When planning your dream Port Douglas Elopement and intimate Palm Cove wedding, there are fewer details to worry about comparing to planning a bigger traditional wedding., which means less stress and more YOU time!! There are no rules, YOU can truly make your day any adventure you want it to be. But there are still a few essential things to consider when planning your Elopement in Cairns, Port Douglas, Palm Cove or the Tablelands.
Do not worry I compiled in this blog post a source of information on how to start your elopement and intimate wedding planning in Far North Queensland or anywhere else in the world for that matter. A starting point that you could use to get into brainstorming and have all the key points in one place. You can also use it if you just started planning your wedding destination too!!
Dream it big
Same as we any wedding planning start by brainstorming ideas to WHERE that magical spot is for YOU. And that's where Elopement will have an advantage over a bigger, traditional wedding, your ceremony's location can be anywhere you'll dream of, be it the edge of a cliff at the top of one our amazing waterfalls like Millaa Millaa, by the bed of a creek in the heart of our gorgeous tropical rainforest, all alone in the middle of the ocean on a breathtaking sand cay and the list goes on, the sky is your limit (for now).
Budget
According to a survey run by Bride to Be magazine, the average cost of a wedding in Australia is now $65,482. That’s a considerable difference from the $36,200 the government’s Moneysmart website quotes. Either way with an awesome elopement, you can expect to reduce it to almost half of that, depending on how BIG your dream is ;)
Your budget will mainly consist of photography/videography, travel, rings, flowers, hair & makeup, an officiant, food and your marriage license.
Planning
There is no strict time schedule on planning your elopement as you have the option to say YES on a weekday and I highly encourage you to do so. The planning process for couples that choose to elope with us varies from a few weeks up to 2 years. Of course, the more time you have, the better the chances are for availabilities of vendors, cheaper flights, and accommodations. Generally, somewhere between 6-10 months for your planning is the sweet spot.
Research
Now that you have the vision for your dream elopement it is time to deep into research and figuring out what’s possible. Bring your ideas to life and start looking up locations, the best time of the year for the weather, vendors, and logistics, as elopement photographer & guide this is generally where I help couples the most with their planning process.
Family & Friends
Do you want other people to be there or do you want it to be just the two of you? Intimate weddings are never been more popular than this year and it is really up to you to includes your closed one on the day. As long as you make sure to make the day about YOU, I'm sure your closest families and friends will be thrilled and honoured to be part of the celebration. Just make sure that your dream location can hold everyone. If they are not going to be physically present on your elopement day a great compromise that a lot of couples do is to throw an intimate dinner party or casual reception once they're back home.
Book it
Now things are getting real, it is time to check council permit for your location and date, start booking your accommodation, flights, and all the vendors to make your BIG day happen. All of this freedom to plan your dream day can feel a bit overwhelming, that's where having us help you to plan the whole day with our Elopement planning collection will bring your vision to life with NO STRESS!! We love to help couples to bring their ideas to life with our experience as wedding photographers, travel knowledge, location suggestions so please do not hesitate to ask!
On the day
Make sure you soak in every moment and enjoy the time spent together. Enjoy your relaxed timeline and don’t worry about how you look. Don’t stress about a thing, leave all the worries behind. If you have a great experience together, great photos and film will follow.
I really hope this list will help you with starting the planning of your dream elopement or intimate wedding in Far North Queensland, from Cairns to Port Douglas, Atherton Tablelands, Mission Beach, or Palm Cove. As a wedding photographer and videographer based in Cairns, I am always happy to help so do not hesitate to ask me any questions you may have HERE.