Leave No Trace: Principles and Guidelines

Embracing Adventure Elopements With Leave No Trace Principles

Adventure elopements offer a unique and intimate way to celebrate love amidst nature’s most breathtaking landscapes. However, with this magical experience comes the responsibility of preserving the pristine beauty of these wild places. The Leave No Trace (LNT) principles are essential guidelines for minimizing our impact on the environment, ensuring that future couples can also enjoy the same unspoiled settings. Here’s how you can incorporate Leave No Trace into your adventure elopement.

Plan Ahead and Prepare

• Research Regulations: Each natural area has specific rules regarding group sizes, permits, and usage. Ensure you know these in advance to avoid any disruptions on your special day.
• Choose Less Popular Locations: Opt for lesser-known sites to reduce the impact on heavily trafficked areas and enjoy a more private experience.

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

• Stick to Trails: When accessing your elopement site, stay on established trails to prevent soil erosion and protect plant life.
• Select Durable Locations: If your ceremony includes camping, choose durable surfaces like rock, gravel, or grass to set up camp or an established campground.

Dispose of Waste Properly

• Pack It In, Pack It Out: Bring all trash, leftovers, and gear back with you. Consider using eco-friendly confetti alternatives, like grounded leaves, which are biodegradable. Be sure to double check with your location about regulations on what you can bring into parks and protected lands beforehand. Many locations won’t allow you to bring in outside flowers or flower petals because they are invasive at that point.
• Human Waste: If your location lacks facilities, use a portable toilet or follow local guidelines for disposing of human wastes.

Leave What You Find

• Preserve Natural Objects: Avoid picking flowers, disturbing wildlife, or removing natural features. Instead, take photos to capture the beauty.
• Cultural Artifacts: If you come across historical or cultural artifacts, leave them undisturbed for others to discover.

Minimize Campfire Impact

• Use a Stove: For cooking, use a portable stove instead of a fire. If you must have a fire, use established fire rings and keep it small. Follow other local regulations when creating fires and pay attention to any “No Fire” and “No Burn” zones.
• Gather Deadwood: If collecting wood is allowed, only use small sticks found on the ground.

Respect Wildlife

• Keep a Safe Distance: Enjoy wildlife from afar to avoid stressing animals or provoking dangerous encounters.
• Secure Food: Store food securely to prevent attracting wildlife to your site, which can be harmful to both animals and humans.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors

• Keep Noice Levels Down: Enjoy your ceremony quietly, respecting the solitude that others may be seeking.
• Yield to Others: If you encounter other adventurers, step aside to let them pass, and be courteous in shared spaces.

By incorporating these Leave No Trace principles, you ensure that your adventure elopement not only creates unforgettable memories but also helps protect and preserve the natural beauty of the location. Celebrating your love in nature is a privilege; let’s honor it by leaving no trace. It is so important to pick a photographer and other vendors for your elopement that are skilled and knowledgable in the principles of Leave No Trace. As a Michigan photographer and videographer team, my husband and I are certified in Leave No Trace and we absolutely follow all rules and regulations. You can learn more about what we have to offer here!