How to book your first elopement

Q1: WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BOOKING YOUR FIRST ELOPEMENT?

Set yourself up for Elopements. Look at your branding, your copywriting, your website, social media, etc. Does all of this reflect that you are an elopement photographer? You want to make sure you can clearly communicate that you travel and photograph elopements within seconds of people seeing you and your work. Their client experience begins with you far before they ever reach out.

Find cheap flights under $200 somewhere you want to go. Connect with another photographer that is local to the area you want to travel, see if they would be willing to set up and shoot together (and possibly even let you crash at their place if you want to save on hotel costs), and document the crap out of it! This way you will have traveling content, new destination content, and new connections from the friend you just made! Make sure to connect with other local vendors when you travel as well! Stay open -- you never know what opportunities will come from anyone at any time.

Q2: HOW DO YOU MAKE CLIENTS FEEL RELAXED WHEN IT'S JUST YOU AND THEM AT THE SHOOT?

Ahh. SO much goes into this one! Equal amount is done in prep than it is during the session! Make sure you are taking the time to get to know them prior to the elopement. That way you aren't asking them basic questions on their wedding day. You want to make them feel like the most important people!

A good way to make them feel comfortable in front of your camera is to tailor the session to them and their interests! This is where getting to know them prior to the session comes into play. Match their session to their personality so they feel most comfortable!

TRUST. You need to build that relationship and connection to build trust with them prior to the Elopement. Once you can do this, they will have 100% trust and confidence in you. How you connect with your clients is everything. I have a fun QUIZ to figure out your Connector personality type to see how you can better connect and serve your clients!

Q3: WHAT WOULD BE YOUR GO-TO GEAR FOR AN ELOPEMENT SHOOT AND WHY?

- 2 Canon 5d Mark IV bodies
- 24-70mm 2.8, 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.2, 85mm 1.2
- Rose Anvil double camera harness strap
- Kamrette bag

These are my absolute go-to's! Cannot shoot an Elopement without all of these!

Q4: HOW DO YOU PREP AND STAY ORGANISED BEFORE AN ELOPEMENT SO IT GOES SMOOTHLY?

Again, SO MUCH goes into this during the prep phase before the elopement happens. You need to be the guide for them and help do the research. Create a google doc with all of the information you gather for their elopement. Including travel times, sunrise and sunset times, locations and how to get there, time of year/seasons that are best, park fees + permits, etc. Have a list of items they will need to be responsible for bringing too. For example: extra shoes to walk in, marriage license if necessary, make up for touch-ups, etc. Also make sure YOU are prepared with items you might all need: snacks, bug spray, hairpins, bandaids, Advil, etc. You can truly never be too prepared for elopement days as they all are so different and you just never know how they will go!

Q5: WHAT ARE YOUR MOST COMMON CHALLENGES ON AN ELOPEMENT SHOOT AND HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THESE?

I would say one of the more challenging aspects of planning an elopement is timing so the sun and light is just right. Especially in a place you have never been before, you need to figure out the order of locations you will be going to and which will be best. I suggest if you can, try to scout the location prior to the day. And if this is not possible, make sure you are in clear communication with the couple on where the sun will be, how long it takes to get there, etc. Another good resource to use is Google Earth Pro. You will be able to see the sun with the time and day you will be there and that can help you plan what will work best!

Q6: HOW DID YOU SET YOUR PRICING FOR ELOPEMENTS AND TRAVEL FEES, AND UNDERSTAND YOUR WORTH AS AN ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER?

This took me a little bit while I was first getting started with photographing traveling elopements and weddings. I eventually got to the point where I was not charging enough for my time and services. I love traveling more than anything, but it can be exhausting, expensive, and time consuming! I needed to feel compensated for my time as well. So I think learning to price yourself comes with time and figuring out how much it takes for YOU to travel for weddings and elopements. I don't think anyone else can tell you what that price should be.

In terms of setting prices, I do all custom packages for traveling weddings and elopements. Each one is so different and the cost to get there is so different as well. But a good baseline to go off of is set your price that you want to charge for your services and then add $1,000. I find that between flights, rental car, hotel (2 nights), and other travel costs, it often adds up to roughly around that cost. OR you can just do your own research for how much things will be and then add that price on top of what you want to charge (for example: if you have somewhere free to stay and do not want to charge for that)!

At the end of the day, make sure you are making the best decisions for you and your business and be intentional about everything you do.