California and Colorado Elopements

A California Elopement: all of the romance, but none of the drama of a traditional wedding

We invite you to ditch the stress of a conventional wedding and elope with us on California’s sunny shores, or amid our spectacular redwoods. We’ll provide you with all the quality you’d expect from a big wedding, but none of the stress that inevitably goes hand in hand with throwing a huge wedding celebration.

A couple on a beach after purchasing an elopement package in California

Elopements on the California coast are so romantic!

Where is the Best Place to Elope in California?

Because of its dramatic shoreline, pristine beaches and massive redwoods, we think–hands down–it’s along the sunny California coast.

Blue Sky Elopements owners Maureen Thomson and Jeremy Myers have uncovered lesser-known and private outdoor sites that are perfect for California elopements. Add in our hand-picked, exceptional wedding professionals, together with our award-winning California elopement coordination services and you have everything you’ll need for an unrivaled, California elopement wedding experience. All you’ll have to do is communicate your wedding vision to us, then show up!

Picture It…

…eloping on the beach in California… a micro-wedding amid towering redwood trees… without another soul in sight…dramatic cliffs overlooking the ocean… just the two of you (maybe a few family members—hey, this is your California elopement fantasy, put in whomever you like!). A wedding that is relaxed…you have the time to focus on each other and you’re not obsessed with playing host…having the flexibility to celebrate your day in the way you want.

Where do I even start to plan my California elopement?

The simplest way to start is to contact us about helping you plan your California elopement. We’ll prepare a custom proposal that includes professional services for everything you want. If you book an elopement package with us, we’ll also obtain your venue permit for you. It’ll be one less thing you’ll have to worry about.

Eloping in California doesn’t have to be about accommodating everyone’s wishes except your own. It doesn’t mean cramming in wedding planning time amid the rest of your busy lives or compromising on vendor quality because you’re “not having a real wedding.” (Sez who???) And having an outdoor wedding with a jaw-dropping background doesn’t mean you have to put up with hordes of tourists milling around your ceremony site.

We’re here to help you tell a different wedding story… one of ease, joy and lots of smiles as you begin your married life in a peaceful atmosphere of unparalleled beauty. Our all-inclusive California elopement packages allow you to focus on what’s important–the two of you! And when your wedding day is over, you’ll have stunning professional photos (and video if you want it) to share with friends & family.

Where do you start? There are three general things that most eloping couples need to take care of–and once they are taken are of, they breathe a sigh of relief!

  • Most couples that elope in California find that once they decide upon a venue, everything else tends to fall into place–or, at least it does if you have a competent team of professionals working for you! Our exclusive California elopement location consulting services will help you find the perfect-for-you place to elope in California. We’ll even apply for any needed venue permits for you. We specialize in outdoor locations that offer stunning views that are not the places you’ll hear about when you Google the term “the best places to elope in California.” Blue Sky California Elopements owners Maureen Thomson and Jeremy Myers spend a minimum of two months a year living, working and playing on the California coast so that we can uncover hidden gem elopement sites that will give you memories to last a lifetime.
A couple on a beach after purchasing an elopement package in California

From coastal to redwoods–California has it all for your elopement

  • Next up on the list is ensuring that you have the very best California elopement wedding vendors on your team. This can be a bit tricky to navigate on your own, as many high-quality wedding professionals prefer to work the more lucrative, bigger weddings. We’ve curated a list of hand picked officiants, photographers, hair and makeup stylists, florists, and videographers to offer you access to the best wedding professionals. The we bundle everything into one convenient, all-inclusive California elopement package so you don’t have to spend hours (days! weeks!) researching, vetting, interviewing and hiring vendors individually.
  • And lastly, a big concern that we hear from our couples is how to go about planning their California elopement when they don’t live in the area. Planning a long-distance wedding–even a small one–can feel overwhelming and stressful. It sounds all well and good to say, “oh yes, we simply eloped,” but in reality, destination weddings can have a lot of moving parts–especially if you have guests. That’s where our hands-on coordination services come into play to offer you total peace of mind. Your personal coordinator will be your local presence and primary point of contact to guide you through the process seamlessly from start to finish.

Ready to plan your own California elopement?

Skip the traditional-wedding drama. Be it an elopement for two on the beach in Carmel; an intimate rooftop wedding with the San Francisco skyline as your backdrop; a family-only wedding in front of a picturesque Santa Cruz lighthouse; or saying “I do” nestled among the redwoods of Big Sur, we’ll bring your California elopement vision to reality.

Send us an email with as much info as you have and we’ll send over a custom proposal and price quote.

The legalities of eloping in California

  • You’ll need to get a marriage license in California prior to the wedding and the county clerks offices aren’t open on weekends.
  • Unless you’re getting a confidential marriage license (this is rare), you’ll need one witness to sign the license. If it’s going to be just the two of you at your elopement, the witness can be your photographer.
  • California marriage licenses are good as soon as you obtain one; there is no waiting period.
A couple on a misty hillside after purchasing an elopement package in California

Secluded, yet easy to access cliff overlooks can be found (if you know where to look!).

