I’m gonna be honest: it’s highly likely that at some point, you’ve experienced at least one of the following thoughts about elopements. In fact, I’d put money down that there’s at least two that will resonate. Here are the most common elopement objections I’ve encountered from couples like you and my thoughts about them.

Elopement Concern #1

“Why would I want the entire day photographed? What’s the point?”

Your wedding day is full of excitement, adrenaline, nervousness — and it only happens once. Because of those things, it’s extremely common for people to look back and remember it as a blur. Wouldn’t you like to have evidence of every last moment of that sacred day frozen in time to immerse yourself in once your memory fades?

Elopement Concern #2

“Even if I did want more than a couple hours of my elopement day documented… how would I fill the time?”

There are pretty limitless ideas and options. A few include (but are not nearly limited to): going on a hike, enjoying a meal served by a private chef, hot tubbing, watching the sunrise/sunset, riding in a hot air balloon, writing letters to read on your anniversary, off-roading to an epic vista, taking a bath together, toasting marshmallows over a fire — you get the idea!

Elopement Concern #3

“It seems weird to have photos taken of small things like getting ready or having lunch with my partner. I don’t know why I would want those images.”

Wouldn’t you like to be able to see what your partner was experiencing while you got ready separately? Or have photos of them reaching for your hand across the table as you recharge between activities in that just-so way that always makes you feel better? 

Elopement Concern #4

“If the weather turns, what are we supposed to do? Hanging out inside isn’t that cute or photo-worthy.”

Sounds like you haven’t been photographed by me yet. I have a solid skill set of working with the dullest interiors to make them pop, and even having some fun along the way. 😉

Elopement Concern #5

“I don’t get what the point of having multiple hours of coverage is without any guests.”

I want you to know: wedding days are worthy of being documented whether or not they’re witnessed by other people. Your experience (on your wedding day) is worth documenting for you to look back on in 1, 5, and 20+ years, whether or not you had anyone in attendance. 

If I’m being honest, I know where most of these thoughts are coming from.

People want to feel like they’re getting the most ‘bang for their buck’ when they hire a photographer; they want every minute of coverage to count, and they don’t want to waste those precious minutes on the smaller in-between moments and activities.

All of that certainly doesn’t help that we live in a time of nonstop social media, where we often find ourselves trapped in a subconscious death spiral of comparisonitis. We see the epic and jaw-dropping wedding photos on Instagram and Pinterest, and we think, “I want that too.”

The problem happens when we see stunner after stunner of photos in our feed, because the sheer volume of that many A+ photos makes us think that creating them is quick and easy.

We get inadvertently stuck in this perception that 1, or even 2 minutes of time = 1 epic photo. By that logic, many couples think, “Okay, we can crank out a full gallery of the epic photos my partner and I want in less than three hours! Who needs all day coverage?”

What if I told you that the formula is a lot closer to 30 minutes per epic photo? That behind each A+ photo racking up a thousand likes is two dozen other ones that didn’t make the cut?

In no way can I show up to your elopement day, immediately put my camera in your face, and create those banger IG scroll-stoppers you’re craving.

You ditched the big traditional wedding so you wouldn’t feel rushed and stressed, so don’t allow those feelings to creep into your elopement day either. Give yourself lots of extra cushion in your day for transitions, spontaneous adventure, and for if you end up running a bit behind at some point (which happens on almost all of my elopement days, no matter how well we plan the day’s timeline).

Worst case scenario? You end up with extra time to spend soaking up a gorgeous view (which very well may be your partner’s face 😉).