Covid Love-Riverside Elopement Inspiration

Covid-19 has given engaged couples and wedding vendors the ride of their lives in 2020. Weddings have been postponed, rescheduled and cancelled. Couples have gotten creative with their seating arrangements and reception activities. Venues and vendors have adjusted their policies and relearned how to provide couples with a beautiful, and safe, event.

For the first half of the year, we were in panic mode. Scrambling to make changes or adjustments to our plans and wondering how in the world we could possibly pull it off. Although this pandemic is far from over, the dust from our panic mode is starting to settle. We’re learning what works and what doesn’t. The wedding industry is full of creative individuals and we are adapting! One thing is for sure, planning a wedding won’t ever look the same again, and I think that’s actually a good thing!

What does this mean for engaged couples? There is more freedom than ever to let go of what a wedding is “supposed” to look like and focus on what it means for YOU as a couple. More and more couples are thinking about micro-weddings and elopements and even though I’m an extrovert who loves a good dance party, I too am falling in love with the intimacy of these smaller events!

Feeling inspired by elopements (and needing a good creative outlet after a few months empty of weddings) I teamed up with my good friend Mikelle Larson of Fersk Floral Artistry and a few vendors from Eau Claire, WI to do an elopement inspired styled-shoot. (To keep our vendor team small and safe, I got to double as a model with my handsome husband!)

Read on for some elopement inspiration and five reasons why smaller weddings can be an excellent option for couples, Covid-times and beyond!

Location, Location, Location!

When your wedding consists of just you and your spouse-to-be, the sky’s the limit on your wedding location! In the mountains, at your family cabin, by the side of a river, wherever it may be, find a place you love that means something to you. This is a chance to let your adventurous side win and to get some amazing photos. For this shoot, we set up a ceremony and reception site at Big Falls County Park near Eau Claire, WI. Climbing through brush and stepping on reeds to get here was worth it for the view!

Throw that timeline out the window!

As a Type A personality, I LOVE a good timeline. It’s what makes me a great wedding coordinator. With a large wedding, it is so essential to have a timeline so that you can keep yourself, your wedding party, your vendors and guests where they need to be at the right time. With an elopement or small wedding, there is so much more flexibility to go with the flow! Get married at sunset, or even at sunrise. Surprise rain shower getting in the way of your outdoor ceremony? Without guests to worry about, you can relax and wait out the storm. I loved that we did this shoot in the evening so we could make that most of that beautiful golden hour before the sun set.

Splurge on flowers

Over 50% of a typical wedding budget goes towards venue and catering. That’s because feeding and seating hundreds of people is expensive! When you take your guests out of the equation, you can allow yourself to splurge in other areas, such as a killer photographer or florist. Without bridesmaids bouquets (and way too many boutonnieres), you can focus on a stellar bridal bouquet. Or how about the amazing florals used for this ceremony backdrop?! Fun fact about this shoot? Our clever and creative florist was able to pull in wildflowers straight from the riverside to add in to her arrangements last minute! It is ALWAYS worth it to pay your florist to stay and set up.

Wear what makes you feel beautiful (and comfortable)

Big ballgowns not your thing? I love that fact that elopements can be as casual or elegant as you want them to be! (And your groom will seriously appreciate not having to wear a heavy suit coat if it’s an especially hot day)

Focus on your person

There is a special kind of intimacy that you get in an elopement or even in a micro-wedding. Think of it as the best date you’ve ever had. Everything from the location, to your wardrobe to even your food can be tailored to the places and things you and your spouse-to-be love best. You get to spend the day enjoying each other instead of worrying about everyone else who is there. My husband and I did the big wedding. Our wedding party was almost 20 people and we had around 200 guests. Modeling in this styled shoot convinced us that if we were to do it all over again, an elopement would be the way we’d go!