How To Guides

As a planner, I talk with countless couples every single day who have been affected by the coronavirus. Couples who had to cancel the day before their wedding due to shutdowns. Couples who postponed one, two, three, four times. Couples who abandoned all hope of having a wedding this year. Couples who said screw it and went to the courthouse. Your story is unique, but you’re not alone.

Do you know the difference between a micro-wedding and a mini-wedding? A sequel-wedding and an elopement? A tiny wedding and a minimony??

There are so many new wedding terms this year that it is hard to know the difference between them all! Do they all mean the same thing? They are all just weddings at the end of the day, right!?

Photos are what you get to keep and hold on to forever after the big day, so you want to make sure that they’re perfect! Don’t let this stress you out — you will get those photos because we have the tools for you!

The short answer? There is none! With the rise in popularity of elopements due to COVID-19, people have expanded their wedding vocabulary. New terms for an elopement include small wedding, micro-wedding, pop-up wedding, mini wedding and much more! Each of these terms means the same thing: elopement!

One of the most common questions we get from stressed out couples is what time everything should happen. This is often the most overlooked step of wedding planning, once you have all of your ideas in one place, it is easy to think that this is enough and that the vendors will know what is best. Wrong! Vendors are amazing at the service they provide, but they will now know when everything should be in place or when to start. Because of this, you will want a detailed timeline for them to follow!

Let’s be honest — Wedding Planning is TOUGH! We want to help you find the joy in planning your wedding during a pandemic. Weddings are meant to be the most special day of your life, not just something you endure through. Trust us, we know how hard it can be in normal times and how stressful Coronavirus has been on all couples planning their wedding during this difficult time. Here are some of our best tips on finding joy in wedding planning during COVID-19.

Let’s face it, planning your wedding can be tough! Eloping simplifies many of your to-dos, but you will still need to sign contracts with your vendors. Each vendor will have their own contract with their own legal jargon, it can be a lot to keep track of. We have put together The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Contracts to help you navigate through signing the paperwork before hiring your photographer, officiant, planner, musician, florist, or other vendors!

What do you do if you have to postpone your wedding? While this is pretty much the worst-case scenario right now we have some tangible advice on what you can do to make the best of the situation!

Are you planning a small wedding? Whether COVID-19 has changed your plans a million times or this is your first time around, we are here to help! Weddings look much different now than they did six months ago, so we have put together three guides to help you plan your wedding on your own! They are the Complete Wedding Planning Guide + Workbook, DIY Timeline Guide, and Ultimate Guide to Wedding Contracts. You won’t want to plan your wedding day until you read these!

We are beyond excited to announce the expansion of our Elopement Wedding Collections perfect for the Hawaii bride and groom. We get so many requests daily for wedding ceremony planning ideas and tips for weddings with the couple only. This is the perfect wedding experience for the Hawaiian couple that wants to be married in an intimate ceremony focused just on them and their love.

We absolutely love all things pretty — especially these new elopement wedding accessories designed by the Elopement Experts themselves. We have put together helpful planning notebooks, handy bags to keep your day of necessary items, and cute items for your tropical honeymoon too! Just because you’re having a small wedding doesn’t mean you need to miss out on the style and details!

Are you dreaming of escaping to a tropical Hawaiian Island for your nuptials? Lanai is the perfect island for you right now! Hawaii is the most remote place in the world — far away from the stress of normal life. You can elope to this island destination and get married with your toes in the sand or on an oceanfront golf course with your closest family and friends. The best part? You can honeymoon where you get married!

One of the most touching details our couples choose to include is to a loving nod to their family members or friends who have passed along. There are people who are so important to you who may not be able to be physically present at your elopement that you will wish to include in a special way.

It’s easy to feel like you can’t personalize your elopement as much as a big traditional wedding, but we’re here to tell you that this is false! Just because you are forgoing much of the stress of the large event doesn’t mean you can’t make your small wedding just as personal as you imagined! Here are some tips on how to personalize your intimate wedding ceremony!

