Planning a wedding can be a challenge, especially if you and your partner are undecided between a large celebration and an intimate elopement. The good news is, there are several wedding styles that blend the best of both worlds. If you’re looking for some ways to combine the intimacy and scenery of an elopement with the company of your loved ones, here are a few wedding types to consider!

5 Types of Hybrid Weddings

1. Short Hike with a Few Guests

If you’d like to get married with just a handful of family and/or friends, it is usually possible to get married on public lands with under 20 guests! If your family is able to hike, this is a great option to have the views you’re dreaming of while also including your loved ones in your ceremony. The Blue Ridge Parkway has many locations that are perfect for wedding days like these!

Cameron & Sasha got married with their immediate family (6 guests total) at a trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway. If your guests are able to hike, this is such a truly special and unique experience for both you and your guests! Following their ceremony, they had an intimate dinner at restaurant in downtown Blowing Rock. Read their full elopement story here.

2. Micro Wedding at a Small Venue

Micro weddings combine the intimacy of an elopement with the structure of a traditional wedding. Typically hosting 20-50 guests, a micro wedding allows couples to enjoy a small, meaningful celebration with their closest family and friends without the pressure and scale of a large event. You can still include many traditional elements, like the ceremony with guests, reception, and first dances, but on a smaller, more personal scale.

Sally & Jimmy got married at a small venue near Asheville with around 20 guests. They spent quality together before their ceremony during their first look and hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway. They had their ceremony at the venue so that is was easily-accessible for their guests, and then hosted a dinner and reception at the venue’s reception space.

3. Intimate Wedding at Jump Off Rock

If you fall somewhere in between the previous 2 options, with around 20-30 guests, one of my favorite locations in North Carolina is an overlook named Jump Off Rock, located in Hendersonville. This location has beautiful views, an easily-accessible ceremony spot that doesn’t require any hiking, and plenty of space for guests to be seated for your ceremony! Many couples will pair this location with a hike for portraits at a secondary location (although this location does work very well on it’s own!) and dinner with guests at a restaurant in downtown Asheville.

Jess & Mike started their day on the Blue Ridge Parkway for their first look, a hike, and portraits. Following the hike, they had a small ceremony at Jump Off Rock and a reception at Reverie in downtown Asheville. Starting the day in the mountains together is a very peaceful and relaxed way to start your day, and that time with your partner will allow you to focus more on you friends and family later in the day. Read more about Jess & Mike’s wedding here.

4. Backyard Wedding

For a personal touch, a backyard wedding is a perfect balance between a traditional celebration and the intimacy of an elopement. Hosting your wedding in a family member’s backyard can be a very special and sentimental experience. Or, you can choose an Airbnb that has the space to accommodate your guests for a ceremony outside. By getting married at a home, it can also serve as the perfect place to host a post-ceremony dinner!

Erin & Kyle booked a large Airbnb in Highlands, North Carolina for their elopement. They stayed with their family and hosted their ceremony in the beautiful backyard. To add some quality-time together and an adventure to their day, we visited a nearby botanical garden and mountain trail.

5. Multi-Day Elopement

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by fitting everything into just one day, you don’t have to! Splitting your elopement over 2 days gives you a lot more time to work with, and allows you to dedicate a day to time with your partner, and another day to time with your guests. Most couples spend one day at a more adventurous location with their partner for their first look, vows, portraits, hike, and include activities that they love to do together, or places they love to visit to visit together. The next day will be focused on a small ceremony with guests and reception.

Morgan & Drew had an incredible 3-day elopement experience that included a welcome party, photos at the courthouse, a walk through downtown Asheville to stop at their favorite spots, intimate ceremony with guests, reception at Posana in Asheville, adventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and post-hike beers at Burial Forestry Camp. To see their full 3-day timeline, read their elopement story here.

How to Structure Your Day

When you’re combing aspects of an elopement with guests, balancing your day with quality-time with your partner and time with your friends and family can feel like a daunting task. The real elopement examples above are a great place to start brainstorming which structure will be the best fit for you and your guests count. Below, I’ve included a bulleted list of ways to spend quality-time together and also create memorable experiences with your guests. Using this list, you can piece together a unique day that feels like you!

Ways to Spend Quality-Time with Your Partner:

• Book a unique Airbnb
• Private first look
• Private vows
• Get ready together
• Morning together in the mountains
• Do something you love together – think about something you’d do if you both had a day off and no obligations!
• Visit a coffee shop, cocktail bar or brewery
• Visit the courthouse to get your marriage license
• Go hiking and take a drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Take a walk downtown to your favorite spots (or ask your photographer for recommendations!)
• Have a catered picnic together at a scenic spot

Ways to Involve Your Family & Friends:

• Host a welcome dinner
• Backyard ceremony at a family home or Airbnb
• Catered dinner at your Airbnb
• Blue Ridge Parkway ceremony with your family if they are able to hike (Up to 10 guests)
• Have a small ceremony at an easily-accessible overlook (Up to 30 guests)
• Have a micro-wedding at a small venue (20-70 guests)
• Ring-warming ceremony
• Elope just the two of you and host post-ceremony celebration with guests
• Stay at a large family-home Airbnb with your guests
• Intimate dinner at a restaurant with a private event space
• Reception at a small venue
• Designated time for hugs & family portraits

I’m Erin, an elopement photographer based in Asheville, North Carolina! I specialize in helping couples create a day with the best of both worlds – quality-time together in a beautiful place and memorable moments with your closest loved ones. Through personalized location recommendations and timeline planning, I’ll help you create an intimate wedding day with the adventure of an elopement while also creating lasting memories with your friends and family!