Stacey and Mikki’s Blue Mountains Elopement With Their Dog Juno and Loved Ones

Stacey and Mikki decided they did not want a huge, traditional wedding. Instead, they wanted to appreciate the picturesque views of Blue Mountains National Park in Australia for their elopement day with their dog Juno, parents, and a few friends. Get all the details below.

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About This Elopement at Blue Mountains National Park

“The house they booked was perched on a hill, overlooking the Western side of the Mountains. They foraged for their flowers, in the morning, drank wine, and ate cheese. When the time for the ceremony arrived, we opted to do it out the back of the property due to mobility issues for the parents. It was a pretty emotional ceremony, especially when the groom’s mother read a letter with words from his father who had passed away.

After this, we went inside for a few cheeky cocktails, and some food, and then off we drove to the other side of the mountains. We located a cool little rainforest section which we went into. Wading through the mud we got some killer shots before we had to turn back due to the mud being shin-height! We then drove a bit further down the road and found the most epic cliff with the sun setting behind us.

I loved the fact that they finished their day with woodfire pizza! So many people wish they could have pizza or burgers for their wedding, well these two did! While we were out shooting portraits, one of the guests went to a local pizza shop, and picked up a bunch, so when we came back there was a table full of woodfire pizza to end the day with.” [James, the photographer]

Explore more places to elope.

Permits and Leave No Trace (LNT) For Your NSW National Park Wedding Experience

“To get married in a NSW National Park (of which the Blue Mountains is one), you will most likely need a permit from the National Parks & Wildlife Services (NPWS) which is likely to cost as little as $250. When it comes to planning and executing your elopement in the Blue Mountains it is always important to bring bags with you in which you can place your rubbish. I often encourage couples to bring a picnic and some drinks to celebrate, so we always plan to take everything we bring back to the car with us to dispose of later.

In the Winter Months, I often do not recommend fires as a way of keeping warm unless it is at a venue or accommodation that approves it. Because the Australian bush can become so dry, one small spark can set off quite catastrophic bushfires, so generally speaking, we opt for pocket and hand warmers in winter.” [James, the photographer]

Learn how to leave no trace during your elopement. 

Top Tips When Eloping Here From The Photographer

“My first tip is to understand the climate and how it differs from areas that are only an hour away. This is a mountain region, and so many people assume because it’s Australia, and the mountains aren’t massive, that this doesn’t warrant any consideration. But in the Blue Mountains, the weather can change in a matter of moments. What starts out as a sunny blue sky day, can turn to a thunderstorm and sideways rain half an hour later. So understanding the climate and time of year is super important when planning.

Another major thing people often overlook is the intimacy of a location. There are thousands of spots you could elope in the Blue Mountains, but the ones you are likely to come across during a Google search will be the most trafficked sites. You will often run into busloads (literal bus tours) of tourists, which really doesn’t allow for an intimate feel. Deep dive a bit more on your research or ask your photographer for help, they know more secluded and intimate locations where you can have your moment in peace.

My final tip is to be realistic with your timeline. I often see couples who want to do some portraits at the base of the waterfall, then come onto the clifftop for their sunset ceremony. They leave 45 minutes to move from the waterfall to the cliff, since it’s only a 700m walk. But in reality, having done it many times, I know that walk is going to take you at least 75 minutes, and that’s if you power it. In wedding attire, soaking in the scenery (which is breathtaking), it’s much more likely to take you 90 minutes. If you aren’t realistic about your timeline and what can be achieved, you’re setting yourself up for failure, and disappointment. Speak with your photographer, and they will tell you what is likely to work and not, they’ve done this all before and they want what is best for you.

Ok, I lied, one last final tip, and that is to make a weekend of it. You will want to shoot in more than one location, which is often not possible just due to the distances. So usually what I recommend to my couples, is to do a sunset portrait session the evening before the elopement. It’s a cool way to celebrate your last night as a non-married couple, and it really helps to capture that intense feeling you have as the ceremony draws near. It also means that some of those locations you couldn’t squeeze into your wedding day, you can go to for this portrait session. You’ll get more amazing photos, more memories, more locations and more adventure. The best of all worlds.” [James, the photographer]

Learn how to elope in a national park.

Deciding to Elope

“Neither of us wanted a large, traditional wedding. We’re both introverts and never liked the idea of having a big event that would feel more like it’s a display for other people rather than a celebration of our love or a true representation of us. We are private people and it only made sense that our marriage reflected this. We wanted the day to feel intimate and comfortable not a stressful, orchestrated affair or like we had to entertain a large crowd of people. Not saying there is anything wrong with a traditional wedding, it just isn’t who we are. There is also the added bonus of quite a big financial saving haha, but that wasn’t the primary reason we opted to elope… though we both loved the idea of being able to use that extra money on making our honeymoon that much more special!” [The couple]

Check out these 10 reasons to elope.

