How much does it cost to elope?

Ooft, it’s a big question, with a lot of factors to take into account. There’s really not one simple answer.

So, in this blog we’re going to break down all the costs of eloping and provide REALISTIC sample budgets, whether you’ve got $7k or $30k to work with.

We’ll also share some great ideas for killer locations, awesome activities and ways to make your day feel extra special. 

You most likely already know that eloping is typically waaaaaay cheaper than having a traditional wedding: according to The Knot, the average US wedding now costs a whopping $34,000 USD.

No doubt, one of the reasons you’re choosing to elope is because you can’t imagine spending that amount of money throwing a party for a hundred other people!

But having decided against the big wedding, you’re probably still asking yourselves: “How much does it really cost to elope and what can we actually do with X amount of money?”

We are going to break down elopement costs and share multiple inspiring, REALISTIC elopement budgets to help you envision what your dream day might look like. 

We’ve got no end of inspiring ideas for you!

We hope by the end of this, you’ve got a much better sense of what it costs to elope.

Elopement Cost FAQs

Let’s start with just a little FAQ.

This is a quick lowdown on the most commonly asked questions when people ask how much eloping costs.

You’ll find WAY more detail – and a ton of inspo pics – as you read through the whole blog.

How Much Does It Cost To Elope?

Let’s Set Some Parameters.

Here’s the truth…

You could, if you wanted to, elope for the cost of a wedding license and an Uber down to your local courthouse.

So, the basic answer to ‘how much does it cost to elope?’ is something like $100.

However, that’s not the kind of elopement we personally believe in. This is your wedding day just like anyone else’s and you deserve SO. MUCH. MORE.

We want to show you what a really epic, fulfilling elopement experience can look like. Days filled with love, adventure and celebration.

$7-10,000 USD would very much be at the lower end for a ‘normal’ wedding (remember, the average is $34, 000).

Of course, you can absolutely elope for less than $7, 000 – so please don’t worry if you don’t have a budget to match this – but we think that’s a super fair starting point to build out an INCREDIBLE elopement experience, so it’s what we’re going to use as our jumping off point in our sample budgets later on.

Some couples decide to go all out and invest $30,000 + in the absolute experience of a lifetime: flying to a far-flung destination or really spoiling their absolute closest family and friends.

$30,000 USD might seem like a whopping amount of money to spend on ‘just’ an elopement. 

But, why not?! 

If ‘normal’ couples are allowed – even expected – to do this for the ‘average’ traditional wedding, why shouldn’t eloping couples feel free to do the same? We can guarantee they’re going to get a LOT more bang for their buck if they do.

This would very much be at the ‘luxury’ end of the elopement budget scale, however: it is absolutely not necessary to spend this amount of money to have an epic elopement experience.

How much does it cost to elope?

Let’s breakdown Alllll the different costs of eloping.

Before we go into the nitty gritty details of how much it costs to elope and what you can do with your elopement funds, we want to take a general look at the kind of things you might need to pay for.

Below is a list of the things you might need or choose to spend money on for your elopement day and some points to consider for each.

Marriage License

This elopement cost is one of the few non-negotiables but fortunately it’s negligible (less than $50 USD typically). 

Don’t forget to consider your timing: is it important for you to get legally married on the day or are you happy to do the paperwork side of things before or after? Will you need to factor collecting your marriage license into your travel plans?

Wedding Permit

To be allowed to wed in a national park, for example, you will need to organise and pay for a ‘special use permit’ in advance. 

As part of our planning assistance, we will help you with this.

Every park is different but you can expect to pay $50-300 for this.

A wedding at Canyonlands National Park in Utah, for example, costs $185 for a ‘special use permit’. Pretty cheap for a wedding venue really!

Guests

It’s a common misconception that eloping means you can’t have any guests. 

Not true: you can absolutely invite a few family and friends if you want to! 

But when you’re determining how much it costs to elope just remember to factor this additional cost – food and drink, for example – into your budget. The more guests, the higher the cost!

Travel

Are you eloping super close to home or do you need to factor items like flights, accommodation and car hire into your budget?

