Let's be honest, we all enjoy delicious food, particularly on our wedding day. As James Beard puts it, "Food is our common ground, a universal experience." If you're looking for ways to enhance the culinary experience on your elopement day whether you're out in the backcountry on a rugged adventure, or indoors at an rustic resort, you're in the right place. We're going to explore the top 5 best ways to enjoy food on your elopement day, ensuring you have both fantastic food and memorable experiences!
Hire a Private Chef
One of the easiest ways to make sure food is taken care of on the day of your elopement is to hire a private chef! Even if you have a small group of family with you, this will also take the stress off of them, knowing that everything is getting taken care of so your family can also enjoy their time with you.
I especially love this route if it's just the two of you eloping. Imagine coming back to your cabin after a day of exploring the outdoors to have some hot, fresh, and high quality food waiting for you. Sometimes you are able to customize your meal, so you can get an elevated 3 course dish of your favorite foods (for me mac and cheese would definitely have to be a part 😋).
This route for food works best if you're somewhat close to a town/city. If you're going to be in a more rural location, it will definitely be harder to find someone who is willing/able to travel with all their food and supplies. For example, if you're eloping near one of Washington's national parks, a private chef from Seattle will be much easier to find!
All in all, if you're looking for a customized and elevated food experience, I would definitely recommend a private chef for your elopement day!
Morning Breakfast Picnic
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - especially on your wedding day! You'll want to eat at least something small to help keep you focused, and a little more energized for the big day ahead. One of my favorite ways to do breakfast on elopement days is starting the day off with a breakfast picnic - along with mimosas of course!
You can even go all fancy with it and make it a charcuterie breakfast board! You could include things like fruit, pastries or cinnamon rolls, bacon, sausage, eggs, yogurt, waffles, french toast sticks, or even muffins. Here's a how to guide on how to create your very own breakfast charcuterie board! A good mix of protein and some sweets is the perfect balance if you ask me ;) Doing something like this could be something fun to do with your family or bridal party the night before. If there's a nearby grocery store, the supplies for this can be picked up the night before so it's fresh!
This is also great to keep out on the table while everyone gets hungry as the morning goes on. This route makes it super easy for people to grab food on the go. Also for any on site vendors, some finger food is always appreciated to help keep us energized as well.
See a real elopement example where my couple included a morning breakfast picnic into their timeline here!
Hire Local Caterers
To infuse the local cuisine of the location you're visiting, a fun way to enjoy unique food is to include dishes favorited by the locals of that area! For an example, Idaho and Montana are known for their huckleberries, so why not infuse a huckleberry dessert into your menu? For example, lots of local places up here in North Idaho serve either huckleberry ice cream, shakes, or pastries/cobblers. You could even ask about a huckleberry wedding cake for the occasion!
Local catering is also great for supporting local small businesses. And local caterers can range from food trucks to local full scale restaurants. So this also works well if you need them to come to you, and for you to have more options to choose from. To see some local catering in action for a real elopement, don't miss this Grand Teton National Park elopement blog where they hired some amazing wood fired pizza catering for their dinner!
Another option is to see if a local restaurant offers private dining rooms specifically for private events/wedding parties. You can reserve your own room and have a private dining experience! This option is great too if you're doing a winter wedding or if you're eloping when the weather isn't clear and dry. You can still get a cozy and elegant experience with your food this way!
Have a Mountain-Top Charcuterie Board
The best part about finishing a hike always is enjoying the view - especially with some food you brought up to enjoy with that view! Packing up supplies for a mountain-top charcuterie will make the views that much better. Sandwiches, veggies, pasta salads, and more picnic essentials will help refuel you after your adventure.
You could even get some cute photos of you guys arranging the tray of food for a charcuterie board, and it can have food that's easy to pack, like salami, crackers, cheese, pickles, etc. Here's a helpful article to create the best charcuterie board yourself!
If it's an easy access drive up location, you can also have a mini picnic in the back of your vehicle, too! One time of my couples brought along a freshly baked huckleberry pie that their family made for them to enjoy during their picnic, and it was easy to bring along since we drove to an overlook spot.
If you want to bring up some cups to drink out of, consider some decorative plastic ones. These are lighter to pack and can still be reused, and you won't have to worry about them breaking on the trek up!
Picnic Table Setup
Make rugged look luxury by having your family or a coordinator set up a stunning picnic table-scape for a mid-day lunch or an end of the night dinner in the outdoors!
This has to be my personal favorite, as it looks so outdoorsy, but elegant at the same time. You can incorporate the colors of the surrounding landscape so it looks like it's part of the scenery, or add in some fun contrast colors so the dishes and cups really pop.
Even if it's just the two of you, you can have your own sweetheart table setup so you have a nice table to eat at (which makes it a lot more convenient than you'd think), and it also really elevates your photos!
Picnic areas are often more private, easy access, and almost always have surprisingly gorgeous settings. There usually isn't a bunch of picnic tables all crowded together, so you can be sure to find some privacy for your table.
Don't be afraid to go all out with a table linen, candles, pretty cups, plates, and silverware - these can all also be thrifted to help the budget! I promise you won't regret going all out on making the experience enjoyable and memorable for you - it will show in the photos too!
It really can be a simple setup to really make an impact. Using elements like layering, textures, and cohesive colors like this blog talks about is enough to make it stand out!
Extra Food Packing Tips
Leave No Trace - When eloping in the outdoors, you'll want to make sure to practice leave no trace principles for your elopement! This includes things like storing food properly, making sure you clean up all trash when you're done, etc. We want the outdoors to be enjoyable for everyone so being sure to familiarize yourself with LNT principles will keep the outdoors clean, safe, and enjoyable for everyone.
Follow Food Storage Guidelines - This especially applies to areas where bears are active, like in backcountry locations. This is especially important to practice in national parks since there are often large amounts of wildlife wandering about.
Sparkling Water vs Champagne - One of my favorite ways to make sure we follow LNT on your elopement day is for that iconic champagne pop photo to be done with sparkling water. It looks just the same, and it doesn't leave behind a sticky mess that may attract wildlife. These are my favorite sparkling waters to use for this! An image example with this kind of water is pictured below as well!
Bring Accessories - Bring along a picnic blanket, a cute picnic basket, personalized cups/can cozies, or a wooden board to arrange your food on for your food experience! Again, things like this really add to the photos. I also bring along a picnic kit for you to use with some extra plates, silverware, a cake cutting set, and more in case you forget something!
Elopement Packages and Pricing
If you're looking for any more recommendations on food for your elopement day, I'd love to help you out! A large part of my services is providing more than just photography for your elopement day (read more about my services here). Whether you need help with recommendations for food, lodging, or even other vendors for your elopement, I am here to help!
Here's what's included in my elopement packages!
- Booking Gift
- 72 Hour Turn-Around Time for Sneak Peek Images
- Idaho Location Guide For Elopements in Idaho
- Beautifully Edited Full Resolution Images
- Access to High Quality Print Products
- Free Phone Consultation or Zoom Call​
​- Day of Elopement Gift
- Timeline Creation
- Leave No Trace Guide
- 30+ Page Planning Guide
- Vendor Recommendations
- Unlimited Planning and Assistance
- 6 Week Turnaround Time for Full Elopement Gallery
- Travel & Accommodations are Covered for Photographer
For full pricing and package information, check out my pricing page here!
Your Elopement Photographer
We can craft a one of a kind elopement (and food) experience for your wedding day with these top 5 best ways to eat food on your elopement day! Contact me here and let's get started creating your dream elopement day, including the best food experience too ;D
For more food inspiration for your elopement, here's some other blogs of real elopements and how they did their food!
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