Golden Yellow Mountain Elopement

For some people who have tried planning a big extravagant wedding that pleases everyone involved, the consensus is pretty clear and they may say: life would be a lot easier if we had just eloped.

And to be truthful, there’s something intimate and magical about disappearing with your favourite person in the world to get married in a beautiful location that means a lot to the pair of you. After all, it’s your day together!

Increasingly – and you’ve probably seen a lot of these all over Instagram – mountain elopements are becoming more and more popular. Getting out into the wilds of nature, taking in the spectacular scenery as you say “I do” has a pretty great ring to it, doesn’t it? And not to mention how beautiful the wedding photos look – something that’s really important if you’re eloping, as your loved ones are going to want to see how your big day went down.

This being said, having a mountain elopement can be a bit tricky to pull off, especially if you’re looking to add a colour theme in there as well – like golden yellow. Conveying a theme while simultaneously having to carry your entire wedding up a mountain leaves some serious questions. Let’s answer them!

Location, location, location

It might be that you and your soon-to-be spouse have a particular mountain or national park that is special to you and that’s where you want to elope to that’s great. What you do need to think about is how easy can you climb this trail in your chosen wedding outfits. Suits and long dresses aren’t as crag friendly as hiking boots and leggings, so it’s a good idea to scope out multiple access points.

It’s also good to find a mountain location that isn’t super popular or busy. It kind of ruins the elopement vibe if you’re surrounded by other hikers and are holding people up from getting to the main vista point. You will not be popular if this is the case and no one wants to be getting glared at on their wedding day!

If you don’t have a mountain in mind, have a good look around at locations and make sure to go on a lookout hike to make sure that it’s as beautiful as the photos make out, and that you can get there without much trouble. Although elopements seem super spontaneous, there’s a lot of planning that goes into them.

The inspirational photos we’ve got here from Camden, Maine may be just the push you need to make your golden yellow mountain elopement happen.

Check the paperwork

Talking about the amount of planning that goes into elopements, it sounds super boring, but it’s essential – check out what paperwork you need for your dream golden yellow mountain elopement. Elopements themselves need special paperwork regardless of where you are, but if you’re in a national park you’re going to need a specific special marriage licence.

You’re also going to need to pay entry fees to the park and check that they even allow elopements in certain areas of the park. Every single park is different so it’s important to check as far in advance as possible. If you’re local, you can ask a park ranger and they’ll be able to help out or check the park's website for more details.

Keep in mind, that as with any kind of park permit, it’s very unlikely that you can turn up on the day, or even the week before and get a special parks marriage licence. Give yourself enough time to get a licence for the date, time and location that you really want. Like a lot of more traditional wedding venues, chances are there’s another couple who are also looking at your spot.

Get the timings right

As with any kind of wedding, you need to find the right time of year and the right time of day to say “I do”. Trying to have a golden yellow mountain elopement in the winter when conditions are super treacherous, obviously is a terrible idea unless you are both professional mountaineers.

Even if it’s not snowy or icy at the base of the mountain, remember to account for changes in weather as you get higher and higher up your climb. You’ll find it gets colder, windier and often mistier, the closer you get to the peak.

Similarly, going in the peak of the summer vacation season when all the tourists are around also isn’t ideal. Having tons of people at an elopement kind of defeats the objective. So you might find it’s best to have your elopement in shoulder season and either earlier in the morning at sunrise or getting up there for sunset. Just make sure that you can get up and down to your chosen location safely if you’re hiking in the dark.

Travel light and make an impact

It goes without saying that you don’t want to be carrying a full reception’s worth of decor up a mountain with you. That being said, if you’re wanting a theme for your mountain elopement, like golden yellow, you need to choose your hero pieces wisely and have them make an impact.

The biggest and lightest way you can do this is with either a yellow wedding outfit or at least partially yellow. This, together with golden ribbons on your bouquet with some sunflowers or other yellow flowers, will provide the blast of sunshine-inspired colour that you’re looking to bring to your mountain elopement. After all, if you get up to the top of the mountain and the weather isn’t what you want, you can be your own sunshine!

As for cake and food, you can bring it up with you if you want, but remember that you’ll have boots, cameras, water, flowers and everything else with you, so maybe save your wedding feast for the bottom of the mountain. Treat the mountain top itself as your ceremony and then hike back down and have your intimate reception dinner or breakfast where you don’t have to carry all your supplies.  

Golden Yellow Mountain Elopement

After years of planning and shooting weddings, Courtney (of Courtney Elizabeth Media) and Christina (of Pinch Me Planning) hope brides will leave their comfort zones of blush florals and Chiavari chairs and take a chance by embracing something bolder – something… yellow!

This styled shoot incorporated local vendors who were all in anticipation for Maine’s summer and inspired by the shoot’s sunshine-filled palette.

Mount Battie in Camden, Maine was the perfect backdrop for a ‘runaway bride’ to enjoy a rich charcuterie board and caramel glazed drip cake sweetened with kumquats. The bride’s golden skirt complemented the natural hues of the stone tower on top of the mountain and her feathered earrings provided the perfect punch of personality to juxtapose the simplicity of her ivory camisole top.

The marigold-coloured florals complemented the pops of yellow throughout the gorgeous food display by Harvest Moon. Yellow Twist’s floral designs not only included a bouquet filled with Kangaroo Paw and Pincushion Protea, but also a sash for the bride to elevate her BHLDN two-piece ensemble!

This wedding inspiration shoot shows just how versatile a bold colour like yellow can be when styled right.  Paired with antique golds and a soft ivory, it was inevitable that yellow would shine like the beauty of a clear it is!

Credits: Photography: Courtney Elizabeth Media // Event Planning & Design: Pinch Me Planning // Catering: Harvest Moon Catering // Cake: Cake Elizabeth // Dress and Jewelry: BHLDN // Floral Design: Yellow Twist // Paper: Little Ivy Paper Goods // Hand Lettering: Letter and Adore // Beauty: Reeve Baker //  Model: Kait Johnson // Location: Mount Battie, Camden, Maine