How to Leave No Trace at your elopement
What is “Leave No Trace” and why does it matter for your wedding?
Leave No Trace is both a mindset and a set of guidelines – formalized by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. We think everyone spending time out in nature should really get familiar with the concept; the whole point is to make sure that our actions as humans don’t impact the wild spaces we love to explore!
Unfortunately over our years as elopement photographers in Colorado, we’ve seen so much destructive behavior caused by weddings – discarded decor, people going off trail for photos, bringing too many people to a location that can’t handle it, and so much more. This stuff gives weddings a really bad rap in the outdoor community — so many people (including park & land managers!) think that ALL wedding couples are just dummies who come in from out of state to trample their precious wilderness, make a big mess for the photos, and then leave again with no consequences.
We know that’s not true. Our clients are people who already spend a lot of time outside, consider themselves environmental advocates, and deeply love and care for the outdoors. We have been certified Leave No Trace Aware Photographers for years and take a lot of care to educate our couples and their guests on how we can all raise the standard for getting married in nature!
Let’s get into the 7 LNT Principles and how you can get into the mindset of planning a Leave No Trace wedding. Something to always keep in mind is that there are few hard and fast rules that apply to every natural location on earth. Every specific spot is going to have special considerations, and we’ve found that the best approach is just to be really curious and ask questions instead of making assumptions.
One more thing: don’t let this list daunt you! Read it, absorb it, live it — but just know that it’s actually so easy to have a nice time outside once you’ve got the basics down!
Principle 1: Plan Ahead and Prepare
Learn as much as you can about the region and the trail or lookout spot you’ll be visiting. Do they allow weddings? Do you need a permit? How many people can responsibly gather here? Are dogs allowed? How might the weather impact our day? What kinds of emergencies should I be prepared for?
Moab, Utah is famous for its slot canyons and desert washes, which can be beautiful and safe to explore – as long as it isn’t raining, due to flash flood danger. We know the area well so we always check the weather closely and register our location with the local BLM office. They help us steer clear of locations that are too sensitive or too dangerous to visit.
Why does this matter?
Well, having all the info you can is always a good thing! You may assume you can just trot out into nature and find any old place to stand around and say your vows – that’s usually the case, but in some really sensitive or dangerous areas, there may be some surprising information or regulations that are crucial to know in order to take care of yourself and the location.
Principle 2: Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
This is the big one!! If you absorb just one guideline from this list, let it be to travel on durable surfaces. That mostly looks like staying on trail, but there are some nuances! In the front country (or easily accessible locations close to major roads), trails are mostly well marked, but you may need to go off trail occasionally to pee! In the backcountry, or on rocky terrain, you may have to follow cairns or other trail markers. Every step you take should be on a “durable surface”, like an established trail, solid rock, or gravel path. Walking along a shoreline or actually in the water of a lake or river is acceptable too!
One of our favorite secret trails in Rocky Mountain National Park is a primitive trail historically used by the Ute People for thousands of years. It’s an amazing social artifact, and it’s remarkable that we can still walk the same path as the people who came before us. Because it winds through a rocky subalpine tundra, we can leave the trail by hopping only along the rocks – all the way to an amazing view of the Forest Canyon valley that’s invisible from the road. If we were just a thousand feet higher, into the true alpine tundra, we wouldn’t even step on the rocks due to the fragile lichen present there.
Why does this matter?
Our footsteps are simple but devastating: they compact the soil in a way that makes it hard for plants to grow. Plants and their root systems in turn hold the soil in place, so when the plants can’t grow due to compacted soil, the bare soil becomes susceptible to erosion. Ask yourself – if I went off trail here, would someone else follow my path tomorrow? What would it look like if everyone who hiked here took a few steps off trail to get this view?
Principle 3: Dispose of Waste Properly
I don’t even want to waste your time talking about regular litter, we all know not to throw trash on the ground right? But there may be some wedding-specific waste you haven’t thought about. We ask that all of our couples avoid using artificial flowers, or wearing dresses with delicate plastic beading or sequins. Artificial flowers shed SO much, I’m always picking up fake petals from common elopement hikes. And no matter how careful you are, your dress can shed beads and sequins, which are pretty tempting for fish and small animals to eat.
Also for some reason, there are a lot of wedding traditions that involve scattering something: birdseed, flower petals rice, glitter, smoke bombs, paper lanterns, etc. Unless you’re on private property, just… don’t. Don’t let go of anything if you can’t get it back and take it home with you. (We do have a pretty great track record of hunting down champagne corks!) Even if it’s natural like rose petals, or a product marked ‘biodegradable’.
We recently had a couple with two nieces who were desperate to be little flower girls, so their mom helped them find pinecones, rocks and leaves from the immediate area to scatter on the trail before their auntie walked down the aisle.
Why does this matter?
Two reasons: first, anything not native to an area can be bad news for an animal if eaten. Including plastic, paper or non-native plants. Plastic never disappears, it only breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. Even material that “biodegrades” make take years or more to breakdown, causing issues and looking terrible in the meantime. Secondly, wedding mess is extremely annoying for other hikers. It really sucks pulling up to your favorite lookout point on a hike only to find it covered in rotten and trampled rose petals. The more this kind of thing happens, the more the entire outdoor elopement industry is at risk of being shut down.
