Eloping in New Zealand
Advice for those thinking about eloping and for those wanting to elope in New Zealand.
Eloping in new zealand
On December 8 of 2020, my partner and I eloped in beautiful Mackenzie County on the South Island of New Zealand. We promised our own-written vows to each other alongside the blue glacial water of Lake Tekapo. It was simple. It was stress-free. And most importantly, it was us.
While eloping might not be on your radar, I really think it’s a great option for couples (especially in Covid-times). I am no expert on elopements or weddings, I’ve just attended enough to know what I love and what I don’t, and from there we planned our perfect day celebrating us (plus our daughter) in our favourite place in the land of the long, white cloud.
I’m going to share why we chose to elope in New Zealand and why it might be right for you. I’ll also share tips from my personal experience for those wanting to elope in New Zealand.
Why We eloped
Before I jump into the actual elopement, let me give you some background, especially for those who don’t know our story.
Ryan (British/Italian) and I (American) met in 2012 working together in Melbourne, Australia. After backpacking across India, my friend and I moved to Melbourne to find work and save up to travel more. Ryan had been working all over the UK, lastly Liverpool, before deciding to move to Australia. Our relationship was casual, but we had heaps of fun together and both cared for eachother deeply. I left Aus to travel more and we kept in touch. Fast forward to us meeting up in South America and falling in love (story here) while trekking the Andes. Next, we moved to New Zealand to continue our wanderlust ways. We wound up loving our new home and decided to stay longer than our year work and holiday visas.
In May of 2018, I gave birth to our daughter, Lia, and although far from family and friends, we chose New Zealand as our home. In September of that same year on a balcony in the Orange Garden overlooking Rome at sunrise, Ryan popped down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I always wanted a long engagement and knowing that our loved ones were scattered across the globe, I knew it’d be a challenge to plan a wedding.
We attempted to look at venues in the States online, but it was impossible to make any decisions and we quickly realized a massive, hundred-plus wedding, would be not only difficult to save for, it just didn’t seem like us. One day in early 2020, I had the idea of a destination wedding in Italy where we were engaged and where Ryan’s father lays to rest. I scoured over Airbnb’s and I found the perfect villa for a wedding of 40. We locked in the place for four nights, getting married on September 27, 2020.
Then, you all know what happened. Covid arrived, spread, and threw everyone’s plans for the following year out the window. We postponed for September 2021 and mourned the idea of reuniting with our closest friends and family.
Our new wedding date sounded so far away and with Covid still wreaking havoc across the globe, we weren’t sure if our next date would happen, thus the idea of eloping popped into our heads.
Getting legally married in New Zealand before the Italy wedding was always our plan. Although I dreamed of only one wedding, I changed my mind after reading multiple blogs on getting legally married in Italy. The paperwork alone is a confusing process and super expensive as every legal document would need to be officially translated into Italian. The easier (much cheaper) option in New Zealand outweighed the confusing Italian laws.
For months we played with the idea of eloping. First, just a simple courthouse date in a little white dress, which turned into a wild heli-mountain elopement on the South Island, and finally after an email from AirNZ for a sale on flights to Christchurch, we decided to plan our elopement.
A few of our friends in New Zealand (hey @ashleychaoudhry and @sophiepearcey) chose to say I do in this way and we decided to become husband and wife amongst our favourite Aoetearoa mountains.
On November 6th, I bought our flights and we set the date for December 8th.
Our day was relaxed, stress-free and our perfect day. The only people at the ceremony included the celebrant, his husband (a witness), our friend and photographer Jinal, and our 2.5-year-old daughter. We frolicked amongst the impressionable lupins, took a mid-day nap and even hiked up to the Tasman Glacier in Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park. We were able to say our own-written vows to each other without the worry of a schedule or hosting a room full of people.
If you have any questions that I haven’t answered in this long monologue, feel free to reach out or comment below.
Reasons why eloping might be right for you and your partner
Weddings are the celebration of two people committing themselves to each other. forever. Period. Full stop. Therefore, this day should be all about YOU TWO! We chose to have a special ceremony in the place we call home with just us (and the kid) and spend the day how we wanted. At our soirée in Italy next year, we’ll re-do the ceremony with no nerves and simply enjoy the reunion of our friends and family.
These are the reasons why we chose to elope in New Zealand and why we believe others do as well:
It was affordable. We threw together our elopement somewhat last minute and kept it on a budget. Choose to marry in a public place for free (or for a small park fee) rather than an expensive hall. Pack a picnic, some bubbles, and toast to your marriage celebration in a relaxing setting.
Our elopement was intimate. This is especially perfect for those who don’t want to spend their time talking to distant cousins and co-worker’s spouses. An elopement means you truly get to celebrate your special day with the one you love rather than being pulled in every which way. This means time slows down and you and your loved one can enjoy the day at your own leisure.
Does speaking in front of a big group scare you? Eloping might be right for you. When it’s just the two of you (plus a few witnesses), there is no pressure. I didn’t stress about rushing or worry about a schedule, I didn’t feel anxious as I declared my promises to my husband, and that made it all the more special. Our celebrant, Andrew, even stepped aside so it was just the two of us sharing our vows.
Worried about your relatives bombarding you with questions on the wedding day (I’ve seen this happen countless times) or losing the groomsmen’s shoes or concerned if Grandma will be ok down the aisle? Guess what? There are no un-controllable variables (other than the weather) to deal with on your elopement day. By keeping it simple, it stays simple.