Accommodation

Are you going to spend the night somewhere for your elopement? 

Turn it into a mini break, a multi-day adventure or even an elopement AND honeymoon combined? 

Do you want super fancy or are you going camping?!

Venue

Most of our couples are pretty happy with ‘the great outdoors’ as their venue! 

But maybe you want a cute AirBnB to get ready in, or perhaps you want to rent out a space at a local brewery to hold a little reception for friends and family?

If you’re bringing a larger group of guests (typically 20+ people), you must expect to pay for a small venue which will add many thousands onto your budget: you can’t take bigger groups out into nature responsibly without doing damage.

Food and drink

Do you want to organise a celebratory champagne toast (or some great craft beers if that’s more your thing!).

Is a cake in the ‘not necessary’ or ‘MUST have’ column?!

Would you like a sit-down dinner? Maybe a private chef?

We’ve had couples spend $50 on pizza and beers and had the BEST time, and we’ve had others treat themselves to a $1000 private chef.

There’s no right or wrong, just what makes YOU happy.

Attire + accessories

Do you and your partner want new outfits or are you happy to wear something you already own? 

Would you consider second-hand, saving the planet AND your budget? 

Do you want haute couture or super simple?

You could budget $100-500 per person if you look online somewhere like Lulus or Men’s Wearhouse, or more like $1500-5000 if you want a designer gown. And don’t forget to factor in a few hundred dollars for potential alterations.

You might enjoy reading: How To Choose Your Elopement Outfits

Flowers

Some brides ask us if they’re even allowed a bouquet if they’re ‘just’ eloping… ummmmm, heck YEAH! You can have whatever you want. 

Personally, we LOVE fresh flowers: they bring a little touch of luxury and add such a pop to photos.

For a high quality, fresh flower bouquet you can expect to budget in the $200-500 range depending on design and location.

Be aware if you’re getting married somewhere like a national park, there may be rules on what types of flowers you’re allowed to bring in. We can advise on this!

If you want to save a little cash, you might want to consider getting fake flowers instead of fresh. We’d suggest checking out Etsy! You might even want to consider making your own bouquet to save a little extra.

Rings

Most couples opt for rings but you certainly don’t HAVE to! 

Maybe you’d rather just swap gifts, or maybe you’re more the ‘ring tattoos’ kind of people. 

Remember, it’s YOUR choice. 

If you do want a ring, you’ve got a ton of choices: precious metals, wood, even silicone. You could budget anywhere from $50 to many thousands depending on your taste.

Hair and Makeup

Are you happy to do your own styling for your elopement or would you like a pro to pamper you on your big day?

Will they come to your AirBnB while you get ready or do you need them to hike to the top of a mountain with you? (Yes, we know folks who’ll do that for you!)

Bear in mind, the more remote your location the pricier you an expect services like this to be. You may even need to pay for someone to travel in.

We’d suggest budgeting a MINIMUM of $300 per person for hair and makeup, and be aware it could well be higher.

Photographer

Obviously, we’re biased – we deeply BELIEVE in what we do – but we suuuuuuper recommend that you hire an experienced photographer who specializes in elopements. 

Insider secret: hire them for longer than you think you need! This allows for a lovely relaxed timeline with no stress and pressure.

Your day will whizz by quicker than you thought possible and we will capture all the moments and vibes you want to remember forever.

At the end of the day, the photos are the only thing you’ll have to last from that day.

In the name of full transparency, our packages start at $4800, which includes two photographers, planning assistance and ceremony officiation. We also have an optional video add-on.

We take a HUGE amount of pride in our work and it’s our mission to make sure your experience is stress-free, deeply-connective and FUN.

Celebrant

Whether it’s two minutes or twenty, we think it is important to hold some form of ‘ceremony’ as you share your vows. It brings a certain gravitas to this poignant moment and really helps it all to feel REAL.

We include fully personalized customized officiation in ALL our packages.

If you’re not eloping with us and need to bring in a celebrant, you can expect to pay in the region of $500-1000, perhaps more if you’re somewhere very remote.

