usual seasonal weather. If you’re hoping to get married by a certain date, with certain weather, this will further narrow down the list of your ideal locations.

Be true to yourselves here — when do you want to be married and what would your ideal elopement weather be?

5. Cost

Of course, most couples work with a budget of some sort. The most desirable locations are often the most expensive. Check the cost of lodging and activities for the dates you hope to visit as the prices listed in searches are generally the lowest prices offered for the entire year. If your place of interest has high and low tourist seasons, the cost can be significantly different.

Whatever your budget is, consider booking during the off-and-shoulder seasons as well. Not only will costs be lower, but there are fewer crowds to compete with as well. Personally, the shoulder season is my favorite time to visit most destinations. You’ll get most, if not all, of the amenities, nice weather, and none of the crowds.

6. Top choices

By now you should have a better idea of your ideal elopement locations. Continue to narrow down your list by eliminating places that stoke less joy than others, are out of budget, or are seasonally inconvenient. Be realistic. You should be left with a handful of options that suits your needs perfectly.

7. Legality

Now you can begin looking into how to legally marry in other states, national parks, and countries. Each place has its own rules, but you can check here to start your research.

In contrast, you also have the option of keeping things as simple as possible and doing all your legal paperwork at home. In fact, most couples that elope abroad do this! You’ll still get to celebrate your anniversary whenever you’d like, so I think it’s a great way to take the pressure off having to do everything at once.

You don’t have to plan your elopement all on your own either. I’d love to help you continue your search for the perfect elopement location. Contact me to get started!