Deciding Where to Elope

“The Blue Mountains felt like a pretty natural choice for us, we would often go hiking there or go on little day trips/dates in the mountains. We also got engaged during a picnic in the Blue Mountains, so it felt right. As for the specific spots we went for photos, I did a bit of scouting to find a spot that fit what we were after. I had an area of the mountains in mind and a ‘vibe’ that we wanted for our portraits, so I spent a few weekends looking for locations that fit what I had in mind and luckily found a spot that had 2 drastically different vibes within a 10 min drive of each other and Jimmy (James White Photography) nailed the photos in both locations.

As for the AirBnB we stayed it, that was a happy accident. We weren’t originally going to have our ceremony there, but when we arrived the night before, it was just perfect. It was so much better than their photos showed so we switched up our plans with Jimmy, our celebrant, and my hair/makeup artist (Jessica Vegas!) the night before and made it happen. That’s one of the many bonuses of an elopement, with minimal vendors involved, it was easy for us to switch plans at the last minute. It worked out better for everyone involved and the vendors were more than happy to accommodate our changes.” [The couple]

Estimate Cost of This Elopement

The whole day came to roughly $11k.

From the couple:

• About half of that cost ($5k-$6k) went on photography as we knew that would be the main thing we would have to remember the day by in the future. This was an important aspect for us so we didn’t mind spending the extra money on it.
• Luckily the dress I fell in love with actually came in under $2k
• Hair and makeup were about $500-$600 and Jess did an amazing job! My hair and makeup both held up all day so I recommend her if anyone is looking to get married in the Blue Mountains
• Our rings from Meg Maskell came to roughly $2k for both
• The Airbnb, which was about $1k – slept 4 of us (myself, Mikki, and both of our mums), we stayed the night before and the night of

Learn more about how much an elopement costs.

Memorable Moments From This Elopement

From the photographer:

“One of the highlights was the ceremony. Both mothers delivered extremely powerful, emotionally charged speeches to the couple, and there was not a dry eye in the house (myself included).

Another special moment was when the couples were standing on the cliff, sun was setting, and the groom just decided to grab her hat, put it on, and do a ridiculous dance. We all burst out laughing and he just kept going, it really made for not only great photos, but epic laughter.

Actually, another moment that was super special and I loved it was when the groom was helping Juno (their dog) get ready. It was so cute, and Juno was so well-behaved as he was putting the outfit on. Then Stacey came in to help Miki get ready (she wasn’t dressed yet), which I love. I always think in the absence of parents to help a groom, it’s so cool to get the bride to do it. It’s so emotional, as she helped him get the finishing touches on.”

From the couple:

“The most memorable part was saying our vows. It was such an intimate setting and with only a few people that we were really close to, we were able to completely be ourselves without all the nerves often associated with a wedding. We laughed and cried and just had a good time.

Another important part for both of us was getting back from our portraits, everyone was at the AirBnB, pizzas ready and just happy for us. We ate, drank, and had cake with everyone (Jimmy included, he was basically a guest as much as the photographer). We were able to celebrate with those closest to us and share stories and laugh and just truly enjoy the day and their company.”

Are You Thinking About Eloping? Advice From The Couple

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people in the lead-up to and after our elopement and so many of them say they wish they had eloped. It was a stress free day, we took our time in the morning, we had breakfast with each other and our mums, I made mimosas and had a few drinks with my husband-to-be while getting my hair and makeup done, I got to joke around and take my time with our friends when they arrived. It allowed for everyone to be relaxed and get excited together. Then at about 2 pm we all started getting ready; Jimmy took ‘getting ready’ photos, my mum and best friends helped me get dressed, we got to take our time and laugh and be stupid together without the strict timeline you would likely expect at a traditional wedding. Plus, we had the bonus of taking photos in a beautiful location out on a cliff and in the wilderness because we didn’t opt for a traditional wedding venue.

I cannot recommend elopement enough to anyone that wants the day to be purely about their love with not just their partner, but also their nearest and dearest. I can’t imagine a better way for us to have gotten married.” [The couple]

Final Words of Advice From The Photographer

“If in doubt about inviting guests to your elopement, just think about how you could get them involved. I think a lot of people think it will be awkward just having a couple of people standing there. So do what Stacey and Miki did, get them involved. The mums delivered a speech, the friends were responsible for handling Juno, dealing with the cake, catering and pizzas. Everyone had a job, a role, they were a part of the elopement, not just a guest at the elopement.” [James, the photographer]

Learn how to elope.

Photos From This Elopement