How Much Does it Cost to Elope in Washington State?

August 6, 2021

Today we’re digging into the nitty-gritty numbers: how much does it cost to elope in Washington state? Let’s get into some average WA elopement costs!

Why every elopement cost is completely different

Before I start giving you a bunch of information, I want to first make sure you know that elopement costs completely vary on a bunch of different factors. No budget is going to look the same, no priorities are going to be equal for every couple, no costs are going to look the same for every location.

how much does it cost to elope

Here are the main things your elopement costs are going to be dependent on:

  • What area you live in (city, state, country)
  • What area your elopement will be in (city, state, country)
  • How many vendors you hire
  • What vendors/costs are your top priorities
  • How much of your elopement you DIY
  • Permits/passes you may need at your location
  • Costs of your county’s marriage license fees
  • Travel costs for your vendors
  • What your budget/savings look like
  • What activities you include in your elopement
  • How many guests you invite
  • Food/drinks/the experience you provide for your guests
how much does it cost to elope

As you can see, there are a LOT of factors. That isn’t even a full list. So, just remember that these costs I dive into don’t mean that “this is the exact dollar number your elopement will cost.” Rather, I hope it provides you with baselines to go off of and gets you thinking through what your own priorities are + where you want to be putting your money.

Let’s start off with how elopement costs can differ from traditional wedding costs!

How elopement costs differ from traditional wedding costs

What we’ve all learned after the wild year that was 2020: elopements are a MORE than a viable option – they’re one of the best options, in my personal opinion. 

how much does it cost to elope

In fact, elopements can trump traditional weddings for many reasons – the focus is placed more on you & your partner than traditions, you can do what YOU want, you don’t have to invite as many people, etc. But let’s be real, one of the big reasons couples choose to elope is because they think they’ll save money on elopements.

Now, that can totally be the case – you can save a lot of money on elopements by avoiding different costs that traditional weddings may bring. But since elopements give you the opportunity to budget your money in places you truly want to spend it, rather than on what you think you have to spend it on, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be spending LESS. It means more that you get to allocate your dollars to what means the most to you, versus what traditions tell you to.

how much does it cost to elope

As I said, though, elopements can totally help you save money on certain things so that you have that money to either:

  1. Put toward elements of your elopement that you value more
  2. Or toward a future home, savings goal, your honeymoon, etc. – not even your elopement

So let’s go through a few of the things that you’ll likely save money on if you choose to elope instead of celebrate with a traditional wedding!

  • Venue rentals
  • Food & drinks for 100-200 guests
  • Wedding favors for 100-200 guests
  • Chairs, tables, linens, etc. for 100-200 guests
  • Rehearsal dinners (food, chairs, etc.)
  • Weekend prices – if you have a weekday elopement, some vendors/venues/etc. will offer different rates & have more availability!
how much does it cost to elope

My Washington elopement packages

Below, you can take a look at my Washington elopement packages.

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how much does it cost to elope_0027

Reach out to me here & let’s start planning your dream elopement day!

My preferred Washington elopement vendors & their average costs

One of the questions I get asked most often from my couples: can you help us find vendors?

The answer is always yes! I have a list of preferred WA vendors who I love & trust, that I send to all of my couples.

So I wanted to list them below along with whatever pricing information they have available on their websites, to give you an idea of what your vendor team + costs could look like!

Planner: Tapestry Event Co.

Check out their full list of services here!

Planner: Bushel & Bee

Videographer: Jessica Heron

Elopements start at $2,000

Videographer: Northwest Film Co.

Florist: Rusted Vase Floral Co.

Their prices aren’t listed on their website, but you can check out their services & reach out to get details here!

Florist: Capital Blooms

Cake: Sift & Gather

Their prices aren’t listed on her website, but you can reach out to them here!

Officiant: Rooted & Wild

Officiant: Officiant Jimmie

Prices aren’t listed on his website, so reach out to him on IG here!

Hair/makeup: Anne Timss Makeup & Hair

Her prices aren’t listed on her website, but you can reach out to her here!