 

We offer elopements in these California locations

(in geographic order from north to south)

Learn more about eloping in California

San Francisco

Whether you want to be married on the beach, in an intimate garden gazebo, or prefer a gorgeous Bay Area redwood setting San Francisco has it covered.

Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay offers miles of white sand beaches as well as towering redwood forests for your elopement wedding.

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz elopements have a style that is uniquely their own. Known for our balmy climate, breathtaking coastline, and redwood forests.

Monterey

On central California's shore, sunlight dancing on the Pacific, powdery sand, dramatic rock formations, lush parks are our outdoor "chapels."

Big Sur

Nothing beats the jaw-dropping views of the Big Sur coastline. For many couples, Big Sur is the only choice for their elopement wedding.

How much does it cost to elope in California?

What's Included in our California Elopement Packages?

Our elopement packages include anything you want that's related to eloping in the state of California. In addition to help finding you the perfect place to elope in California, our elopement packages can include photography, officiating, flowers, bridal hair and makeup services and videography (click below for info on each separate service). We also give you referrals for lodging, dining, transportation, childcare, pet-sitting, recreational activities as well as helping you set up unique wedding ceremony environments (hot air balloons, California adventure elopements, hiking weddings, forest elopements, etc.). If you can envision it, chances are we can make it happen.

Every Blue Sky California elopement package comes with our exclusive hands-on coordination services. You'll be assigned a personal coordinator who will work one-on-one with you from start to finish.

We'd love to hear more about what you're envisioning for your California elopement, so please contact us and tell us what you're thinking. And if we're not a good fit for what you want, we'll let you know that too.

Photography Services

Stunning professional elopement wedding photography to capture your special day.

Officiating Services

Professional wedding officiants performing ceremonies that reflect your personal love story.

Flowers

Full-size wedding bouquets & boutonnieres in your choice of flowers and colors.

Hair & Makeup

Our professional stylists will come to you to ensure you look your absolute best.

Videography Services

A professionally made highlight video of your elopement wedding day creates a treasured memory.

Location Consulting

A Blue Sky Elopements exclusive! All the support & resources you need to confidently choose a venue.

All wedding packages include full coordination services. You’ll be assigned your own wedding coordinator who will serve as your go to person from start to finish.

We'd love to hear more.

Guides to help you plan your California elopement

Scroll through our free California elopement resources below. We designed them to help make planning your California elopement seamless and stress-free.

How to Plan an Elopement

The definitive guide to planning an elopement. Professional insider tips you won't find anywhere else.

How to Plan a California Beach Elopement

Everything you need to think about in planning your California beach elopement.

How to Plan an Elopement in the California Redwoods

If you’re envisioning a forest setting, look no further than the redwoods of California.

Why choose Blue Sky for your California elopement?

Since the start of the Covid pandemic, vendors providing elopement wedding services in California have flooded the market. That can make for a dizzying array of choices. We don't pretend to be the best fit for every couple (and we'll honestly tell you if we're not). In general, our clients tend to be busy professionals who are planning a California wedding with less than 30 guests. They want prompt and thorough communication, the highest quality services, a secluded place to have their coastal or redwood wedding, and they have no interest in handling all the details on their own.

We've specialized in elopements since we started in 2001, so your wedding won't be our first rodeo (or anything close to it 😊). We know what questions to ask, and when to ask them so you don't have to worry about pitfalls you wouldn't even think of otherwise. While our California elopement packages bundle all your elopement wedding services under one umbrella, we offer way more than just a one-stop shop for your intimate wedding.

If the following sounds like you, we might be a good fit:

  • You want an outdoor elopement in California with a gorgeous coastal or redwood forest backdrop. Yet you dislike being the center of attention and don't want hordes of onlookers staring at you when you say "I do."
  • You have no desire to make compromises in order to have the perfect-for-you California elopement. You may have shrunk your guest list, but you're not going to sacrifice quality. There's a huge difference between cutting costs and cutting corners!
  • You're super busy and have zero interest in DIYing your wedding. You want it handled by experienced professionals.
  • You want the absolute best wedding photography to document your day. After all, the photos are going to be shared with all those people you didn't invite to your wedding!

See more of the benefits of working with us below

Work only with the Best Professionals

No need to spend hours (days!) looking for quality wedding pros that specialize in intimate weddings. We'll give you access to our network of hand-picked wedding professionals who are passionate about elopement weddings and deliver the highest quality services.

Eliminate Stress

Your personal elopement wedding coordinator will coordinate all the details of your elopement package and serve as your go-to person right up to the day of your wedding. We'll bring your wedding vision to life; all you'll need to do is show up and enjoy.

Secluded Venues

We'll help you find the perfect-for-you place to elope. We've uncovered spectacular, but lesser-known outdoor sites and put together a list of our favorite outdoor elopement venues complete with descriptions, photos, videos and permit requirements. We include this as part of every package.

Free Consultation

We offer a free, no-strings phone consultation with Blue Sky Elopements owner, Maureen Thomson to get a feel for what you're envisioning for your elopement wedding, answer your questions and explain how we can help make your wedding vision a reality.