If you know us, you may know that we always try to make sure we’re overprepared when it comes to our work (if you don’t know this already, hello and welcome! We’re Eddie and Nancy and we may over-pack for elopements, but we promise everything has a reason). We want our couples to let go of stress, be their authentic selves, and have the best.elopement.ever.
Planning your elopement is such an exciting time, but, like any life event, it can be a little stressful at times and we want to make sure we are there to help you through it all to create the most awesome day of your lives so far! Though elopements tend to be more laid back than a traditional wedding, there’s still a good amount of planning involved so we like to do our part; an essential part of making the elopement run smoothly is making sure we are prepared for any and every possible situation big or small that comes our way (well… as much as we realistically can).
Like most photographers, we’ve learned a thing or two over the years on how to prepare for any session. However, unlike most photographers, we’ve got our packing for elopements down to a ~science~. So, take a look and see what we’ve got ready for ya! We think that we have thought of it all, but let us know if we missed anything because we will most certainly be adding it to our list.
Pssst, before we get into it - a little disclaimer to ease any potential worries that may come from reading this list. Aside from all of our camera gear, we bring all of this stuff just to be fully prepared. We rarely need to use every single thing on this list, but sh*t can happen and we want to be ready for it. You'll have the best day ever, you’ll forget about the lil hiccup and we’re gonna have a good time.
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Okay, we would say this is the most important. Let it be known we will NOT be showing up to your elopement without a camera. We’re also not showing up with just a single camera. When we pack for our elopements we run through our checklist and make sure we’ve got:
California elopements mean we can literally be anywhere from the snow in Big Bear, the beachy waves of San Diego, the billowing desert winds in Joshua Tree National Park, lush meadows in Sequoia National Park, the gentle giants in our Redwood Forests, or the incredible mountains in Yosemite National Park. What that means for you is that Nancy’s little *what if this happens* scenarios for each environment mean we’ve really thought of it all when we pack for elopements. It’s the best and worst part of our little anxieties that you get to benefit from!
Here’s what we’ve got packed in case of oh sh*t moments (aka emergencies):
Yes, there is even more stuff in our bag when we pack for our elopements (where do we even fit it all?) All of those travel essentials you’d regularly bring on a trip, we’ve got them on the ready!
Then of course we aren’t leaving our house for an elopement or really any session without packing these essentials.
As we said before, our elopements have taken us to a lot of really rad places and we’re ready for any location you throw at us (though we’ll just make sure we won’t hike super duper far, #sorrynotsorry). If we’re going to be out in the desert or really any remote location, you can’t be too prepared.
And on top of it all… If you have to use the bathroom in the middle of the wilderness like Nancy frequently does because the water has gotta go somewhere, we’ve got you covered with a cat hole trowel and portable bathroom bags.
*Phew*
That is pretty much everything! We probably have tons more, but these are the crucial few we have to pack.
This list definitely looks a bit long, but we’ve been doing this for so long it’s second nature at this point. As we said earlier, we want our couples to be stress-free so they can enjoy their day and be their authentic selves. You can be worry-free knowing that we’ve got your back (and we’ve got our own backs covered with a backpack to make sure we have everything). We take pride in being there for *you* every step of the way leading up to your elopement, during, anddddd even after your special day, we’ll probably still be your friends…if you want (like it’s not necessary but just naturally happens?). Now if you’re interested in wondering what YOU should pack for your elopement stay tuned because we’ve got another blog coming.
Love how we pack for elopements?
