How to Elope in Southern California

So you’re at the point where you know you’d like to elope in Southern California with your partner, but you don’t know everything that goes into planning an elopement. That’s okay! I’m here to show you all of the steps you need to take to have a stress-free SoCal elopement. 

Step 1: Where do you want to elope in Southern California?

What do you envision when you picture your wedding day? There are definitely a few things you want to consider! Do you want to elope outdoors or indoors? If you’re choosing outdoors I always love the idea of eloping at a National Park. 

Another thing you’ll want to consider is your guest list (if you have one at all). If you’re planning for guests to attend your elopement, you’ll want to make sure whatever area is easily accessible for you wedding guests (especially grandma).

Step 2: Check out my blogs

I have tons of resources available to you in my other blogs! Yep, you can find everything you need to know in one place. Once you have an idea of where and how you’d like to elope, check out my location blogs! 

My location blogs go more in-depth about specific elopement locations and I truly have a little bit of something in those blogs for everyone. I’m more than confident you’ll be able to find an elopement location that is perfect for you both! 

Step 3: Budget

I know, I know, budget is the not so fun part of wedding planning, but unfortunately it’s also something that must be done!

I suggest sitting down with your partner, and figuring out a budget that works for you as a couple. After all, it is both of your big day! There is no right or wrong answer here. Once you’ve figured out a budget, the rest of the wedding planning can go smoothly. 

This way, you can stay within your budget, and figure out where you’d like your money to go. If your flowers are most important to you, you can choose to allocate more funds towards flowers. As I said, no wrong answers here. Do what feels right. 

Step 4: Research time!

When we talk about how to elope in Southern California, it’s really important to do your research. In this step, you’ll need to figure out what you’d like to include in your elopement. This induces how many hours of photo coverage you’ll need for your big day. 

Shorter coverage times range from a few hours, and longer coverage times can cover your entire day. It truly depends on how much of your day you are wanting documented. 

Step 5: Secure your photographer 

It’s my favorite part! Once you’ve reached this point in your planning, you’ll need a photographer (ahem, me!). You’ll need to have your photographer in order to start planning your other vendors. I think it’s super important to work with a photographer you feel comfortable around as a couple. Also, someone who can make you feel super natural in front of a camera! 

Step 6: Planning vendors in Southern California

Time to plan elopement vendors! This is a really fun part because you’ll get to pick the things that you’ll really love to include in your wedding. I suggest writing a list of all possible vendors and their pricing and narrowing down from there. 

If you need help in planning your southern California elopement, I am your gal! You can reach out to me here and we’ll get your date in the books!