🌙 Elopement Photos After Dark

Last updated: 8/6/26
Read time: 4 minutes

Why You Should Do Photos After Dark

You might be thinking that once the sun has set on your wedding day, it’s time to call it quits for photography. But taking photos after dark is actually super fun, and totally worth staying out a little later! So why should you take photos after dark?

The first reason is for the experience. As the sun dips behind the horizon, the natural world becomes a very peaceful place. Blue hour and twilight are really lovely times to be outside, listening to the quiet sounds of day turning to night. It’s also a great way to end (or start) your wedding day – winding down by enjoying the stars or snuggling by a campfire with your partner.

It’s also a lot of fun to create interesting and exciting photos! You’ll certainly have a more varied gallery of wedding photos, and nighttime shots are super cool. The mix of darkness and lights is interesting, and fun to play around with. As your elopement photographer, I love getting creative with nighttime photos!

Here’s a look at a real elopement featuring a full moon and stargazing!

Want to see some real elopements & micro weddings with nighttime photos?

View a full moon elopement on desert dunes

See a canyon micro wedding with star photos

Check out a fall mountain elopement with blue hour photos

Ideas + Inspiration

Blue Hour

While “golden hour” (the hour of magical warm light right before or after sunset) is often a favorite for photos, “blue hour” can be just as lovely. During this time when the sun is below the horizon, you still have enough light to see, but the world is bathed in a blue-hued light. It’s easy to think it’s time to call it quits after the sun has gone down, but I love staying out during blue hour to capture the transition from day to night.

Campfire

Getting cozy by a fire is a great way to end your elopement day! Whether you’re snuggled in the firelight by a hearth or enjoying the crisp night air outdoors, it will be a moment you won’t forget. Be sure to have plenty of firewood to keep the flames going, and more than enough water to drown the fire when you’re finished.

Picnic

Having a picnic by lantern light or firelight is such a lovely experience, and so romantic! Whether it’s a gourmet dinner, a casual snack/charcuterie board, s’mores over a fire, or a delicious dessert, you’ll have such a great time. If you’re hoping to stargaze later in the evening, this can be a great activity to do while you wait for the skies to darken.

Lanterns

One of my favorite things to do after the sun has set is to pull out some lanterns and get creative with photos! The warm light of the lanterns is a great contrast to blue hour, and it creates a cozy, intimate feel to photos. Plus, it allows us to create beautiful photos even after the natural light has faded, which means more time to explore and enjoy your elopement day.

Creative Lighting

As much as I love lantern photos, there are plenty of other ways to use lights for fun photos! Let’s get creative using car headlights, string lights, candles, city lights, or anything else you can think of. Can you imagine how gorgeous photos under the northern lights would be?!

Moon Photos

While you do have to get the timing just right, taking wedding photos under a full moon is such a fun experience! As a photographer, I’m so inspired by the moon and its phases. If you’re interested in nighttime wedding photos, I’d love to help you pick a date that coincides with a full moon rising in the evening. 😍

Star Photos

Okay, are you ready for quite possibly the coolest nighttime photos for your wedding? Star photos, or astrophotography, are so much fun to create, and of course are so beautiful! They take a bit of patience and time to create a great photo, but the results are totally worth it. These photos are of course weather dependent, but hopefully you’re lucky enough to see the stars on your elopement day, and maybe even the milky way!

WANT MORE ELOPEMENT TIPS? CHECK OUT THE FREE RESOURCES BELOW!