You’ve decided that you want to have a small wedding, but you’re not sure how to go about it without offending your closest family and friends — we hear you! Whether you choose to elope just the two of you or you invite a small number of family to your mini wedding, you are going to have some second thoughts about who to invite. We want to help you put together your guilt free guest list!

You spend so much time on the steps leading up to your elopement, but couples often forget to take steps after the wedding ceremony to start their new lives. You’ll need to take care of a few personal matters as well as the people that are closest to you to tie up all of the details.

Intimate Weddings are all the rage right now! Couples have moved away from wanting the huge cumbersome affairs that their parents had, and instead they want a personalized, tender small ceremony that focuses on the partners and their relationship. Since Mini and Micro Weddings are so brand new to the wedding planning trend, you have questions about how to plan. We have the answers for you! Here are NUMBER mistakes that brides or grooms can make while planning.

One of the toughest choices that our couples have is their song choices! Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’ll walk you through what opportunities for songs you may have and then what our favorite songs are! Each of these songs will still be beautiful on various instruments.

One of the items that couples usually try to skip out on to save money is the music. Let’s get some things straight right away to help you make the best decision for you! The truth of the matter — musicians aren’t that expensive and they elevate the intimate wedding experience so much!

The Wedding Day is just the beginning! Couples can get so excited about planning the big day that they forget to plan the rest of their lives together. There are some very important questions and topics that you need to talk about before tying the know. The wedding is the start of so much more, so you need to get started on the correct foot. Make sure that you discuss the following!

COVID-19 has gotten everyone confused about when, where, and how to get married. Your plans have changed time and time again, have you ever thought about doing a destination wedding? Right now, many borders are closed, so traveling is a bit of an issue meaning Hawaii is the perfect wedding destination!

You’ve decided that you need a tropical island escape and Hawaii is perfect for you! We couldn’t agree more with your decision. But how should you know which island is the right island for you? We love each of the islands and have put together a helpful tool for you to make the right choose. Let us guide you through Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Lanai, and Big Island!

We love sunrise weddings! There is something so special about starting a new day with your intimate ceremony. It eliminates the waiting all morning and you get to have a reception brunch — yum! Planning a sunrise ceremony is much like a normal ceremony, but it does have some details that you’ll want to make sure that you think about!

One of the most common questions brides and grooms ask us is what time of day they should hold their ceremony. The couples always want to know what time will be best for lighting and comfort. Often, our couples think that doing a sunrise ceremony will be better for lighting, but our secret is — GOLDEN HOUR.

A wedding ceremony is not just about the two people coming together, but two lives, two stories, and two families. Sometimes couples come together with their own kids and other time the two of you have kids together. Either way, they are a huge part of your world and you can choose to include them in your elopement ceremony!

Your children are your whole world and a vital part of your family. They are just as excited as you are for this big step in your life and will want to feel included. You can certainly include your children or future step-children in the planning experience to let them know that you love them.

Aloha — let’s talk Hawaiian Islands!! We understand that right now, you are looking for reasons to run away to a tropical island, we don’t blame you! Your first question is which island destination is right for me? If you have never been to Hawaii before, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which one to visit, especially if you plan to elope or get married during that vacation!

You’re so excited for that moment when you finally see each other just before saying your vows at your intimate wedding. Whether your eloping or inviting a few guests to your small wedding, the moment you lock eyes will be so special you’ll want to remember it forever. Is it your dream to have a beautiful, private first look or do you want to save the magic moment for the aisle? We’ve got you covered!

Could COVID-19 be the perfect time to plan your Destination Wedding? It just might be! Even though the world is in a crazy state of chaos, love will go on — just like it always does! People will still meet, fall in love, get engaged, and want to get married! Coronavirus may be cancelling your plans, but it won’t cancel your love!

With a small wedding, you are still able to include your closest family and friends if you choose. Since your guest count will be so small, you can have your guests coordinate what they wear! Your guests will have a blast picking out what to wear to feel included in your big day.