So you and your partner came to that point in life where you know and feel you met the person with whom you share everything and feel you want to do so for the rest of your life. Congratulations, that’s an awesome and first and most important step in what’s about to come. The next thing you feel like you want to do is to make that decision stand out, to be special. That would be a wedding or, in this case, something better – adventure or elopement wedding. You want it to be different, a moment to remember when you are old and sitting by a fireplace, and memories start to rush from the back of your mind. Since we are passionate adventurers and photographers there was only one logical way to go for us, combine those 2 things with the beautiful nature of Croatia and start Idearium Weddings – our project of intimate adventure and elopement weddings in Croatia.
There are numerous ways to organize your wedding and basically, it’s up to you two to decide which way works best for you. The most important thing to remember is that it has to be something you want to do, not something you are feeling pressured to do. Is it a kind of wedding with 300+ people you rush around the whole day until you come to the point you don’t know who are you marrying anymore and why did you have to go through all this mess? Or is it a kind of wedding where you are alone with your partner, saying your vows on a secluded beach or in the silence of the mountains? Both work perfectly fine, if you have a big wedding you might earn more, if you have a small one, you’ll end up with better memories. It’s simple as that. You have to choose between money and memories. We’ve been in the wedding industry for the past 4 years and trust us, you’ll be much less stressed if you choose a small and intimate wedding instead of the crowded one.
Simply being here and reading this post probably makes you the person we want to reach out to. Maybe you’re sitting on the other side of the world, planning your perfect adventure wedding and you stumbled upon our site. Since we live in Croatia and with it being a really popular country for adventure and elopement wedding, we’ll try to win you over to come here, hire us to be your photographers for your special day and make you some photo memories to look at by that fireplace from the previous paragraph.
Choosing Croatia for your adventure or elopement wedding
Let’s start with Croatia and why is it perfect for adventure or elopement weddings? The answer is only one word – nature. Croatia is a rather small country but it has 8 beautiful and different national parks and 11 nature parks. It has crystal clear Adriatic sea with many secluded beaches, it has jaw-dropping mountains with jaw-dropping views, it has lakes and rivers, lush forests… It has everything you need for your perfect wedding. Here are our 5 best places to elope in Croatia. In case you are planning your wedding in Croatia and you need some tips, just contact us and we’ll gladly help you.
So we answered the question ‘Where’ and it’s time to answer ‘When’ too. If you ask us the answer is spring our autumn. We would avoid July and August simply because of the crowds. In case you want a beach wedding, it’s unlikely you’ll find an empty beach during these months. Even the most secluded ones are discovered and occupied. In case you want to have your wedding in the mountains, then you can choose these summer months as well, just have in mind that heat could be the problem too, even high in the mountains. If you choose spring or autumn months, you’ll find yourself in the best months to experience Croatia. It’s warm, lush, empty beaches, vibrant colors, beautiful sunsets… Only the sea is a few degrees colder but that’s the least important.
Another important thing you want to think about when coming to Croatia is accommodation. If you are attracted by adventure or elopement weddings then you probably like different and special kinds of accommodation. Well, there are plenty of these in Croatia. Houses in trees, camps in nature, whole lighthouses, mountain huts… We have written about it as well in our Where to stay for your elopement in Croatia post, make sure you check it out.
What to do after you elope?
You know what? Maybe it’s best to consider your elopement as a honeymoon wedding. Think about it. You are going to another country, most likely an exotic one, and you are getting married differently. So you better start planning the rest of your journey, not just your wedding day. It would be bad to spend the rest of your days just laying on some beach. You can do that maybe for a day or two, but choose something else for the rest. Adventure wedding or elopement is a journey, saying your vows in a magnificent place is the most special part of that journey, but it shouldn’t be the only one. Let’s say that you eloped on the highest Croatian mountain of Dinara. Perfect, spend a day or two in an old cottage we’ll provide just for you (it belongs to our family), enjoy in a mountain breeze, appreciate every single moment. And then explore the rest. Celebrate, go sailing somewhere, go for a wild kayaking tour on the Zrmanja river which is just half an hour away from Dinara mountain. There has to be something you want to do before or after you elope. Do it.
Small and intimate wedding in Croatia? Go for it
There is one more kind of a wedding we haven’t mentioned yet and it’s in between mass wedding and elopement with just you two. You probably guessed by now, it’s a small intimate wedding. It’s perfectly fine if you want to share your special moments with people close to you. These kinds of weddings are usually small ones with around 20 persons included in the ceremony. It is a bit harder to organize and you need to take a few extra steps but it’s nothing too complicated and nothing to be scared about. What differs in these kinds of weddings is accommodation, venue for the wedding and some extra activities for your guests. When choosing accommodation you want everyone to be close so camps are good ideas, some boutique hotels are a good choice as well, rural vacation houses are places to think about too. The next thing you need to think about is the venue. Maybe you wanted to elope on the top of the mountain and that’s your dream since high school. But on the other hand, you need to think about your uncle Pete who has hearth problems. Can he do the climb? Do I want a helicopter rescue in the middle of the most special day of my life? The answer is no, you don’t want it, even though it would make things even more special. In the end, you need to make your guests feel good. Yes, they love you and they are happy because of you. But remember, they came to another country and they want to see at least one more thing apart from your elopement. Book them a nice trip, book a nice trip for all of you. There is nothing better than bonding with your family and guests through a fun adventure tour or games.
That would be mostly it regarding the adventure and elopement weddings in Croatia. In short terms. The topic is so wide we could write a book. Luckily we have a comprehensive guide for planning your elopement in Croatia in the form of a blog so check it out. You’ll find much useful advice there and if something is not there, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Elopement organization – things to have in mind
Now we come to the part of things that go along with any wedding and elopements are not exceptions. It’s the wedding photographers, flowers, maybe catering and everything else you can find in a classic wedding. Think about it as well. How to make your day even more special? You won’t hire a regular rock band to play for you on a beach, but maybe a solo guitarist with few ballads would make your aunt Mary cast a few more tears of joy. Photographers? You want to have it all documented, trust us. Even if you think you are not photogenic, a good photographer will squeeze the best out of you and make you some of the best memories of your wedding day. Unfortunately, our memories fade but a good photo will make you remember.
When organizing your elopement in a foreign country you need to have some kind of planner over there. A person or agency that will give you some hints and tips according to your wishes. That’s us. Apart from being photographers, our role is to help you with the rest of the organization of such an event by helping you to plan everything or by recommending reliable vendors. We spend a lot of time roaming around Croatia and, trust us, we do know the best places for adventure or elopement weddings in Croatia. And that’s good, think about it. And you know what else? We can organize your adventure tours, after or before your elopement. Kayaking, cycling, rock climbing, hiking, you name it…
We are writing this post in the middle of the crisis with coronavirus. All of the larger weddings are suspended until further notice. The wedding industry is in chaos. Imagine the troubles of young couples with everything prepared for a large wedding just to find out it won’t be possible. Sound like a really bad dream. Guess what? There are no such problems when having an elopement or smaller weddings. We believe these kinds of the wedding will become more popular in years to come simply because no mass gatherings will be allowed. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It’s what a true wedding should look like. Yes, you won’t get your dishwasher but you are young, strong and together you can buy a dishwasher, kitchen and build a house of your dreams. Believe in yourself, don’t be afraid of changes and choose adventure wedding or elopement for the most special day of your life.
