Step by step guide how to elope in Perth 2023/2024

This step by step guide how to elope in Perth 2023/2024 is the most helpful resource for couples planning an elopement in Perth. Each step is easy to follow, making your elopement planning experience exciting and fun. 

On this page I will help you with:

• What are elopements

• Why eloping in Perth is a fantastic idea

• How to plan your elopement in Perth

• What Perth elopements cost

• Number of witnesses required for Perth elopements

• Whats required to legally elope in Perth 

• How much time to allow for planning your elopement

• Tips on choosing a perfect location to elope in Perth

• Advice on announcing your plan to elope

• Choosing the elopement vendors in Perth that are right for you

• How to create a timeline for your Perth elopement

• An example of a Perth elopement timeline I created for you

• What to pack for your Perth elopement

• Great ideas for celebrating your elopement 

• Ways to include your family & friends after your have eloped

• What to do when you want to cancel your wedding and elope in Perth

Elopement package

What are elopements?

Elopements are essentially the act of getting married when it’s just the two of you or a small group of close family and friends. That means you get to skip hiring the various wedding vendors including a large wedding venue to host hundreds of guests. 

Why eloping in Perth is a fantastic idea

It’s becoming very popular to elope in Perth instead of a conventional wedding. Perth has some fantastic options for your elopement with a variety of experiences on offer. When not make it an adventure and explore The Swan Valley or The Perth Hills or take a trip down south to the Margaret River wine region. 

Eloping together in Perth will no doubt fair better on your bank balance, if you live in Perth, you don’t have to travel far and you would already have some favourite destinations that you love to spend time together. 

Getting married together in Perth will highly reduce the stress you experience while planning it. There is an abundance of beautiful quiet white sandy beaches and heaps of awesome little parks in the Perth metro area or you can go further a field. 

When we think about elopements, we are thinking about how nice it must be for couples to enjoy a simple wedding, we feel the couples are strong characters in doing what they want and avoiding what everyone else wishes they woulds do. If you feel that including your family will be too painful and wreck your experience then sometimes you have to protect yourselves. 

How to plan your elopement in Perth

We love to make your elopement planning experience easy, fun and stress free. You require two elopement vendor services in a basic elopement package. A celebrant to make your wedding legal and personalise your vows. Choosing a celebrant with a personality that will calm any nerves and keep any situation positive is essential. 

Secondly you’ll require a photographer to capture all the moments naturally as they happen, people say weddings go quick and thank god I have photos to look back on, my elopement coverage starts at two hours and is packed full of precious memories. 

Our elopement packages are great, they put awesome vendors together, you choose the experience you would love and we will assemble your crew. You can be as creative and extravagant as you want, you are saving thousands on not having a wedding, so there may be room to treat yourselves to an unforgettable experience. 

What Perth elopements cost

My Perth elopement packages start at under two thousand dollars for the following;

• Elopement design advice. Helping you with awesome suggestions to match the experience you would love. I plan and photograph elopements every week and consider myself an expert in eloping. I’ve seen some awesome ideas turn into fantastic experiences which I can share with you.

• Planning your elopement with you. Bringing together the vendors and experiences that will make your elopement the best experience ever!

• Celebrant will make your wedding legal, personalise your vows and help calm the nerves. 

• 2 hours photography coverage, you can book longer but 2 hours is just right without being rushed and missing out. 

Number of witnesses required for Perth elopements

To legally marry in Perth you are required to have two signatures on your marriage certificate, state that the wedding is real and took place. 

What is required to legally elope in Perth

It is really easy to become legally married in Perth, see below a list of the legal requirements, so you don’t have any unexpected surprises on your wedding day. 

• You can’t already be married

• You are not allowed to marry a parent, grandparent, sibling or your child

• You must both be 18 years or older

• Be aware of what marriage is and agree to it

• You have to use certain word during your wedding ceremony

• Your celebrant will require a notice of intent to marry one month prior to your ceremony. 

• An authorised marriage celebrant must marry you. 

• You do not need to be a permanent resident or citizen of Australia to be legally married in Australia. 

How much time to allow for planning your elopement

If you are on a tight timeframe the first thing you need to do is choose the location in Perth that you would like to elope. Then you will need to hire an authorised marriage celebrant to notify your intent to marry one month prior to your wedding date. 

You can then spend the next few weeks sourcing the other wedding vendors that you need to hire and accommodation. 

If you want to build a holiday trip around your Perth elopement and make it a real experience, you will need to invest some more time. One to six months would be adequate time to plan your elopement in Perth. 

Tips on choosing a perfect location to elope in Perth

I love how personalised you can make your elopement, you can practically elope anywhere you like, maybe not on platform 1, Perth Train Station at 5pm on a Friday but you get the idea. 

So start with what you love, where do you both love to go, where is a little place in Perth that has a personal connection with you both?  Or it could be further afield. 

Do you want to escape down south and get married in a beautiful forest next to the Indian Ocean? It’s so awesome that you can choose anywhere, so have a good think about what might be fun. 

The location you choose might be because you love a holiday destination that you have always wanted to experience. Your elopement fits perfectly into that plan. 

