Elope Victoria Australia
Your Complete Guide to Eloping in Victoria, Australia
As far as weddings go, nothing quite says intimate and adventurous as eloping. Eloping in Australia offers beauty, freedom, and space to create something perfectly unique and authentic. A meaningful celebration with the focus on you two. It doesn’t mean just running off to get married. Quite the opposite is true! Elopements are very intentional wedding celebrations that are uniquely planned and created to each couple.
From a photographer’s point of view, eloping offers ideal conditions for stunning wedding coverage. Instead of a traditional (and often, hugely expensive) wedding, more and more couples are now choosing to exchange their vows privately. Large weddings can be very stressful and tiring for the couple. In addition, many couples feel the day is not as unique as they would like it to be. During a traditional wedding day most couples end up spending most of the day with someone else than their partner. Couples wanting to elope in Victoria are spoiled for choice with some truly amazing locations. Victoria’s rugged coastlines, vineyards, forests, dramatic cliffs and lakes all make stunning backdrops for intimate elopement ceremonies.
This is my guide to you so you know can you elope in Australia, how to elope in Australia, how much does eloping cost and so much more.
THE OPTIONS ARE LIMITLESS!
How to Choose the Perfect Location for Elopement Weddings?
Pick a location that speaks to you! Some of the very first decisions you want to tackle when planning an elopement in Victoria is choosing your dream location. Think about you two as a couple. Do you have any bucket list locations? Do you like the rugged Great Ocean Road, lush and romantic Yarra Valley, or the Dandenong Ranges? Do you like the sound of the waves, or do you want to hike up to a mountain to say your vows in the most perfect golden light? Choose a location that matches your personality and interests.
As you are picking a location consider also the time of the year and what activities you would like to do. The time of the year doesn’t just affect the outside temperature. It will also dictate how crowded different locations might be, and how much daylight is available. In general, Spring and Autumn are the most popular seasons to get married as the weather is milder.
My top 10 favourite Victorian Elopement Locations:
How long is an elopement?
Each elopement is different, and elopements can be just a few hours, or even a few days long. It is completely up to you!
What to include in an elopement ceremony?
When you elope you can pick and choose experiences and components of weddings that you love. You can exchange your vows without feeling nervous about hundreds of people watching you so tell your partner exactly what you want to say. You can exchange rings, have a first dance, first kisses. If you play an instrument you could even perform a song for your love!
Can you elope in Australia?
YES! But, your elopement doesn’t have to be legally binding if you don’t want it to be. A lot of couples don’t want to stress about paperwork on the day of their elopement adventure. Instead they have their day exactly as they want it, without signing papers, and having a celebrant. You can always deal with all the legalities at another time. That said, if you want your elopement to be legally binding, it can totally be that. In Victoria, there are some guidelines that need to be followed but your marriage celebrant can walk you through all the necessary details. For example, both partners need to have signed a Notice of Intended Marriage at least one month before the elopement. But again, your registered celebrant will submit all the paperwork for you.
How to Capture Elopements?
Not having the rules and strict timelines of a traditional wedding can also be confusing. This is where your elopement photographer can help you. Elopement photography is hugely important as hiring a professional photographer might be your only way to preserve every moment for the rest of your lives. Not only are these memories precious to you, but also to all your friends and family who will not be present at the ceremony. A professional photographer will be able to capture emotion, sweet, little details, the stunning landscape.
A photographer who is not only experienced, but also supportive will make you feel safe and understood during your wedding day. They will guide you through the process without the stress and the chaos of a big wedding day.
Hybrid photography that combines still photography and videography is a great way to get the best of both worlds without having to pay a separate wedding photographer and a wedding videographer. Eloping doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice when it comes to having awesome photos and video coverage.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ELOPE?
When trying to figure out how much it costs to elope in Victoria it mostly comes down to which vendors, experiences and activities you choose, and how many guests you invite. It is in general much cheaper than traditional weddings because you will save a whole heap of money in catering, and venue rental.
Can I invite guests to our elopement?
At Miss Moody Photography, elopements are generally celebrations with less than 20 guests. You can absolutely invite your closest friends and family, or, it could even be just the two of you. There are no rules about who you can invite to your elopements.
Here are Elopement Day Guest options:
Invite up to 20 guests from your family and friends
Invite only an officiant and two witnesses (to satisfy a legal requirement)
Invite no one & elope just the two of you (and the photographer, of course!)
Elopement Planning Checklist
HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER
You can do this step at a later date too, but the earlier you reach out to your dream photographer the better the chances that they are still available. I love working with my couples from early on. It absolutely kills me when I have to turn anyone away because I am already booked for their date so the earlier you reach out the better!
PICK A LOCATION
You could start with either a location or a date. Whatever is more important for you. Think of your vision for your elopement. Do you want your day to be relaxed or more adventurous? When researching different areas consider things like any necessary permits, accessibility and accommodation.
CHOOSE A DATE
Think about what you want. Gorgeous Autumn colours, warm summer day, snow? Do you want to elope on your anniversary? Whatever vibe you are after make sure to plan ahead. In winter you could enjoy hot springs and snow activities. In summer you could have your ceremony in a romantic vineyard or at the beach.
CONTACT OTHER WEDDING VENDORS
Now is the time to go nuts with florals, caterers, reach out to celebrants, wedding planners and so on!
FIND OUT ABOUT THE LOCAL LAWS
Depending on your elopement location you might need a special use permit. You’ll want to allow yourself enough time to check all the legal requirements with your celebrant. If you don’t yet have a celebrant you can also mention this to your photographer. Photographers are seasoned wedding professionals with plenty of networking under their belts so they might be able to point you in the right direction.
BUY OR RENT YOUR OUTFITS
You’ll want to be comfortable and be able to move around in. If you have picked a warm day something lightweight will keep you cooler. But even if the temperature drops, your elopement photographer will have plenty of little hacks to keep you warm, like wearing nude leggings under your dress!
PICK YOUR DETAILS
If the elopement includes just the two of you, you might want to include a personal detail from friends and family. This could include video recordings, notes and letters.
This will also mean including this like jewellery, shoes, drinks, food, blankets or any other details that let your personality shine through. Well-worn hiking boots will save you a lot of trouble!
MAKE A PLAN B (JUST IN CASE!)
Sometimes things don’t go as planned! Unfortunately, storms and rain are a part of life even in Victoria. Your plan B could just be bringing umbrellas, or choosing a more sheltered location.
LET’S DO IT! x
Eloping in Victoria is an opportunity too good to be missed. If you are an adventurous couple that does not want to settle for less, Victoria provides some of the most amazing landscapes in the world to have an unforgettable wedding adventure. If this is you, I would love to be a part of your love story! Let’s adventure together!