Planner

As your elopement photographers we are also your unofficial planning assistants: we help you figure out travel, accommodation, location, vendors, activities, timeline etc.

If you’re having a super intimate elopement we usually find you don’t need a separate planner. Especially since there’s two of us, we can handle a lot of the logistics!

However, if you hire a photographer who does not help with all the planning aspects you may find you want some assistance.

You can expect to budget anywhere from $1000 and upwards, depending if you just want some logistical assistance on the day or more planning guidance in the lead up to your big day.

Fun activities

This is the best bit…

What would you like to actually DO on your elopement day? 

The possibilities are truly endless: you could have a leisurely in-home brunch, go hiking, take a helicopter ride, go horse riding enjoy a luxury spa session, explore a foreign city…..

Obviously this can range from free activities like hiking that cost you zero dollar-dollars, to something like a private sunset plane ride that you’re happy to splurge a big chunk of change on!

You might enjoy reading: 100 Elopement Ideas to Make Your Day Special

Ok, so having now gone through this list, do you want to know the really cool thing?

The only item that is actually essential in all of this is your marriage license. Everything else is 100% up to YOU.

So the answer to ‘How much does it cost to elope?’ is actually very flexible!

You can simply ditch any of the elements that aren’t important to you and either save that cash or redirect it elsewhere in your elopement budget, really splashing out on the things that do matter to you.

The great thing about eloping is that YOU get to choose exactly how you distribute your money, stress-free. 

There is no ‘one wedding fits all’ budget when it comes to planning your day. Different couples will have different priorities: it’s important you sit with your partner and figure out what yours are.

And the best part?

There’s no worrying about offending Aunt Sally if the linens aren’t of a suitable quality, or stressing that allllll your guests might feel offended if you don’t provide fancy enough favors.

This is YOUR day and YOUR choices.

So, the cost of eloping is really up to YOU.

How Much Does It Cost To Elope:

6 Detailed Budget Examples

Updated For 2026-2027 

These fully itemized budget examples are designed to inspire you and are totally customizable.

You could easily take ideas from several and blend them together into your own perfect elopement.

We’ve tried to consider a range of location ideas, a range of personalities with different priorities and a wide range of activity ideas.

We’ve broken it down into three different budget categories: approx $7-10k USD, approx $15-18k USD, approx $20-30k USD.

If your personal budget falls between these numbers, look at the budget BELOW for inspiration.

That way, if you’ve got money to spare you can have fun ADDING IN some extra special items, rather than feeling like you have to cut back on a budget that is too high for you.

And, if your budget is less than $7k, that’s totally ok, don’t worry!

We’d suggest looking at the $7-10k budgets as examples and then deciding where you personally would be happy to cut back. Remember, it’s all about your priorities.

We’ve tried to be as detailed and realistic as possible, accounting for every little thing that would cost money in these scenarios. 

In our multi-day itineraries, for example, we’ve included a ‘daily budget’: unassigned cash to cover all the little things that add up like food, entry tickets, fun activities, souvenirs etc.

We know it sucks when you don’t account for a million little things that all add up and send you over budget.

*** When you’re trying to calculate how much it costs to elope, please note that all costs given here are approximate and may well fluctuate. We try to update things regularly to account for inflation and rising costs of living, but these breakdowns are intended to serve as inspiration only. ***

We’ve tried to stay away from the assumption that every wedding includes a ‘bride’ and a ‘groom’ – ALL couples are seen and celebrated here – so we’ve tried to keep our cost categories generic.

For example, we have an ‘outfit’ cost, rather than ‘a suit and a dress’.

Do be aware though that the reality is that your costs will fluctuate depending on your relationship: for example, do you need to budget for two dresses, are two of you having your hair and makeup done, or are neither of you?

Every personal situation will need a bit of tweaking when it comes to these sample budgets.

*** Our examples are all based in Utah, Colorado and Scotland as those are the places we shoot in frequently and know inside out, so we can give you realistic costs. Feel free to take our itemized layouts and adjust them for other locations! ***

How Much Does It Cost To Elope: What Could My Day Look Like With A $7-10k Budget?