Advice on announcing your plan to elope

You most likely have some really valid reasons why you want to elope, Covid-19, don’t fancy spending $15,000-$35,000 on a wedding, family dramas or you just don’t want to be the centre of attention. 

Whatever the reason, it’s right for you both and your family and friends will have to learn to support your choice. 

Don’t be too apologetic you know, it’s your life but promise to throw a kick ass party after and people can get excited about that. Or you might prefer to go out for a beautiful meal together with immediate family and celebrate the moment that way. 

Choosing the elopement vendors that are right for you

Wherever you decide to get married in Perth you will require a team of wedding vendors to make it all happen. Elopement packages are fantastic because it includes a team of wedding vendors that all know and trust one another and will create a flawless experience for you. 

The essential elopement vendors

• Marriage Celebrant

• Photographer/elopement deigner/elopement planner

• Florist

• Transport 

• Accomodation 

Additional elopement vendors to consider

• Private chef to cook for you at your accomodation 

• Musician to play at your ceremony

• Videographer

• Stylist

• Furnishings & Decor

• Cake maker

Epic elopement experiences you could include

• Helicopter ride over the city

• Book a week at a luxury resort in Perth

• Head south and trek up a small or large mountain for a morning or afternoon adventure. Remember, your elopement can be part of a trip away. Your photographer could cover this adventure with a beautiful set of photos to remember your experience together. 

How to create a timeline for your Perth elopement

Elopements are whatever you want them to be, you don’t have to go with traditions or what a wedding venue suggests. So, your elopement could be in the morning which allows you the rest of your day to enjoy together or later in the afternoon leading into sunset. 

The majority of elopement photography packages are for two hours. This is good for a few getting ready pics if your ceremony is close to your accommodation, then your ceremony and some nice natural portraits together after. 

I have seen some one hour photography packages which I do not recommend as it’s going to feel tight, stress and rushed.  Your ceremony will be twenty minutes and there is a strong chance that the bride will be arriving five to ten minutes late, which leaves you with a thirty minute photo shoot. Not enough time to take in the moment, relax, pop some bubbly and then have some nice natural photos together. 

An example of an elopement timeline

This example is based on a beach ceremony on the beach next to or very near your accomodation. This allows me to include some getting ready pics. The sunset on this day is 6:30pm, so I have planned the photo shoot to be in that last hour of light which is so pretty. 

Getting ready 4:30-5pm

Beach Ceremony 5pm-5:30pm

Photos 5:30pm-6:30pm

What to pack for your elopement

If you are booking a holiday around your elopement you will need to pack accordingly but here is what you need to pack for your elopement wedding.  

• Your wedding rings 

• What you are going to wear, this is entirely up to you and doesn’t have to be traditional. 

• Your wedding vows, take the time to write them out old school with pen and paper. 

• Flowers are always nice

• Something handy to carry all the essentials so nothing is lost or damaged

• Champers to drink and champers for some fun spray pics

Great ideas for celebrating your elopement

Once you have eloped, your marriage certificate is signed and everything is legal you can do whatever you want. So, it’s a great idea to have a trip planned and a bunch of cool experiences to enjoy together to continue your celebration. Here are some awesome ideas to celebrate your elopement in Perth. 

• Road trip! That’s right, is there anything more fun and romantic than heading off on an adventure together. My wife and I headed down south in our VW Kombi, first stop was Caves house in Yallingup.  

• Staying close to Perth, The Swan Valley has some awesome food, wine and everything yummy to experience

• Get some epic trekking mountain top elopement portraits. The Cape to Cape walking trail has some easy sections with amazing views of the dramatic coastline. You could get married in Perth and hire a photographer in Margaret River for a couple of hours to capture your adventure in a natural lifestyle approach. Imagine the beautiful scenery and romantic late light. 

• Jump in a helicopter and check out the sights, take a photographer along to document the moment. 

Ways to include your family & friends after you have eloped

Whether it’s days after your wedding or later on the night of your wedding, you will want to share the moment with your close family first. Simplest is often best, so booking a really nice restaurant for dinner would be a really beautiful way to give close family the opportunity to her their excitement and happiness for you both. 

Next up is the big party time where you can celebrate with your mates and let you hair down a bit. There are some awesome bars and spaces that you can book or throw a party at home. 

What to do when you want to cancel your wedding and elope

Sometimes couples can get to a point when they realise that their wedding plans are based on keeping everyone else happy and the wedding they are spending thousands on isn’t really them at all. 

Seems mad right but it happens a lot.  

If you feel that your wedding isn’t what you intended and that the financial investment doesn’t feel right you should consider cancelling your wedding. This is how you cancel your wedding. 

• Make sure you are both agreed and your decision feels right to you. 

• Contact your wedding vendors with your intention to cancel. Unfortunately you will loose your deposits because they were given to hold a wedding date and any subsequent enquiries received for your date are passed up. 

• Think about what style of elopement you would love and get in touch with an elopement photographer like me. I will then offer some great elopement suggestions and ideas to start the process of creating an epic elopement experience for you.