Airbnb Elopement | & How to Plan Yours!

You’re eloping, but you might need that venue feel too. What better way to elope AND have a bangin’ venue than to plan an adventurous Airbnb Elopement?

You are not alone. SO (and I mean) SO many couples are looking to elope and create a meaningful, authentic, and creative experience for their wedding day, but they need somewhere to stay, somewhere to have their ceremony, and somewhere to gather with their teeny tiny guest list. An Airbnb elopement can do just that.

As elopement photographers, planners, officiants, and listening ears, we have so many couples plan their own Airbnb elopement that we thought we’d put together this resource on how to plan your Airbnb elopement! Here you’ll find tips, questions to consider, and even some swanky bnb’s for inspiration! Be sure to stick around for our Airbnb elopement package details below!

But first, let’s look at some perks of an Airbnb elopement:

• The accommodation possibilities are endless. There are tiny houses, tree houses, glamping spots, yurts, shipping container homes, expansive cabins, omg I’m getting excitedly overwhelmed just thinking about how many amazingly unique types of Airbnbs you could get married or celebrate at!! It’s really astonishing! You would be hard pressed to find wedding venues or reception halls as unique as these.

• You’re dealing with real people as owners, not business employees. My couples are always overly impressed with the hospitality and thoughtfulness of their Airbnb’s owners—especially when the owner knows you are there to get married or renting their place to stay at while you’ll be out in the day time hopping across mountain tops to say your vows. On a similar note, owners want so badly to serve you well with local insights on things like where to eat, adventurous activities, and so much more. They are speedy in their responses to messages, and often, things are much more casual which is way less stressful than formulating professional emails back and forth.

• You can book an amazing place while keeping your budget in tact. Even some of the raddest (lol is that a word?) Airbnbs cost a fraction of what a wedding venue would cost, and they are often much more personalized to your needs! You can easily adjust your budget when searching to find an awesome spot and know that you will likely find just what you are looking for.

Related: Elopement in the Mountains Guide, How to Elope (for legalities & adventure planning), How Much Does it Cost to Elope

Step One—Where are you eloping? This will help you choose the right vibe for your airbnb elopement.

Are you choosing a sweet Airbnb first? Or a location first? A lot of couples wanting more of that homey and adventurey vibe simply scour their Airbnb app for ah-mazing spots and then decide where they’re eloping around what bnb they choose. Others know they want to elope outdoors but really want an amazing place to stay and potentially house their guests as well. We always recommend our couples to choose their location for eloping first—and then choose your Airbnb.

The good news is that property owners are catching onto the “super cool Airbnb trend” and making their properties unique with amazing features. A decade ago, odds are you could not have found a yurt with a hot tub in your google search. Now we swipe on over to our Airbnb app and find dozens of yurts with hot tubs just in one 50 mile radius.

You are much more likely to find an amazing Airbnb at a location you love than to find an Airbnb you love and work your elopement around that.

For example, there are so many amazing amazing Airbnbs near Glacier National Park, so we put together a Glacier National Park Elopement 5 Step Guide It’s a great option for an Airbnb Elopement! Our Eloping in Montana Guide has dozens of Airbnbs listed near adventurous locations for your Airbnb elopement!

And here’s a pro-tip for step one: hire your elopement photographer while (or before) you are brainstorming elopement locations. We will truly be a bottomless pit (in a positive way haha) of resources and information. We will know or have the resources to determine the best locations for what you want. We are also experienced with alternative wedding day experiences, so we have experience in Airbnb elopements!!! We will be your encourager, co-planner, and listening ear. In fact, we’d love to be that for you!! We have so. much. experience. in helping couples plan their Airbnb adventurous elopements. Let’s hop on a call, and see if we’re a good fit to be your photographers, co-planners, and so much more.

Related: The Best Place to Elope in the US, Best Places to Elope in California

Step Three—Be sure your Airbnb is “suitable for events” for your Airbnb elopement.

In your filter options, you will find a toggle switch saying, “suitable for events.” Be sure this is switched on so you are only looking at Airbnb’s with event experience. More than the needed experience, the Airbnb must follow state laws and regulations for hosting events such as weddings so you want to be sure they are capable of legally holding your wedding there if that is your desired ceremony spot. But what if you find an Airbnb you love in an amazing location that isn’t suitable for events? Have no fear, ma’am!!! When our couples do this, we simply find a spot on public lands for them to have their ceremony. Often times our couples are eloping at a National Park, so we help them get the proper permitting to have their ceremony on public lands, and then we retreat to their unique Airbnb to celebrate with fam. This is how the majority of our eloping couples navigate eloping on public lands with a small guest list. While there are laws on ceremony regulations, there are not celebration laws—so you can have your ceremony on public lands and use that sweet Airbnb to celebrate!!

Step Four—Send a message to your Airbnb’s owner just to be sure about your Airbnb elopement.

Nothing could be worse than to have the elopement of your dreams at an astounding Airbnb that means so much to you as a couple and then realize you actually broke the law in using it. To keep this from happening, we always recommend message the owner and sending this exact message:

Hi!!! I’m Des!! My fiance and I are wanting to elope at a nearby National Park, and we are in love with your AirBnB property!! We saw it was suitable for events, but we wanted to check with you and be sure! Would you mind answering these questions for us before we book?

1) Is your property eligible to hold wedding ceremonies?

2) Are there are restrictions against typical wedding vendors like photographers, caterers, florists, etc. from setting up and working within your property?

3) Has anyone eloped at your property before? We would love to hear about their experience!

4) If we elope on public lands nearby, can we host our small celebration at your property?

Thank you so much for your time!!! We look forward to hearing from you!

This message clearly states your intentions, and puts the owner responsible for answering the questions honestly. This will also give you insight as to if the property owner is experienced and comfortable in hosting your ceremony or post-ceremony celebration. You will feel at-ease when hearing directly from the owner that they are legally eligible AND experienced in offering amazing airbnb elopement experiences for couples like you!