$7-10k Elopement Costs Option 1:
A ‘Just Us’ Long Weekend Trip To Colorado

Fly into Colorado and head straight for the mountains!

Let’s meet bright and early for a sunrise ceremony at an epic mountain pass with views for daaaaaaays. You can share vows as the sun lights up the horizon, then we’ll explore the area taking killer pics of you and your new HUSBAND/WIFE along the way.

We’ll spend the morning together celebrating, then the rest of the day is yours to do with what you please.

How about a horse-riding tour to see some more of the local area? Followed by a romantic picnic, celebrating your newly-wed status.

Sit out under the stars before snuggling up in your cozy AirBnB to spend your first night together as a married couple.

ITEM	COST (in USD)
2 Flights	$1000
Car rental for the weekend	$400
3 nights accommodation	$600
Daily spending budget of $200 (food, activities etc)	$600
Marriage license	$50
Wedding location permit: not needed in this area	$0
Two wedding outfits and accessories. Check out places like Azazie, Lulus and Men’s Wearhouse	$800
Hair and makeup for one	$300
Faux florals from Etsy	$200
Simple gold wedding bands	$1000
Our half day photography package, with planning help and personalized ceremony officiation	$4800
Horse-riding tour	$400
DIY picnic, including your favorite pie instead of a wedding cake	$75
TOTAL	~$10k

*** Note, this is for a destination elopement. You could decide to stay close to home which would allow you to eliminate the flights, accommodation, car rental and daily spending. That would keep your costs much closer to the $7k range! ***

$7-10k Elopement Costs Option 2:
A Long Weekend With Family In Zion, Utah

Bring your absolute nearest and dearest and spend the weekend adventuring and making memories with them.

For this adventure, you’re going to fly into Las Vegas and then head to the desert region of Zion National Park.

Because you’re bringing family, you’re need to allocate your budget a little bit differently if you want to stay within budget: you’ll need to be willing to DIY a few things in order to compensate for group expenses like group accommodation and a celebratory dinner.

ITEM	COST (in USD)
Flights for two	$1000
Car rental for the weekend	$400
3 nights of accommodation for the whole group	$2000
Daily spending budget of $200 (food, activities etc)	$600
Marriage License	$50
Zion National Park Wedding Permit	$100
Wedding outfits: pre-owned pants and shirt, and/or an inexpensive dress from somewhere like Amazon or Lulus (we’ve seen STUNNING dresses from both so don’t worry about going cheap here)	$200
DIY hair and makeup	$0
DIY bouquet	$50
Wedding bands: we’ve had brides choose to use their engagement ring for now and upgrade later, and the other partner choose to pick up a cheap silver band for now.	$100
Our half day photography package, with planning help and personalized ceremony officiation	$4800
Hiking and exploring the local area	$0
Dinner for 10	$800
Small wedding cake to cut	$100
TOTAL	~$10k

*** Note, if you’d like to keep this closer to the $7k range, you’ll either need to consider eloping closer to home and/or asking your guests to cover their own expenses. ***

Weddings don’t have to be expensive to be epic!

With even a (relatively) small amount of money you can have an incredible elopement experience, tailored to suit you perfectly.

You just need to decide what is most important to you – do you want to bring guests, do you want fancy attire, do you want expensive rings etc. – and construct your budget around those personal priorities.

How Much Does It Cost To Elope: What Could My Day Look Like With A $15-18k Budget?

Now things start to get really fun as we’ve got a bit more $$$ to play with! 

When people ask ‘How much does it cost to elope?’ this is probably the ballpark figure we’d give them to have a REALLY epic time.

Remember, this isn’t the budget for the simple act of getting married ($50 for a marriage licesne), it’s the budget for designing a full EXPERIENCE with EVERY little cost thought of.

To get your imagination rolling, we’re going to look at two options with travel included: one national and one international.

$15-18k Elopement Costs Option 1:
A Moab Desert Adventure With Your Closest Friends

You could have a fabulous weekend in the Utah desert area with a handful of your closest friends. We LOVE elopements with a really tight-knit friendship group, they’re always super relaxed and FUN.

