How to Plan a Last-Minute Florida Elopement at Pass-a-Grille Beach
Sometimes, you just know when you’re ready. That was the case for these two. They decided to start their forever together right now. Your wedding day is so much more than the memories you make. Also, I’m not there just to show up and capture those memories. Walking you through the process of planning your elopement (even a last-minute one!) is part of why I love doing what I do. See how quickly we pulled off this short-notice Florida elopement at Pass-a-Grille Beach!
Why Wait? Making A Last-Minute Beach Elopement Plan
For anyone debating whether to elope or simply plan a small wedding ceremony with your closest people, let this story be your sign to do it! Collin and Delaney decided at the very last minute that they wanted to get married on the beach solely with their immediate families.
For them, doing this last minute meant they reached out to me less than a month before their date. One tactic to make this possible when not going the wedding planning DIY route is selecting an event-planning company to take care of all the details. I’m your elopement planning guide every step of the way, but you’ll still need a team to execute your vision! It’s also possible to go without any other vendors when you have a zero-guest elopement.
They found the local planning company Tide the Knot Weddings & Events who organized the celebration. The team coordinated with an officiant, and covered the setup and teardown of the beach wedding ceremony location (with seating and arbor). This was a huge help in creating the most relaxed intimate Florida elopement ceremony.
How to Fill a Florida Elopement Day Adventure
This place, these people–theirs is the kind of love seen in movies, described in books, and talked about for years to come. As lucky as a couple feels to be one another’s person, I’m grateful for every time I am chosen as their elopement photographer. I will forever share this story.
After I was brought on board, all that was left was to decide how to spend the day! Hosting a family-only elopement (30 total weddings guests) allowed for an insane amount of flexibility on their day! Their elopement activities consisted of champagne on the beach following the ceremony, dinner at Castile Restaurant (which took such good care of everyone), tattoos (decided during dinner!), then ending the evening with drinks at their favorite little shoreline bar and walking the beach during golden hour.
Pass-a-Grille Beach is located at the southernmost end of St. Pete Beach in Florida. Because they chose a Florida elopement on a Monday in October there was so much freedom in their elopement timeline. I arrived the morning of and went straight from the airport to the beachfront to scout out spots for the first look and portraits. By the time they arrived, everything was all set!
Your Florida Elopement Photographer Can’t Wait
Leading up to Collin and Delaney’s Florida elopement, I researched unique last-minute fun experiences to celebrate the day! One of the options I suggested was getting tattoos together. When someone randomly mentioned the same idea during dinner, I had a list of local places ready for them!
An elopement passes by quickly in such a fun whirlwind of emotions that the smaller moments can easily be forgotten. Moments like when the bride and groom get tattoos together and the bride forgets that she doesn’t need to pay separately because she’s now married. The groom and tattoo artist just died laughing! That's why it is so important to hire a photographer that knows best how to capture those tiny moments so you can be surprised by what you may have forgotten!
Started planning your own last-minute elopement? Count me in!
Wedding Vendors
Ceremony | Pass-a-Grille Beach
Photographer | Jacklyn D Photography
Reception | Castile Restaurant
Tattoos| Above Alpha Tattooing
Planning & Rentals | Tide the Knot Weddings & Events
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