Choose your dream setting. No need to worry about finding a place big enough to hold all 200 guests. No need to worry about seats or decorating aisles. Find your absolute perfect setting by keeping it small. We married by the lake and hiked on our wedding day. Something that could have never happened with a room full of guests.
And lastly, it was us. When we told friends and family before we jetted off to elope, they wholeheartedly agreed that our elopement represented exactly who we are. Mountain-loving, photo-taking, hiking-obsessed travellers celebrating our love amongst our favourite New Zealand nature.
Advice on planning your elopement
With no worry of entertaining guests, you can truly do whatever the f you want on your wedding day. Enjoy a quiet morning ceremony like us in a public, but scenic spot. Get married under the full moon or on a mountain top, or maybe throw a simple picnic in your backyard. Whatever your hearts desire.
planning TIPs
If you have your ideal spot in mind, google search weddings in that location and if it’s public land, check out the city council website. If you’re unsure contact the local government or national park service.
Consider possible dates that work with your schedules. I’m happiest under the warm sun and therefore we chose to have it on a summer day. Think about the time of the year, the weather, etc. Middle of the week dates work well for elopements.
Utilise Pinterest to help you get an idea of your dream setting. Arches are common and many rent out these structures for weddings. Look for flower ideas or keep it simple and just order a bouquet of your dreams for the day.
Find a photographer or videographer to capture your day. Elopement photographers are blowing up on the gram lately and Instagram is another great tool for searching for your creatives for the day.
If you’re after an adventure elopement, consider booking a helicopter or scenic flight to make your day even more special.
Choose a celebrant that you can relate to or feel comfortable with. Curate the ceremony to what you both want.
Make your own Just Married sign to hang on your car or hiking backpacks.
Book an Airbnb or epic lodge to get ready in (and possibly use as a backup location if it rains). Or simply wed in your own backyard.
Decide how you want to spend your wedding day. Maybe an early morning, golden hour suits your style with a relaxed afternoon picnic or maybe a sunset ceremony following by a swanky dinner at a vineyard. Plan your dream day.
Either practice your hair and makeup before the wedding day or look for a local professional in the area.
Order a cake or make your own like I’ve seen many do. I had a friend make us delicious vegan cupcakes for our day.
Think about day-of jewelry and shoes (that are right for your setting). Order wedding bands and choose what you wear based on your style. A white dress isn’t everyone’s dream, it’s your day, you do you.
Make a playlist to listen to while you get ready or one for celebrating after. Maybe bring a speaker and have a romantic first dance.
If you’re in NZ, you’ll need two witnesses, which can include your photographer(s). Check with your local laws for details on wedding certificates, etc.
If you are eloping in New Zealand, here’s the link for obtaining a marriage license.
Advice for eloping in New Zealand
First, decide your location. Queenstown is the capital for adventure elopements and they know the drill. You can find helicopter companies that offer the full shabang. Photographer/videographer, celebrant, heli ride to a scenic spot to say I do, plus a picnic with bubbles and bites. Or opt for a simple lakeside ceremony for little to no cost like us.
Use my planning tips above to get your organizing started. If you need a little help finding vendors, here are a few I used on our elopement.
Vendors I recommend
We threw a small elopement so this list is short!
Photographers:
Jinal Govind, our friend and a very talented photographer in the Wellington region. He also travels for weddings and elopements and made us feel so comfortable throughout the entire day.
Ryan Domenico - I’m pretty sure we’d have our first marital fight if I didn’t recommend my skilled husband. Also in the Wellington region, he travels anywhere around New Zealand for weddings and elopements.
Kate Craig-Brown, another friend and extremely talented photographer, Kate is an expert on elopements and knows all the best spots around Queenstown for your special day.
photos by @jinalgovind, edits by Ryan Domenico Photography
photos by @jinalgovind, edits by Ryan Domenico Photography, elopement wheels thanks to @mercedesbenznz
Celebrant:
Andrew Bell officiated our day and we are both thrilled we chose him to do so. Ryan met him while doing an elopement in Queenstown and thankfully he agreed to drive over to Lake Tekapo to marry us. Andrew wrote a beautiful ceremony which included many touching stories of our relationship and it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Rings:
Vu Jewellers - Only a month or two before our big day, I reached out to Claire to see if she could custom-make our wedding bands. My engagement ring is from Bloody Mary Metal in the UK and I wanted a matching band. She created a hammered yellow gold band for me and a hammered silver band for Ryan. They match perfectly and I’m so glad we chose Vu.
Engagement ring by Bloody Mary Metal // Wedding bands by @vujewellers
Rings by Claire from @vujewellers
Flowers:
I’ve always wanted to wear a flower crown on my wedding day and I chose to make a lupin crown for both Lia and me. I simply snipped a few lupins and used twine to tie them — easy as 1, 2, 3 for this not-so-crafty Mum to make.
Last-minute, I decided to pick up a bouquet from Christchurch on the way to the mountains. A friend via IG recommended Downies Florist and thankfully they were able to put together a bouquet for me in one day. Their store is beautiful and their style is tasteful and modern.
flower arrangement by Downies Flowers
Other things to keep in mind:
DOC grounds like Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park require a permit for legal weddings on-site.
You can skip the celebrant by signing your papers at the courthouse and share your vows in a special place.
I highly recommend capturing your elopement. Find a photographer that embodies your style. Instagram and Pinterest are great ways to search for photo inspo and photographers.
Just remember IT’S YOUR DAY! Cater it to how you want. If you have any questions regarding our day or want any advice, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thanks kindly for checking this out and feel free to PIN and save for your special day.
Cheers!
The De Dominicis’
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