Principle 4: Leave What You Find
The best thing about hiking with two world class photographers is that we can pretty thoroughly document all the flowers and cool rocks you might come across on your hike! It’s natural to want to collect little mementoes from your wedding day, but the general best practice is to leave everything as you find it. Some areas do allow for responsible foraging – so refer pack to Principle 1 for planning and preparing ahead to see if that’s an option for you!
We’ve had couples in the past request permission from the land manager to forage a few flowers to press in a scrap book, which is so different than planning to forage a whole bridal bouquet on any random trail!
Why does this matter?
Some ecosystems, especially in the mountains and desert, can be incredibly fragile and really hinge on every single flower, rock, insect and animal playing their own distinct roles. Some natural areas are so abundant and full of life, but in extreme environments every flower picked by a human could jeopardize a whole population of pollinators!
Principle 5: Minimize Campfire Impact (Be Careful with Fire)
It seems like this principle should move up on the list after the last few years of climate change – fire is a huge deal for us here in Colorado and in many western states. We love to see our couples cozied up by a campfire to end an incredible day, but we’ve always got to plan ahead to make sure there are no fire bans in place. Every region will have its own guidelines on different kinds of fire use, whether that’s wild campfires, fires in a ring or pit, smoking, using a cook stove or having open flame candles. If you are planning to start a fire, its your responsibility to plan ahead and completely drown your campfire in water before leaving the area.
If there is a fire ban, or high winds, or if you just want to be extra careful – there are other ways to get cozy! Snuggle up under a blanket with a batter powered lantern, go for a first dance in the headlights of your Jeep, or bring a thermos full of hot toddies to share!
Why does this matter?
We need frequent small fires to keep the ecosystem happy, but the unplanned for an unmitigated fires can get out of control so fast and endanger human and animal lives and homes! Fire is the very best example of a tiny action having massive impact.
Principle 6: Respect Wildlife
We have had so many absolutely wild experiences with animals during our elopements – from foxes hiking alongside us for miles to a mama and baby moose interrupting the ceremony (causing us to make a run for it!). We are super animal lovers and take every chance we can get to admire our trail critter friends from a distance and make great photos of them.
The best way to respect wildlife to just leave them alone! Never approach animals directly, leave tons of space for large animals like elk and moose, and be sure to secure your food properly. Cuties like chipmunks and Canada Jays are pretty used to humans and may come ask you for snacks, but unfortunately you shouldn’t feed them. (Unless you’re at Sapphire Point in Breck, where feeding the chipmunks appropriate food is allowed due to how fully domesticated they are!)
Why does this matter?
Wild animals are basically the very best part of going outside – if you don’t already think it’s important to leave them wild for their own sake, at least think about your own safety! People get injured or killed every single year in National Parks getting too close to elk, bison and moose – and even the little guys can transmit disease through bites and scratches. We’ll get amazing photos through our zoom lenses and share them in your gallery!
Principle 7: Be Considerate of Other Visitors
In our experience, other hikers and outdoor visitors are so happy when they see an eloping couple on the trail and will gladly give you lots of space — or even clear out from a beautiful overlook for you! As much as we hope this is always the case, if there are people in the area it’s actually not cool to ask them leave, or to monopolize the same location for more than about 15-20 minutes when other people are waiting. In populated areas, we like to keep things moving so we’re sharing the area fairly with others. A good tip is to offer to snap a quick photo with their phone if that’s all they’re waiting for! The same idea goes for music — you can play a little light music at a conversational volume if you’re hanging around in one area, but don’t be the guy hiking with a Bluetooth speaker!
A great way to make sure your wedding won’t impact other people is for there to be no other people! Consider eloping on a weekday and/or on a lesser known trail for maximum peace and privacy!
On the flipside — this doesn’t mean you have to let any old randos join your wedding. You’re allowed to ask for space for your ceremony and vows, and to decline taking selfies with anyone who may be pleasantly surprised to see a wedding couple out in the backcountry! We’ll always be there to help advocate for you and guide you through this stuff too.
Why does this matter?
The outdoors belongs to everyone! Your wedding is an incredibly special day for you, but on a normal day every hike you go on can also be a really special and important time to connect with nature and recharge your batteries. Anyone taking the time to visit a beautiful place deserves some time with the view they came to see.
An 8th Principle?? Geo-tagging
This one isn’t official, but the LNT Center has given some guidance on geo-tagging sensitive areas. It’s a tricky topic that goes surprisingly deep, but the gist is that a really cool photo going viral maybe isn’t the best way for the public to learn about a beautiful place. Spots like Havasu Falls, Horseshoe Bend, and the Ice Lakes are all locations that saw huge spikes in visitation after being geo-tagged online — visitation that the infrastructure was not ready for! Gatekeeping cool spots feels kind of gross, but as a business we’ve decided to never geo-tag our secret spots and are committed to encouraging sustainable visitation over viral moments.
Thank you
If you’ve made it this far, we are sincerely so grateful that you’re the kind of person who cares about the environment and your role as a part of it! If you have any specific questions about anything from this list, we are always happy to chat more about how we can all Leave No Trace.
