How to have a
Personal Micro Elopement

When Felicity Westmacott sent in images of the bespoke gown she made Nikki for her and husband Tom’s stunning micro elopement in Cornwall – we knew we had to share them with you. We chatted to Nikki and Tom about their wedding and got all the info on how best to plan your own truly personal day.

Photos throughout: Thomas Frost Photography

1. Picking the Location

Choosing where to elope is one of the most exciting parts of planning a micro wedding. It sets the tone for your whole day. Whether you’re dreaming of windswept cliffs, ancient forests, or urban rooftops, the key is finding a spot that feels like you. Think about the places that mean something to you both and reflect your personalities. Also consider accessibility for your chosen guests.

Nikki told us:

“Beacon Crag was our main inspiration as it was where Tom proposed when we holidayed there in September 2020. We knew we wanted a very intimate, low-key affair and decided that our wedding should really be more of a fun weekend away than a serious affair, hence the choice of location. The weather was glorious and enabled us to have our ceremony outside on the clifftop with just us and our seven guests”

2. Who to Invite

A bonus of a micro elopement is that you have the perfect excuse to only invite a handful of people, if any at all! Micro elopements reduce the drama of having to invite everyone. You can avoid awkward conversations about inviting your aunts best friend who baby sat you once! (You know what we mean!)

Nikki told us:

“We hired out the venue for the whole of the bank holiday weekend so that we and our seven guests could stay there exclusively. We only wanted a very few people there so only invited the maximum number of people the B&B could accommodate.”

3. Keeping it Personal

Choose Your Ceremony

When planning a personal micro elopement, choosing who conducts your ceremony is a personal decision, but there are a few practicalities to keep in mind.

Nikki and Tom chose a registrar-led ceremony with Cornwall County Council, held on a clifftop near their venue.

Registrar-led weddings offer an official, legally recognised option, with the signing of the register included in the ceremony. These can often be personalised with music or readings, making them ideal for couples who want something simple but meaningful. Just be sure to check if your chosen location is licensed and whether you’ll need to meet with the registrar in advance -especially important if you’re travelling for your elopement.

Other options include celebrant-led ceremonies, church weddings, or even a ceremony led by a friend or family member. These offer more flexibility and personalisation, but may involve extra steps such as pre-wedding meetings, travel, or arranging a separate legal signing to make your marriage official.

To see more about Celebrant-led weddings check out our blog ‘Our Ultimate Guide To Wedding Celebrants’.

Personal handmade details

When you have a micro elopement, creating your own handmade details is far less stressful. Thoughtful touches that you have made and can gift to your guests make things deeply personal.

“We wanted everything about the wedding to be very personal and, whilst budget wasn’t a huge issue, we wanted to do as much as possible ourselves to put our stamp on it.”

Nikki and Tom had many lovely touches including confetti packets that doubled up as an order of service. Another was table decorations which became keepsakes that the guests could take home. They filled jars with sand and shells to reflect the coastal theme. The day after the wedding, the group collected more shells at the beach to add to their jars as mementoes.

Wedding Rings

Nothing says personal more than making your own wedding rings! There are workshops across the country offering sessions to create your own rings. Guided by a skilled artisan, you can infuse your own energy into the process. Your rings will remind you not just of your vows, but also the day spent making them. Nikki and Tom made theirs with Oldfield Forge, a blacksmithing forge in Herefordshire.

Let the music Play

Choosing music that reflects your personality is a great way to make the ceremony and celebration more personal. Nikki walked down the aisle to the 90s classic ‘Mmm Bop’ by Hanson. Later, they used a large rechargeable Bluetooth speaker so that everyone could take turns as DJ.

Food & Drink

With a small guest list, you can serve exactly what you like without the stress of caterers or waiting staff.

Nikki and Tom created hampers with cream teas (very Cornish!) and sipped on Cremant, their preferred choice over champagne. Later, they walked in their wedding attire down the coast path into Porthleven for a meal at a restaurant.

4. Pick Your Team

Even when you elope, you might not want to do everything yourself. Having a team to create your look, flowers, dress, or cake will help you feel your best. You may not know local suppliers, but directories (like ours see it here!) can help. Or talk to your existing contacts, as Nikki did, to see if they’d be happy to travel.

“Amy Needham (Hair and makeup) is based in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, and I have been going to her for about 12 years. I jokingly asked her if she fancied a trip to Cornwall to do my wedding hair and make-up and she actually went and organised a holiday around it so that she could be there for me on the day. She definitely went above and beyond!”

“My florist, Lorna, at Fullers Flowers in Princes Risborough is a client of mine (who breeds some rather gorgeous Fell Ponies). She created the most wonderful bouquet using my favourite flowers in the colours that were in my dress.”

Wedding Dress

A personal micro elopement is all about the two of you doing exactly what you want. Nikki wore a colourful dip dye lace gown by Felicity Westmacott to reflect her personality. She chose simple white heels for the ceremony and switched to purple glitter Converse shoes by Custom Converse. The trainers let her explore the coast path for portraits and she’s been able to wear them since.

“Felicity made the most wonderful dress that was beyond my wildest dreams yet she fully understood the brief and made me a dress in which I was able to scramble down rocks in so that we could get some incredible photos on the beach.”personal

Wedding Photographer

Choosing the right photographer for your elopement is key to capturing the emotion, atmosphere, and adventure of your day. It’s worth thinking about how their style fits your location – some photographers specialise in dramatic landscapes, perfect for coastal, clifftop, or mountain settings. Nikki and Tom chose Thomas Frost Photography, a Cornish photographer whose documentary style and love of wild, natural backdrops suited their clifftop ceremony perfectly and captured stunning images of them on the beach. Look for someone whose work resonates with you and who understands how to tell your story in the kind of landscape you’ve chosen.

For more help on picking a photographer take a look at our blog ‘How to Choose Your Wedding Photographer’.

5. Make the Most of it

One of the things we hear over and over is that the wedding day seems to go so fast. Couples often feel that they’ve barely spoken to their guests or if they have then they’ve missed time with each other. The very nature of an elopement is generally being away from your usual area of residence and so your guest will most likely be travelling for it. Why not make the most of it and have a few days away together? Plus by keeping it micro means less guests, meaning you will not have to spread yourself so thinly.

Nikki told us:

“We wanted our guests to have a mini holiday so we filled the whole weekend with activities rather than making it just about the wedding. The day before the wedding, we had dinner in a local pub and the day after the wedding we walked into Porthleven where one of our guests swam in the sea whilst the rest of us did some shopping before we all headed over to St Ives where we had a private boat ride to go seal watching.”