 Some questions I am sure you are asking yourself, Are there specific people we need to hire if you’re eloping? Do we need different vendors for elopements compared to traditional, larger weddings? How can we find these elopement vendors? Do we need to book these vendors as far in advance as as vendors for traditional weddings? It’s a lot, but not too much for you to handle. If you two haven’t thought about these questions before now, your head is probably spinning right now. Take a few deep breaths, and do not worry! It’s actually probably not harder than you are thinking! Keep reading for some tips and tricks for finding and choosing elopement vendors.   Your next question might be, do I need vendors with elopement experience? First thing to think about, what type of elopement are you planning on having? This will determine whether or not you need vendors with specific experience. The more remote and wild the wedding location, the more important I think it is to find vendors with outdoor and remote location experience. The most important thing, I think, is that your vendors get you and understand your vision.This will make a world of difference. The PhotographerIt’s incredibly important to only have people present on your elopement day who are fully on board with what you’re doing and who really “get it.” Choose an elopement photographer that has that adventures side. One that wont shy away from doing something that might sound a bit crazy. One that will think out of the box. One that has a great eye for location and backdrop. I think that is me :) Lets Chat! The Officiant There are different kinds of officiants. This can be someone who officiates for a living, or a friend or family member who gets ordained just to marry you two. Much like your photographer, your officiant should be someone who gets it. They are more or less a guide for your ceremony. You will want them to be able to get to your location. This is especially important if your elopement is located in a remote setting. Bill Judge is a great guy and great officiant. The Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist If you’re getting your hair and/or makeup professionally done, find a makeup artist that you vibe with and who knows how to apply makeup that lasts. You will need somebody that is either willing to meet you at a trail-head early and that can work out of the back of their car. Asking for a small travel pack for doing touch ups can also be a great idea. Find a hairstylist who can do the same. Who knows which hairstyles are best for windy weather and who knows that you need to stay comfortable and move around with everything falling out. You can also try to find on Makeup Artist and/or Hairstylist that can do both are willing to travel to wherever the elopement is taking place. I recommend that you look into Luna Salon and Spa. They are outstanding. The Wedding Planner Some times planning everything and coming up with timelines is a little too much. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. A wedding planner will be able to help take a lot of that stress off your shoulders. This wedding is about two people. You need to enjoy it! Let somebody else handle the stress. I personally recommend CK & Co. Wedding and Events.  How do we find elopement vendors? Wandering Weddings It’s not always as easy as finding elopement vendors as it is finding traditional wedding vendors. Hopefully, from what you have read above, you’ve gotten a better idea of the things you can look for or things that make for good elopement vendors. You may have to search through lists of different vendors and even meet with multiple ones. Facebook Wedding Buy & Sell or Advice groups can be a good resource for asking other which vendors they have used. You can also ask friends or family for recommendations. Most photographers will tag the other vendors who were involved in an elopement on their blog, so that’s a good place to look too. Wandering Weddings is also a great directory to look for elopement vendors. Do we need to book elopement vendors as far in advance as traditional vendors? Yes and no. If you really want to work with someone, and you know they’re “the one,” book them as soon as you possibly can. Even in the elopement world, vendors are starting to get booked out further than they were before. Especially with the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020. That being said, from what I’ve seen, you’ve got a wee bit more wiggle room. Most of my couples book me the same year, anywhere from 6-12 months out. I know that for more traditional weddings, I am being booked 1-2 years before their wedding date.  A More Complete List of Vendor Recommendations:
Are You Ready To Elope?
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