Are you looking for an intimate wedding or elopement photographer to document your special day? If so, then you have come to the right place! At Lonely Hunter we love photographing intimate weddings and elopements! That’s because we find that compared to a traditional wedding, elopements can often involve a little adventure, they are much more relaxed, the focus is more so on the couple and their love rather than everyone else and they usually occur in some pretty epic locations! Because of our passion for photographing elopements and intimate weddings, we have tailored a range of packages specifically for them. So, if you would like to get a copy of our elopement packages then you can either fill out the form at the bottom of this page or submit an enquiry via our contact page.

If you are still unsure if an elopement is the right option for you, I decided to include some additional information below which highlights why I think elopements are one of the best ways to get married. Please keep in mind that these are just some of my personal thoughts and opinions.

Why You Should Plan An Elopement!

1. You Want To Get Married During A Pandemic

In the present day, I am constantly receiving requests from my couples who have planned a traditional wedding who either need to postpone or cancel. Whether it’s because their family is based overseas, interstate or because the government has tightened restrictions again. Unfortunately, Covid-19 is having a very serious and unwanted impact on traditional weddings. The fact that traditional weddings require more lead time and planning to organise doesn’t help the situation either. It basically means your planning a wedding and crossing your fingers that nothing goes wrong in the lead up to your special day! That’s a pretty big gamble when it comes to a global pandemic! Elopements on the other hand, well there is far less chance of this happening. That’s because they usually involve fewer people (usually 20 and under), they are mostly held outside where everyone can social distance and any planned dinners can be more easily managed. The time it takes to plan and organise an elopement can also happen in a relatively short period as there is less to organise and you don’t need to give 100+ people months of notice so they can attend. As an elopement photographer, I believe elopements are one of the best ways to get married, however, they make even more sense if you’re trying to get married during the pandemic!

2. It’s About You

When it comes to planning your wedding, it’s important to acknowledge what aligns with your core values. Don’t just do something because it’s tradition or because someone said there is only one way of doing it. Figure out what’s most important to you. After all, this special day is about you, your partner, the love you share and the experience that you both would like to have. Elopements give you the opportunity to focus that rather than having to worry about everyone else – are they having a good time, are they entertained, is there enough food and drink etc. This almost instantly reduces stress and removes many of distractions that would normally come along with a traditional wedding.

3. You Want An Experience

Sure one could argue that a traditional wedding does give you an experience but is this an experience of tradition or one that you actually want? When you plan an elopement, the experience that you decide to create will be unique to you, usually something you always wanted to do. Because elopements can be a little more budget-friendly to plan, you may have a little more room to move when it comes to enhancing that experience. Whether that’s by upgrading the location you choose to say your vows, the transport you use to get there, the accommodation in which you stay or any additional activities you would like to do on the day for example. But just because some couples decided to rent a helicopter, take their immediate family, their elopement photographer and get married on top of a mountain doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do the same thing. Regardless of how big or small you would like your elopement to be, there are no traditions here, this is simply an experience that you would like to have on your wedding day.

4. You Want An Intimate Wedding

Large traditional weddings can be lots of fun! You have all your friends and family in one place at one time. But have you ever thought about how much time you would need to have a meaningful conversation with each of these people if for example there were 100 guests in attendance? Don’t forget to also take into consideration all the other traditional events that take place at a wedding like this – portrait photos, speeches, dinner, cake cutting, first dance etc. It would be quite a challenge! Because elopements usually just include your nearest and dearest, it gives you more opportunity to engage and creating lasting memories with those that mean the most to you. If the only downside to planning an elopement is because you want to celebrate the occasion with all your friends, then why not throw one hell of a party at a later date?

5. You Will Get Amazing Photos From Your Elopement Photographer

Whether you choose to elope or not, I’m sure you will get some amazing photos on your wedding day but here are a few reasons why elopement photos can have the upper hand. When it comes to planning elopements, most couples look for a place that is a little unique or out of the ordinary. Usually, this is somewhere pretty special, a location where you wouldn’t normally expect to see a wedding being held. As you can imagine, having a beautiful backdrop definitely improves the quality of any photos. Another reason why these photos always look amazing, is because of the time of day in which they are taken. As an elopement photographer, I always recommend that when planning an elopement you aim to hold both your ceremony and portrait photos within the last couple of hours before sunset. Planning an elopement this way is usually relatively easy to do as there aren’t as many time constraints involved compared to a traditional wedding. So as a result, having your photos taken during these times will directly contribute to better-looking photos as the light will be softer and more flattering.

I hope the information listed above has helped you to decide whether or not an elopement is right for you. If you have any questions or would like some more information regarding our elopement packages then please submit an enquiry and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Alternatively if you would like to view some of my work (real weddings), that can be done HERE.