Love is always stronger than any kind of disaster the world can throw at us. It’s no secret that the coronavirus has changed the wedding industry in ways we never saw coming. We are starting to see more couples cancel their big wedding and instead choosing to elope with a small group of 10 or less family and friends. We want you to know, even if your wedding was impacted by the corona virus, you CAN have your special day and utilize your original vision for you day. If you are contemplating revamping your big wedding into an elopement consider turning your day into a magazine worthy elopement styled shoot! 

Today we spoke with Sacramento Wedding Coordinator and styled shoot expert, Kristina Forester with Events By Kristina Elyse, about taking your elopement to the next level! Kristina’s styled shoots have been featured on, Our Wedding, and Real Weddings Magazine, and Wedding Chicks just to name a few! If you’re considering an elopement, contact Events By Kristina Elyse to create a styled shoot of your own!

What is a Styled Shoot?

A styled shoot is generally used for magazine publications when weddings vendors want to introduce new weddings trends and ideas. Wedding creatives, such as a coordinator, photographer, florist, and makeup artists, come together to collaborate on creating a visually appealing and Pinterest worthy wedding. Styled shoots often use ideas that are out of budget for the average couple who host a wedding of 130 or more guests. However, if you choose to elope with 10 or less guests, those Pinterest worthy ideas are more likely to fit into your wedding budget!

Why Elope?

Marriage is about two people coming together as one, and eloping is a simple way of getting married with out all the fanfare. If eloping was your first plan or even plan B due to the corona virus, it can be a cost effective way to still have that picture perfect wedding, adhere to government guidelines, and celebrate your love.

First Steps in Changing Your Wedding

If you’ve come to the difficult decision to cancel or postpone your wedding due to the corona virus, we highly recommend you reach out to the experts for help with the next steps. Kristina, with Kristina Elyse Events, recommends contacting your coordinator first. She can take away a lot of the stress of contacting all your vendors about the cancelation, find out information on what you’ve already paid vendors, and find out if vendors will offer any services for any non-refundable retainers you might have already paid. This leaves you with a moment to grieve the loss of your day and the chance to contact all your guests about your new plans.

Your next step is deciding on a venue, Kristina says this could possibly be your original wedding venue, if government restrictions allow a smaller group on your day. If you want to do something completely new, or already moved the “big” party at the original venue to another date, you can begin a search for a new location. Once you have a location, you can begin planning the perfect styled shoot to represent you as a couple and the wedding photos of your dreams.

Contact Your Photographer to Confirm Availability

Photography is arguably the most important piece to an elopement session. It’s important to find a photographer who’s style you love and a personality that you enjoy being with. Your elopement is a very intimate and special moment so you need to trust the photographers who you choose to be there.

How to Plan a Styled Shoot for You Elopement?

Create a Style Board

Kristina uses a style board for all her styled shoots, it’s a simply document with all your ideas, color schemes, and inspirational pictures that is shared with all the vendors to create a cohesive look for the day. If you’re changing your big wedding plans to a smaller stylized elopement shoot, she’ll ask you to show your Pinterest boards, pictures of decor pieces you might already had for your big wedding, and any other pieces of inspiration you might want to use. Kristina is a design expert, she’ll help you take these ideas and elevate them to magazine worthy designs.

Honor Your Details

The Dress & Accessories: If you were already planning on having a wedding, you probably have the wedding dress of your dreams. It’s up to you if you choose to wear that dress to the elopement shoot, or if you want to get a second dress. Bonus, there’s no traditions holding you to wearing a white dress! You can choose to wear anything you want. This elopement is all about YOU and your story, wear what makes you happy!

Another idea Kristina brings to the table, is to wear the dress you chose for your big day. Then for your big party later, get it altered! You are always going to be you, but life around us will always be changing, allow the dress to change to represent each moment in time. 

Your accessories are also going to be important to get photographed, let your coordinator know about your jewelry, bowtie, shoes, mementos, gifts, and wedding suite so that she can plan time around having these photographed. 

Florals: You’ve probably already worked with your florist to create the perfect bridal bouquet, table center pieces, and ceremony florals, so you can still use those flowers at your elopement shoot! If you’ve already invested a non-refundable retainer with a florist, ask if you can invest what you’ve already paid toward a new collection of elopement flowers. 

Reception Details: The next details you’ll want to think about are your reception details. If you had already purchase things like table numbers, place cards, menus, and decorative center pieces, plan to use them doing your shoot. You’ve invested a lot of time into these special pieces so it’s important to photograph the memories even if you didn’t use them. 

This shoot is the opportunity to bring your biggest vision to life. If you had ideas for your big wedding that exceeded your budget because of a high guest count, this is your chance to upgrade to the fancier linen, the bedded changer, or vintage silverware that was previously out of budget! You will only need a few sets of table sets in order to get the perfect picture!

Create a Shot List

A shot list is vastly different in an elopement styled shoot than your original wedding day pictures. On your wedding day, generally the most important images that require a shot list are family portraits. Details are always shot as they as they appear organically on your wedding day. When it comes to an elopement styled shoot shot list, Kristina will work with you, Dee and Kris to list all the details you want photographed and how. This gives you a whole new level of control over the detail pictures you want of your day. If you want flat lays with your jewelry and shoes, Kristina can help you plan out the pieces you want in the flat lays what decorative pieces you want, (ie. Ribbons, loose flowers, fruit, a ring box). This shot list will also drive your timeline so that you have time to enjoy all the little details and give your photographer the chance to photography the details from every angle. 

Invest in Hair and Makeup

A styled session is all about the pictures, so you’ll want to look and feel your best because during your elopement styled session, you are the models! Hair and Makeup artists specialized in looks that photograph well, so investing in them are going to be important. If you don’t already have a hair and makeup artist, we recommend Shana Beal (Makeup), Tina Romo (Hair), or Christi Reynolds (Hair & Makeup). They all have salon spaces so you can choose to meet at their salon or ask for an on-location session. 

Plan an Elopement Activity

Your elopement ceremony and styled shoot will probably take about 4 hours to shoot, which leaves you with the opportunity to celebrate your marriage! Kristina recommends choosing a secondary location from the ceremony for a formal dinner for you and your new spouse and your few guests. Both Kristina and Elyse and Dee and Kris recommends investing in a private chef, such as Chef Stephanie, who can create a one of a kind meal for you and your family. Take this time to have a tech free moment with those who you are closest with. 

If a fancy dinner is not your style, consider something fun like a wine train tour or a private boat tour, depending on your location. Generally, Kristina Elyse and your photographers will leave you for your after elopement activity but she can help you come up with a unique idea that is true to who you are as a couple and will be a memory that will last a life time! 

Events By Kristina Elyse: The Styled Shoot Elopement Package

Kristina has created a one of a kind package specifically for couples who want to create a styled shoot elopement. This package includes 22 hours of coordination planning, 8 hours of onsite setup and styling and help planning your after elopement activity for 10 or less people!

Your marriage is about the two of you, and that’s truly what matters most. If the corona virus has impacted your wedding plans, Events by Kristina Elyse and The Dee and Kris Photography Team are here to support you. Whether you choose to postpone your big wedding to a later date, elope at the courthouse, or elope with a magazine worthy styled shoot we can help make the dream a reality