Hair/makeup: Pacific Brides

Their prices aren’t listed on her website, but you can reach out to them here!

how much does it cost to elope

Average Washington wedding cost stats in 2020

Now that I’ve given you an overview of how elopement costs can differ from wedding costs and have made sure you know that every elopement budget is completely different, let’s go over some formal numbers + stats!

There’s an awesome website out there called The Wedding Report, where you can obtain all sorts of data about the wedding industry across the world. It’s got average costs of all types of vendors in every county, city, & state, and it’s pretty awesome to get a quick look at baseline costs you might encounter.

how much does it cost to elope

I do want to note that the averages on these reports tend to be a bit lower than they truly are, as the reports are based on data from every single wedding in the state, which includes lots of lower-budget weddings.

Myself & the vendors that I went through in the previous section of this post have higher prices than are reflected on these reports, so keep that in mind as you look at the numbers! Again, these numbers are averages and don’t 100% reflect true costs. These numbers are also for weddings in general, not for elopements specifically!

how much does it cost to elope

*These are Washington state averages from 2020, so also keep in mind that 2020 was obviously a weird year for weddings. People weren’t spending quite as much putting weddings together!*

  • Average total spending per wedding: $24,629
  • Wedding dress: $1,411 
  • Hair service: $77 
  • Makeup service: $64
  • DJ/MC: $898 
  • Bouquet: $361 
  • Boutonnieres/corsages: $163 
  • Venue decor: $475 
  • Wedding venue flowers & arrangements: $351 
  • Wedding album: $482 
  • Engagement session: $457 
  • Day-of coordinator: $1,027
how much does it cost to elope

Elopement budget breakdown examples

I wanted to give you two brief budget breakdown examples of what your elopement could look like with a vendor team including the awesome ones I listed above. Again, these costs will NOT be exactly what yours would be – everythinggg depends & varies. But, here are two simple examples of what you could be looking at if you want a more minimal elopement versus a more elaborate one with more vendors!

how much does it cost to elope

Example #1: A more minimal elopement

Let’s say you’re prioritizing three things:

  • Your photographer (hell yeah)
  • Your florist
  • & a planner

So you decide to hire:

  • Photographer: Me
    • Half-day of coverage
    • $4,000
  • Florist: Capital Blooms
    • $450
  • Planner: Tapestry Event Co.
    • $4,000

Since those are your financial priorities, you decide to DIY everything else that you’re able to, and just hire an officiant to fill up the rest of your vendor team.

  • Officiant: Rooted & Wild
    • $1,000

Your total vendor cost for this scenario would be somewhere around $10,000.

Let’s estimate the rest of your costs:

  • DIY costs for everything else: $1,000
  • Wedding outfits: $4,000
  • Permits/passes: $300
  • Marriage license: $300

This would total to around $15,600!

how much does it cost to elope

Example #2: A more elaborate elopement

In this example, we’ll say you decide to hire a full dream team of professionals to help bring your elopement to life! You want to have less stress on your hands, and put your money toward a team you trust.

Let’s say your top 3 priorities are:

  • Your photographer
  • Your videographer
  • & a planner

So, you decide to hire those three vendors at top-notch packages:

  • Photographer: Me
    • Full-day coverage: $6,000
  • Videographer: Northwest Film Co.
    • $2,600
  • Planner: Bushel & Bee
    • Full planning service
    • $6,000

Then, you hire the rest of your vendors:

  • Officiant: Rooted & Wild
    • $1,300
  • Florist: Capital Blooms
    • $500
  • Cake: Estimate – $500
  • Hair/makeup artist: Estimate – $350

Now, let’s estimate some remaining costs:

  • Wedding outfits: $5,000
  • Permits/passes: $300
  • Marriage license: $300
  • Food/drinks: $1,500
  • Stationery/calligrapher: $1,200

With these vendor costs & estimates, your total would come out to around $26,000.

how much does it cost to elope

As you can see from these examples, costs truly do vary hugely depending on what your day will include. Adding on certain activities will cost more, lodging will add to your total, travel time/expenses, airfare, more vendors, etc. 
In short, the more elaborate you go, the more you’ll be spending – but make sure that you’re always putting your money toward what you value most and what will make your day most special!

how much does it cost to elope

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