Elopement Wedding Announcements

Why you need them, plus four tips to make them a story-telling visual.

Planning an elopement can be an exciting yet overwhelming task. Not much different from a traditional wedding because there are “different” factors to consider. This is an interesting take on writing this post, as I personally had very close friends (even some family members) elope, and all elopements practically included no one. I also didn’t receive wedding announcements or stationery of any sort. Each provided a different perspective and a different feeling as a friend and a family member. With the depth of love I had for each of them, I would have given my stationery away to each of them for free. But it wasn’t requested. I was in the same seat as other family friends and didn’t find out until either close to, just days before or after the fact, much like an elopement. As a wedding professional, stationer, and friend, I never pushed it. But that is another topic, another blog post, another day. 

I’m sharing that small tidbit as I know from my personal experience how much having some type of beautifully designed printed announcement for family and friends is a thoughtful touch, especially when they are the biggest fan and supporter of love. The love and support from family and friends don’t really go away; it’s understood why they do it, and they should do everything that feels right in their heart, mind, and soul. But it’s nice to feel included in some way so you can celebrate with them, near and far. One way you can do that is with stationery.

Historically, elopements were hurried marriages conducted in secret to escape family objections. The modern-day elopement is much less dramatic, as it’s becoming more of a popular tradition but still very romantic as a traditional wedding. Whichever way the wind blows for your decision, from selecting the perfect dress to deciding on the guest list (or witnesses for an elopement), every detail (including close friends and family) needs careful consideration.  

One of the details most often at the bottom of the list of things to consider (even for an elopement) is wedding stationery. For a traditional wedding, the invitation sets the tone for your big day, and it’s the first glimpse your guests will have into the style and theme of your wedding. After all, why would you order invitations if you’re not inviting anyone? Whether you’re inviting 100 guests or zero guests, it’s still an investment. Wedding stationery for elopement is a beautiful work of art for laying the foundation and commemorating the day. You can do that with wedding announcements. You’ll still want to tell all of your loved ones the happy news, and most couples do that with wedding announcements.

If you are really not into sending announcements to your family and friends, have your very own custom wedding invitation suite to have a piece of art to look back on. They are beautiful in an album or a frame. Your wedding day comes and goes in the blink of an eye. It’s nice to have something tangible. As a bonus, you can have your photographer do a flat lay of your wedding announcements and still get those dreamy photos.

If you’ve decided to elope to a destination location for your wedding, incorporating your elopement destination into your invitation design is an excellent way to give your guests something beautiful to showcase the backdrop of where your vows took place, you can include a painting of the venue or a portrait of yourselves. 

Wedding Stationery designers and calligraphers are artists first and foremost. You’d be surprised what we can do; all you have to do is ask.

In this blog post, I’ll dive into four ways to make your elopement destination and stationery a storytelling visual. I share these details using stationery for an elopement-styled shoot at Lost Dutchman State Park, a beautiful destination for wedding stationery design.

WORK WITH ELOPEMENT PLANNER

One would assume that there isn’t any planning involved with a beautifully styled elopement. While the number of things you need to prepare for can be significantly less, you want someone to help run errands and handle last-minute tasks, especially if you want to include photo props such as an arch, florals, stationery set up for your flat lay, and beautiful china rentals. They will also help draw up your vision for the day; this includes a mood board, colors, overall design, look and feel, and so much more. Wedding Planner Rebecca of Wynn Events presented this project’s vision, setup, design, and palette. This made my design process so much easier to design and create a custom stationery set.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLORS

The color scheme is the first thing I consider when reviewing the mood board wedding invitation design. This is my process for creating a single set, whether I’m printing 1 set or 200 sets. Single sets or small runs of 2-5 allow me to layer on more detail.

For this elopement in a mountain location, I incorporated paper elements with hues of peach, orange, and light warm brown with fiery red hues to represent the natural surroundings.

These colors are throughout the invitation design. I incorporated them into the envelope, menus, and place cards. The right color scheme will create a visually stunning invitation that your family and friends will appreciate and take them to a place when they look at your photos for the first time.

USE IMAGERY, ILLUSTRATIONS OR CREATE A SCENE

The colors are one of two components of the design for an elopement destination; the second design component is the scene. Using imagery is an excellent way to incorporate your elopement destination into your wedding invitation design. 

If you’re eloping to a destination location with a rich cultural history, consider incorporating that culture into your wedding invitation design. For example, if you’re eloping to Japan, you might want to use traditional Japanese patterns or motifs in your invitation design.

For this project, Lost Dutchman State Park is located in the Sonoran Desert, at the base of the Superstition Mountains, only 40 miles east of Phoenix. So having the desert and mountain look with torn paper elements inspired the scene on this particular set.

HIRE A PHOTOGRAPHER

Having an elopement photographer there during the whole day is a great way to preserve those memories.

Your images can be anything from a photograph of your destination to a simple illustration of the location. Having a professional photographer specializing in elopements ensures you have high-quality and high resolution. With many elopements comes the landscape. It takes a professional photographer to capture mountains, water, trees, and other outdoor landscapes. Wild North Weddings has done a beautiful job on this particular project. So I highly recommend it. Hiring a photographer who has worked in these elements can make all the difference.

If you choose to incorporate some of the images in your stationery and have a printed photo for your wedding announcement, make sure they are professional and fit with the overall theme of your wedding.

When using images, it’s essential to use them sparingly. Too many images can overwhelm your invitation design and make it look cluttered. Instead, choose one or two images representing your elopement destination and use them strategically throughout your design. 

CONCLUSION

Your wedding invitation is an essential part of your big day, and incorporating your elopement destination into your wedding stationery and elopement wedding announcement is an excellent way to commemorate the day. It’s easy to skip many aspects of a large wedding when planning your elopement but don’t let the wedding planner, wedding stationer, or photographer be one of them.

With these tips, you’ll create a visually stunning invitation that your guests will love and sets the tone for your big day.

Wedding Team for Styled Shoot:

• Wedding Planning: Wynn Events | Rebecca Frankel

• Wedding Photography: Wild North Weddings | Carly

• Wedding Stationery: RBW Stationery and Events, LLC |

about the author

Ruby Brewer-Watkins is a Certified Wedding Planner, Chef, and Hospitality Professional specializing in full-service wedding stationery and etiquette. Her guest list planning and creative process created efficiency within her client projects, which allowed her to effectively collaborate, design, and create beautiful wedding invitations and “day of” stationery for countless couples since 2015.

Hi, I’m Ruby, your creative wedding professional. FINALLY, you made it! You can catch a glimpse into a few things I love, specifically how I passionately create wedding invitations and details for the “day of” for couples. I hope that that my blog posts and articles contained within this beautiful space truly inspire you. I offer unfiltered advice and space to give yourself permission to be creative and explore options, and ideas that are available to you to celebrate life's greatest moments.