With this amount of money, you can easily afford to splash out and create an epic experience for everyone.

You could stay in a beautiful glamping resort, sleeping beneath the stars.

On the morning of your elopement, treat your friends and set off on a hot air balloon ride, your heads truly in the clouds!

Enjoy slowly getting ready with your friends, before sharing a romantic first look with your partner.

Once you’re feeling truly relaxed and connected with each other, share your vows – with your friends as witnesses – on the edge of a dramatic cliff, with canyons stretching out below you as far as the eye can see.

Wind up the perfect day by treating yourselves and your friends to a decadent, celebratory dinner.

You’ve got us for a cool eight hours for this one so we can capture all the fun activities as well as your beautiful elopement ceremony.

ITEM	COST (in USD)
Flights for two	$1000
Car rental for the weekend	$400
3 nights of glamping accommodation for 2	$750
Daily spending budget of $200 (food, activities etc)	$600
Marriage License	$50
Canyonlands National Park Wedding Permit	$185
Two wedding outfits. Check out places like BHLDN, Lulus and Men’s Wearhouse	$1500
Hair and makeup	$500
Large fresh bouquet and boutonniere (remember to factor in more if you need two bouquets)	$500
Wedding bands from Etsy	$1000
Hot air ballon ride for 6	$2000
Our full day photography package, with planning help and personalized ceremony officiation	$6800
Hiking and exploring the local area	$0
Dinner for 6	$600
TOTAL	~$15k

$15-18k Elopement Costs Option 2:
A Scottish Road Trip Adventure

We’re taking you and your love on a road trip around Vanessa’s home country for this one. 

Fly into Edinburgh or Glasgow, pick up a rental car and hit the open road!

Drive around this spectacular, romantic country, staying at a cute bed and breakfast every night.

Spend your elopement day visiting a castle, frequenting a local whisky distillery and exploring the stunning Highlands. 

We’re going to hang out with you all day to capture the whole adventure. We can be up early for sunrise, adventure all morning, take an afternoon nap, then meet again for sunset!

Let’s hike out into a moody, green glen to share your vows, with your groom decked out in a kilt and a lone piper playing to the wind.

Toast your marriage with a shot of fine whisky!

You might enjoy reading: The Ultimate Guide To Eloping In Scotland

ITEM	COST (in USD)
US marriage license (we highly suggest doing the legal part back home)	$50
Flights for two to Edinburgh/Glasgow	$3000
Bed and Breakfast accommodation for 7 nights	$1400
Car hire for 7 days	$1000
Our International Full Day Photography Package, with planning help and complimentary ceremony officiation	$9800
Daily spending budget of $200	$1400
Dress from Amazon, Azazie or Lulus	$500
Kilt Rental for the day	$200
Small bouquet	$250
Lone Piper for Ceremony	$200
Good Bottle of Whiskey!	$100
Celebratory Dinner at a local farm to table restaurant	$250
TOTAL	~$18k

Small wedding costs are just so much more manageable than when you have 100 guests to budget for! As you can see, for just $18k of elopement costs you can have the most incredible EXPERIENCE, a wedding AND honeymoon, making memories that will last a lifetime. 

How Much Does It Cost To Elope: What Could My Day Look Like With A $20-30k Budget?

$20,000 – still not much more than half the cost of an ‘average’ traditional wedding – is a GREAT budget for an elopement and you’ve got a ton of choice on how to spend it. And with $30,000, what COULDN’T you do?!

You could spoil yourselves rotten, or you could invite your closest friends and family and show them one heck of a good time, too!

Remember you can always mix and match ideas based on your personal tastes, investing in the the elopement costs that matter to YOU.

$20k Elopement Costs Option 1:
A Luxury ‘Just Us’ Elopement In Colorado

If you decide to elope just the two of you, then $20k is going to go a LONG way.

You can afford to stay somewhere beautiful.

You can treat yourself to nice outfits.

You can try out some really fun activities and treat yourselves to a private chef dinner…

Really, the sky’s the limit!

Oh, and we’re going to be there documenting the whole experience, not only with photos, but video too!

