True Cost of Eloping in 2026

Last updated August 2026

Read at your own risk. Things get really overwhelming really quickly. Not only with the costs of things that add up but the items you may have missed from your own list. Take your time in reading through, I know I had to take breaks in writing this post.

One Week Before the Big Day

This post is being published one week before the big day! That being said, I will not be adding personal photos of my dress, attire, or any other items before the Elopement day. If you want to see more, be sure to check back after “I do”!

Finding a Location

The first thing to consider is where you imagine your big day. Want to bury your feet in the sand on a beach while you exchange vows with your soon-to-be spouse? What about feeling the shade and cover of trees that grown 5x taller than you? For my fiancé and I, it meant being surrounded by mountains.

Due to the fact that this is something we were wanting for ourselves, this was the first start to building our Elopement day.

Finding an Elopement Planner/Photographer

Thankfully, with more and more couples opting to Elope rather than drop $25k+ on a Wedding, a quick Google search will result in lots of qualified professionals. We had narrowed our search to two Elopement Planners/Photographers and reached out to interview both. I recommend interviewing more than one person. Google types of questions to ask when you do get to meet.

We submitted a deposit with Meegan Lee the same day we interviewed her. She has various packages that are accommodating for whatever the couple needs. We opted to do a half-day all inclusive with her which meant that hair/makeup, florals, and an officiant were included in the price of the package. Three major aspects that we didn’t have to worry about booking or budgeting out a cost for.

We did decide to add on a helicopter experience which is optional but did add an additional cost. That and a videographer, tack on a few more thousand dollars that just went *poof* to book. These were things that both my fiancé and I were really wanting so (hopefully) worth the cost!

Getting To Your Ceremony: Day Of

How are you getting to your Elopement location? Are you staying local and driving? Or are you going out of town for your big day?

These are things, and costs, to consider when planning your day. If you are not staying local and decided to go out-of-town instead, consider the costs of the flight, rental car, and hotel to and from your destination.

We currently live in Washington state and will be driving up to Alberta for our ceremony. Since we are within driving distance, we didn’t need to book a flight or rental car but did need to book hotel accommodations there and back. The cost of everything will be broken down at the end of the post.

Wellness Preparation

Skincare

I personally do not know much about skincare but wanted to learn more before our Elopement date. My first ever facial was with Sebastian at The Olympia Esthetician where I booked a Custom 60 appointment to just get an overview of my skincare needs. This first appointment took place 6 months before my Elopement. My plan, and goal, was to have a couple of appointments to see how I liked it. Unfortunately, life happened and I only managed to squeeze one additional appointment in before my big day.

Lashes

This was another appointment I had never done before but was excited to try! I booked my first appointment with Carley at Revive Beauty about 3 months prior to my Elopement. This first time I went, I did do both a Korean Lash Lift and Lash Tint. She did an absolutely amazing job and I had even booked another appointment about a week and a half before my Elopement so my lashes were refreshed. The second appointment though, I only did the Korean Lash Lift. My lashes are already really dark that I honestly didn’t notice a change with the tint so decided to opt out this time.

Cost Overview

Time to add up all the cost, so far…

• Elopement Planner/Photographer
  • 5,700CAD (~$4150.16 USD)
    • Includes the cost of hair, makeup, and Elopement planning services, and photographer
• Videographer
  • $2,257.26
• Helicopter Booking
  • $2,204.65 USD
• Wedding Dress
  • $437.70
• Wedding Dress Alterations
  • $262.80
• Tux – incredibly custom and tailored
  • $1,982.98
• Accessories (bride only)
  • Earrings and Pashmina
    • $97.17
  • Shoes
    • $92.79
• Wedding bouquet
  • $50.43
• Lodging
  • $1,876.28
    • 6 nights in 4 different cities
• Health and wellbeing preparations
  • Two esthetician appointments
    • $349.82 total (including tips)
  • Two lash appointments
    • $241.90
• Vow Books
  • $44.16
• Wedding Bands
  • Bride’s Wedding Band
    • $289.08
  • Groom Wedding Band
    • $286.32
• Cake
  • TBD – this is something we will pick up a couple of days prior to our Elopement

Grand Total

$14,623.50

Now, that number was shocking to me the first time I added everything up. Remember, all of these things, the costs are spread out over several months. However, they add up FAST.