How to Plan an Elopement at ICC in Peoria

I’ve had the pleasure of documenting some incredible elopements for my amazing couples over the years, and each time I’m reminded of how truly magical these celebrations are. When you take into account the creative freedom they allow, how intimate and personal they are, and the beautiful spaces found throughout Illinois, it’s easy to understand why SO many couples today are choosing to elope! Today’s article is meant to take a closer look at that third point as we discuss one of my favorite locations for an elopement, the Illinois Central College. The ICC in Peoria has a lot going for it in terms of an elopement location, so lets not waste any time and get right into it!

Why Choose ICC in Peoria for Your Elopement

So what exactly makes the ICC in Peoria special, and why should you consider choosing it for your elopement? For starters, the Illinois Central College campus is strikingly beautiful, especially when you consider locations like the Horticulture Land Laboratory & Arboretum. This space was part of Elaina and Clayton’s wedding day as the backdrop for their newlywed portraits, and it’s easy to see why they chose it! A gorgeous space like this is wonderful for portrait photos, but even more so for incredible moments like an elopement ceremony.

On top of that, the ICC campus is also remarkably close to downtown Peoria. This makes it SO simple to include multiple different locations into your elopement celebrations, something we’ll cover more in depth next. There’s also no permit requirements for having your elopement ceremony at the ICC, all you need to do is make sure that there are no events taking place at your location of choice and you’ll be set!

Deciding What Your Elopement Will Look Like

As I mentioned, it’s VERY easy to include multiple locations throughout Peoria into your elopement festivities along with your time on the ICC campus. This is one of the greatest strengths when it comes to elopements as your day can be anything YOU want it to be! Whether that’s a private elopement ceremony followed by an intimate reception with family and friends in town, a ceremony with loved ones present before the two of you venture off for some solo portraits, or something else entirely, there’s practically no rules when it comes to creating your dream elopement! How you choose to include the ICC campus into your day is up to you, and there are a ton of other great locations in Peoria to also enjoy during your elopement, many of which you can find in this article.

Determine the Guest List

Another thing I love about elopements is the way couples choose to include their loved ones into them. Gone are the days where an elopement HAS to be just the couple having a private wedding in secret. Now elopements can be intimate celebrations where immediate family or close friends are present for this magical moment. How you choose to include your guests is completely up to you, whether you want them involved with some parts of the day or its entirety. 

Choose and Book Your Vendors

Even with their smaller size and larger amount of flexibility, a huge part in bringing your elopement vision to life is choosing and booking your vendor team! Now it might be true that you don’t need every type of vendor that you would for a more traditional style wedding, but there’s nothing saying you can’t book these vendors either. In truth this is another area where the freedom of choice of the elopement becomes a huge advantage since you only have to book the vendors you want to for your day!

Typically a couple will book the following vendors for an elopement:

• Photographer
• Officiant
• Venue (if Applicable)
• Hair and Makeup
• Florist

And they may book these vendors to elevate the overall experience of the elopement:

• Entertainment
• Catering
• Videographer
• Planner

Plan the Timeline of Your Elopement

As you start to lay out the plan of your elopement at the ICC in Peoria you’ll be able to put together the timeline for your day. This is something that varies a lot from elopement to elopement because of how unique they all are. When creating the timeline for your day keep in mind things like:

• How Long You Have Access to a Space For
• Any Reservations You Have
• How Long You’ve Booked Your Vendors For
• Travel Time if You’re Including Multiple Locations

These details, along with the experience you’re after for your day, will help to guide you in your timeline creation. If that sounds too stressful though, or you just want some extra help, you can always book a planner to help you create your timeline! I also work closely with my couples to help them with the timeline creation for any part of their day that is tied to the photography!

Handle the Legal Aspects of Your Elopement

Finally, it’s time to handle the legal side of your elopement at the ICC in Peoria! The first step is acquiring your marriage license, which in Illinois has to be done in the county you plan to elope in. For the ICC this happens to be Peoria county, and you can start your application process through this link. In order to receive your marriage license you’ll need to provide the following information and documentation to the Peoria County Clerk:

• Name, Address, and Date of Birth
• Names and Addresses of your Parents
• Information and Proof of Prior Divorce (if applicable)
• A Valid form of ID (Driver’s License, State ID, Passport, etc.)
• Pay the Necessary Fee ($75 in Peoria County)

Once you’re through this step you’ll then receive your marriage license. Keep in mind that it isn’t valid until 24 hours after you receive it, so you technically can’t have a same day ceremony! Once it is valid though it will remain that way for 60 days, so you’ll have plenty of time to have your ceremony, after which you’ll return the license to become officially married!

The other important thing to note is that you aren’t required to have witnesses present for your marriage to be officially recognized. This means you’ll only need someone to officiate the ceremony, which helps to keep the moment even more intimate!

Is an Elopement at the ICC in Peoria Right for You?

So after learning all of this, is having your elopement at the ICC in Peoria best for you and your day? Only you will know the answer to that, but it’s important to be open and honest with your partner as you begin the planning process. Talk about your dreams for your wedding day, what it looks like, and what you want it to feel like. If those desires line up with an elopement that’s great, but if not there’s nothing wrong with that either! The important thing is that you celebrate your love in a way that’s true to you! For more elopement inspiration check out some of the other articles on my blog, and for anyone looking to book me to document their day head on over to my contact page!