ITEM	COST (in USD)
Flights for two	$1000
Car rental for the weekend	$400
3 nights of accommodation at a high end hotel with on site hot springs	$1500
Daily spending budget of $200 (food, activities etc)	$600
Marriage License	$50
Wedding permit: none needed for this location	$0
Wedding outfits from a bridal salon and/or a custom made suit	$3000
Hair and makeup	$500
Large fresh bouquet and boutonniere (remember to factor in more if you need two bouquets)	$500
Wedding bands from somewhere like Etsy	$1000
Our full day photography package, with planning help and personalized ceremony officiation plus video	$8800
Private off-roading private to explore the mountains	$750
Boho picnic setup, charcuterie board and champagne	$300
Custom wedding cake and cookies	$300
Private chef dinner	$750
TOTAL	~$20k

$20-30k Elopement Costs Option 2: A Luxury Desert Elopement With Your Nearest And Dearest

Just because you’re eloping, doesn’t mean you have to go super simple on everything. 

If you enjoy elegance, romance and a little indulgence and are wondering how much it costs to elope in THAT kind of fashion, well, this budget breakdown is for you!

Stay in a luxury resort tucked into the most beautiful corner of the desert.

We’ll join you for a full day, up to eight hours: we’ll even split that into two stints if you prefer, to capture the moments you care most about. Better yet, we’ll capture everything on video, too.

Get your hair and makeup professionally done by someone who will stay with you all day, keeping you looking fresh long into the evening.

Treat yourselves to incredible designer wedding outfits.

Gather with friends and family in the heart of the desert and walk down the aisle while a violinist plays your favorite instrumental.

After sharing your vows, celebrate with a champagne toast for you and all your guests.

Spend the evening relaxing back at your resort, soaking in the sunset and exploring the nearby sandstone arches.

We’ll help you find a rental company to set up an al fresco dinner – we’re picturing fairy lights and long wooden tables – and hire a private chef to take you to the next level of dining; a decadent three course dinner with wine pairing for you and your guests.

ITEM	COST (in USD)
Flights for two	$1000
Car rental for the weekend	$400
3 nights of at a luxury resort for 10 people	$7500
Daily spending budget of $200 (food, activities etc)	$600
Marriage License	$50
Wedding permit: none needed for this location	$0
Wedding outfits from somewhere like Grace Loves Lace or Wear Your Love XO	$3000
Hair and makeup	$1000
Large fresh bouquet and boutonniere (remember to factor in more if you need two bouquets) and florals for your ceremony	$1500
Wedding bands	$2000
Violinist for ceremony	$5000
Champagne toast for 10	$100
Our full day photography package, with planning help and personalized ceremony officiation with video	$8800
Dinner rentals/styling	$1500
Private Chef for all guests, 3 courses with wine pairing	$2500
2 tier wedding cake	$500
‘Day-of’ coordinator to set up and oversee dinner	$1000
TOTAL	~$30k

So, How Much Does It Cost To elope?!

The answer is it really depends on what YOU want from your day.

The actual cost of eloping is really flexible and dependent on what you envision for your day and what things are important to you. 

For as little as $7-10,000 you can have a truly EPIC elopement experience!

We hope you can see that there is a huge amount of flexibility when it comes to how much you’d like to budget for your elopement and how you would like to allocate that money. 

With a traditional wedding there is so much pressure and expectation surrounding the things you ‘have’ to have: you MUST spend money on flowers, you MUST spend money on a big venue, you MUST spend money on X, Y, Z.

An elopement, on the other hand, is liberating and freeing: you get to pick and choose.

If you don’t care for flowers: ditch them. If you adore flowers: go all out!

So, ‘How much does it cost to elope?’ just doesn’t have an EXACT answer.

Do whatever YOU want!

Whether you want to spend $10,000 or $30,000 +, we can help create the most incredible elopement experience for you. 

Remember, all of these sample budgets are designed as inspiration, to help you answer that confusing question ‘How much does it cost to elope?’.

But don’t be afraid to tweak them to suit you.

And most importantly?

Use your imagination and dream BIG!

This is your wedding day and you deserve to celebrate the heck out of your love!