Eloping means you can truly do anything you want to do on your day. While you may typically picture a wedding day meal as a big event, with caterers and a venue. When your eloping, it won’t quite look like that. You’ve intentionally chosen to celebrant in a way that is more meaningful and authentic to you, on a smaller scale. So when it comes to choosing which type of dinning experience(s) you’d like to incorporate into your day, we suggest it be in some way that is a reflection of the two of you!
Think to yourself, how do we normally share in a celebratory meal? Do we have a favourite type of cuisine, or style of restaurant we love? Are we more laid back and love a picnic or BBQ in the park?
The best part of eloping is that it brings back choice. You have the choice to incorporate whichever meal styles you enjoy most! Whether you love cooking breakfast together in your kitchen, but always enjoy a fine dining meal out for dinner. Or if you’re the adventurous type who loves to eat on the go and have a picnic somewhere beautiful. Make this experience true to you, even when it comes to how you will be enjoying your meals on your day.
To help you brainstorm further, we’ve put together a list of 10 of the most common meal experiences couples partake in on their elopement days.
Grazing box/table
This is such a fun, easy way to enjoy a meal on your elopement day! Order a put together for you box filled with goodies that you know the two of you will enjoy. Whether it’s cheese, crackers, dried fruits, and spreads. Or a desert box with donuts, chocolate covered strawberries, and cookies, galore! Order a few boxes to share throughout the day, or one big box with everything you love! This takes the stress out of planning your meals, and allows you to snack freely throughout the day.
You could enjoy this in a Picnic style, or laid back relaxing at your Airbnb. Grazing boxes makes meal time simple, seamless and organized for you! You can even get a vendor to drop off the box to your doorstep, so you don’t have to worry about running around for food on your day.
Picnic
Picnic’s are perfect for an adventurous elopement. Imagine hiking to a scenic spot, saying your vows, exploring the scenery, and then enjoying a relaxing picnic with a bottle of bubbly! If going on a day trip and packing a picnic lunch is something you regularly do in your downtime. This is definitely the perfect meal experience for you! Picture a picnic basket, filled with your favourite treats, and drinks. You could even stick a grazing box in there if you please! It’s easy to carry with you throughout the day, and makes for the most laid back, outdoor, adventure style meal.
Fine dining experience
While on the contrary, if your more of a city go-er and you love a fine dining experience. Consider going out to an amazing 5 star restaurant on your elopement day. Maybe indulge in a 5 course meal, order 1 too many cocktails and celebrate the night away on a romantic date. Think candle light, bottle of wine, top notch cuisine! It’s your wedding day after all, why not go all out and indulge in this experience!
Ask your family to cook for you
If you are having family and friends present on your day, why not ask them to cook up your favourite meal and enjoy a meal together as a family. If you frequently have big family dinner parties together, this might just be the perfect option for you. What better than your partners or grandparents home cooked meal! Or perhaps one of your best friends is an amazing chef?! This way you can come up with the entire menu, and pick your favourite foods, and sit back with your favourite beverage while they serve it up for you!
We bet you everyone will just be happy to be involved in your day. They will be so honoured you love their cooking enough to share in it on your wedding day. This could be a sit down dinner inside with your grandma’s famous pasta recipe. Or a backyard BBQ with all your favourite sides and meats. Whatever feels most like the two of you, that’s what you should do!
Hire a private chef to cook for you
If you prefer a more private atmosphere, but are a major foodie and love going out for a meal. Perhaps hire a private chef to cook for you in at your accommodation. If you’re renting an airbnb for the night, or a few nights, why not consider hiring a private chef for your elopement dinner. They can come to you, with all the ingredients and cook up a feast. While the two of you relax and bask in this moment together, just the two of you. Or with a few of your closest loved ones. Whichever feels more like you!
This might not have been something you even knew you could do. So if you are looking for some recommendations be sure to get in touch. So we can recommend some of the best chefs for your private dinning experience!
Enjoy your favourite takeaway meal
We’ve seen couples hit up their favourite burger joints, or order takeaway pizza, or even get Chinese food. If you love a good takeaway meal together, this might just be the one for you. Eat in at McDonalds in your wedding attire. Grab your pizza to go and enjoy it out in nature. Or take your Chinese back to your room and eat it in bed. Honestly, the world is your oyster, and it is your day. So do whatever the heck you want, but just make sure it’s a true representation of the two of you, and how you would love to celebrate!
A styled sit down dinner at home or your accommodation
Whether your hiring a private chef at your airbnb, asking your family to cook for you, or maybe you both love cooking so much you want to prepare the meal! Why not set up a styled sit down dinner for just the two of you, or your closest loved ones to have that wedding day feel to your meal. We all love a styled table scape, and don’t just think because your eloping, you can’t still have that! You could hire a florist/stylist to set it up for you, or do it yourself! Explore Pinterest ideas, find a style you absolutely love and hit up the shops and recreate it!
Add some florals as the centre piece, even Kmart has amazing plates and cutlery. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It can still be a beautiful styled representation of you. To celebrate your love together through your meal.
Have a BBQ in the park
Who doesn’t love cooking up a barbie in the park with your loved ones. Maybe next to the lake, or a massive green space garden in the city. Whether it’s just the two of you, with your sausages and side salads. Or you set up a picnic with your best friends or your closest family. This is an amazing way to spend an afternoon celebrating your love for one another.
We know our families love to do this for holiday celebrations. So if yours is the same, why not incorporate that family tradition on your wedding day!
Home cook a meal together
If cooking is something you absolutely love doing together, then why not include that on your elopement day? Crack open some bubbly, a bottle of wine or a bottle of sparkling water, put on your aprons and cook up a feast together! Cooking as a couple can be so much fun, if it’s something you both enjoy doing together. This allows you to spend that quality time together. While also preparing a home cooked meal you both know you will love. This could be at your airbnb, or back at your apartment in the city.
Make it a fun experience, plan up a menu filled with foods you both love to eat, and get in that quality time. Throw some flour around, and enjoy the experience together making your favourite meal for your elopement dinner!
Visit a winery
This is the perfect way to celebrate for the wine lovers. You could take a wine tasting tour around a few different wineries. Or set up a private dinning experience out in the vineyards. Or reserve a table next to the fireplace and dine in with your favourite meals and beverages. Wineries are the most picturesque place to spend your elopement day. And if you love a glass of wine, why not sit back and celebrate with a few! Even some wineries have an accommodation on side, perfect to spend your wedding night! You could plan your whole evening in one place, and just take it all in together celebrating.
We hope this gave you some ideas for how to plan your elopement day dinning experience! Remember, there is no wrong or right way of eloping. It’s all about doing whatever is most authentic to the two of you! We can’t wait to see what you come up with, and if you need a little extra hand with coming up with ideas. We not only photograph elopements, we guide you throughout the experience to creating your dream day. We can’t wait to meet you!
