HOW TO ELOPE IN NEW ZEALAND

Here is a step by step process, locations, legalities to help when planning your New Zealand Elopement/Wedding in either the North or South Island.

From the pristine glacier water, the snow covered mountains to the golden beaches, it doesn’t get much better than this beautiful little Island we call New Zealand. Every time I step onto the soil of New Zealand I feel free, the air is clean, the grass is green and the people are welcoming.

I’m not emphasising, New Zealand isn’t popular for no reason, this country is beyond anything you could ever imagine and if you have been here you know exactly what I mean.

I have written this blog to help guide you through your elopement process, having moved to New Zealand from Australia I have picked up some great tips & tricks, found great locations and meet awesome vendors that all go towards helping create your elopement experience.

From snowy mountains & rainforest on the south island, to beaches & volcanoes on the north island there is endless possibilities for you to choose from.

New Zealand consists of 2 Islands, what we call the North Island & the South Island, generally for travel the south island is the most popular! But I don’t want you to forget about the north island, it is full of black sand beaches, beautiful volcano hikes & tradition.

Step 1: Figure our whether you want to elope on the South or North Island

I guess this is firstly the most important part, I would say these islands are fairly different so it’s important to know what you are after. Generally, the North Island is beachy & warmer (but can also get snow in winter in certain parts!), the South Island is colder & lots of mountains & glaciers. I have complied a bit of a list of some of my favourite locations that would be perfect to elope, on both islands. So take a look online at some photos and it might help make your decision. Also keep in mind I will walk you through the whole process & help you find a location.

This list honestly doesn’t even begin to cover the locations here, trust me.

South Island:

-Mount Sunday

-Lake Quill, Milford Sound (requires heli)

-Hooker Hut - Aoraki Mount Cook

-Wishbone Falls

-Aramoana, Dunedin

-Queenstown/Wanaka

-Tasman Glacier

North Island:

-Pokohino Beach

-Mount Taranaki

-Tongariro National Park

-Coromandel

Step 2: Find your Photographer & Videographer Duo

It is really important, I mean I can’t stress this enough, how important it is that your photo & video duo know each other and can work well together. There has been too many horror stories where the photographer and videographer are constantly getting in each others way and just not communicating properly. Usually picking two that know each other comes hand in hand with their style being similar too. In saying that if you are here reading this and thinking NZ might be the place for you to elope, Hi I’m Eloise & my partner is Cody. We are a photo & video duo based in Otago, New Zealand. We travel all over the world for our work but we are grateful to base ourselves in this perfect corner of the world.
I recommend finding your photo & video team first because we are with you all day, morning and night. We have done this a million times before from start to finish and know exactly how everything works, so we can be a great team to help you plan your elopement from the location to all the details.

If you are coming from overseas, it is really important that you find a photographer & videographer that can help you with locations, tips & tricks, permits and everything in between. We love our country so much and we want to preserve it’s beauty, so it’s really important we are intentional and keep this in mind in our planning process.

Step 3: Book your date!

Thinking about the time you want to elope is super duper important in NZ, as the seasons change rapidly & will ultimately decide the entire day. So first, you need to have a think if you like warmer/colder weather. If you are up for the snow then June - August is for you, although you can see snow in May through to October sometimes too. If you are thinking a little bit warmer and don’t want to worry about rugging up, then November through to March is for you! Summer here is absolutely devine and generally the popular wedding/eloping months. Between the warmer/colder months the sunset times are drastically different too. During winter, the sun is down by 6pm, but during summer, you better believe it doesn’t set until about 9.30pm.So this is a great bit of information to help you choose a date!

Step 4: The Planning - Final Vendors, Flights, Permits, Details, Transport

Time for all the rest of the details, and honestly there isn’t really that many compared to a big wedding!

Permits:

Because you aren’t going to book a big venue, generally you would use national park, council land etc so you are going to need a permit, don’t stress as these are generally pretty easy to acquire! It’s just a little step we can help with at the very start do we know the spot you want is available & open.

Vendors:

Celebrant, Florist, Hair & Makeup - These are the main vendors you are going to need, but I mean if you don’t want, you don’t really need any of these! You can do your own hair & makeup, pick your own flowers and get married legally at a court house in your own country before you come and do the rest here.

Attire: 

Dress, Veil, Shoes, Jewellery, Suit - the best part in my opinion! This can also be a special way to include your family if they aren’t coming with you, go dress & suit shopping with them!

Transport:

I mainly include transport incase you are planning on getting married on top of a mountain which in that case you will need to book a Helicopter! In Queenstown, there is no shortage of companies for this!

Flights/Accomodation/Food:

Obviously, you need to book your flights & accomodation in NZ! Keep in mind when booking accomodation that this is where you will be getting ready which means a lot of photos & videos will be taken there, so it’s always nice for it to be an open space with beautiful light, but in saying this, we will create magic wherever you choose and is special to you.

When you get back from the ceremony, you are going to want to eat! Whether you are with family, or just the two of you, it can be nice to set up a table/location with candles & florals and have a caterer bring you food, just like at a wedding. It’s a nice time to slow down, relax, celebrate & eat some yummy food.

STEP 5: LET’S ELOPE!

You are all set! This is a run down on everything you need to do to elope in New Zealand, but Cody and I will be here as your photographer & videographer to guide you and make the process as fun and stress free as it should be!