Elopements and small weddings
St. Augustine Elopement & Micro Wedding Photographer
Not every wedding needs a hundred and fifty people and a seating chart. Some of the best days I have photographed had under twenty guests, and one had two.
If you are eloping in St. Augustine, or having something small enough that the word wedding feels oversized, this is the page for you.
What counts as an elopement
There is no official definition, and the word gets used for everything from a courthouse ceremony on a Tuesday to a thirty guest dinner on a beach. What they share is that the day is short and the focus is on the two of you rather than on production.
That changes how I work. There is no twelve hour timeline to manage, so the photography can be looser and more like a session. We walk, we talk, you get married, and the pictures come out of that rather than out of a schedule.
Courthouse and small ceremonies
A courthouse wedding is usually over in fifteen minutes, which surprises people. The photographs that end up mattering are almost always from before and after: the walk in, the paperwork, the first few minutes outside when it has actually happened.
If that is your day, do not book the smallest possible amount of time. Give yourself an hour on either side and you will have a proper set of photographs rather than three frames of a signature.
Where to elope around St. Augustine
The city is well suited to this. You can be married in the historic district and on a quiet stretch of sand within half an hour, which is hard to do anywhere else in Florida.
Weekday mornings and late weekday afternoons are the two windows where the popular places are genuinely quiet. If your date is flexible, that flexibility is worth more to your photographs than any location choice.
- The historic district, early morning, before the day visitors arrive
- Vilano Beach and the north shore for open sky and fewer people
- Anastasia Island, where you get dunes and shade without driving between them
- A rented house or private garden, if you want somewhere to sit down afterwards
How to book a small wedding
If your day is short, an extended session often fits it better than a wedding package, and it costs considerably less. Two hours covers a ceremony, portraits and the time either side for most elopements.
If you want longer, or you are adding a dinner, the six hour wedding package is the next step up. Tell me what the day actually looks like and I will tell you which one you need rather than selling you the larger one.
Session pricing
$50 deposit reserves your date. Every option includes a private digital gallery.
Mini Session
$199
30 minutes, up to 1 location, around 15 edited photos, private digital gallery
Full Session
$299
1 hour, up to 2 locations, around 40 edited photos, private digital gallery
Extended Session
$450
2 hours, up to 3 locations, around 80 edited photos, private digital gallery
Common questions
Do you have an elopement package?
Not as a separate product. Most elopements fit the two hour extended session at $450, and anything longer fits the six hour wedding package. Describe your day and I will point you at the right one.
Can you be our witness?
Yes, this comes up constantly at courthouse weddings and I am happy to do it. Tell me in advance so we can be sure it is allowed where you are marrying.
Do we need a permit to be photographed on the beach?
For a small group and a photographer, usually not, but rules differ by beach and by county and they change. Check with the relevant authority for your spot, and if you tell me where you are planning I will tell you what I have run into there.
Is a micro wedding cheaper to photograph?
Generally yes, because you are buying fewer hours. The hourly care is the same, there is just less day to cover.
Can we do photographs on a different day from the ceremony?
Yes, and for courthouse weddings it is often the better plan. Marry when the office is open, then photograph at golden hour when you both actually look awake.
Keep looking
Let’s create something beautiful
Tell me your date and what you have in mind. If I am free, I will tell you straight away.
Or call 904-710-4560