By John Rice — Margaret River Elopement Photographer & Planner
A Boranup Forest elopement is many things but ordinary isn’t one of them. Then there are days like James and Gunan‘s, days that remind you why you fell in love with this work in the first place. A cathedral of ancient karri trees. A wild stretch of coastline that required a little bit of courage to reach. A 4WD track disappearing into the forest, leading somewhere most people will never see. This was an elopement that felt, from beginning to end, like a genuine adventure and I was lucky enough to be the one with the camera.
Starting the Boranup Forest Elopement
There are places in the world that stop you in your tracks the moment you step into them. Boranup Forest, nestled within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park in the South West of Western Australia, is one of those places.
I’ve photographed more elopements than I can count in this forest, well over 300 across the South West and it genuinely never gets old. The karri trees here are ancient, reaching extraordinary heights, and when the afternoon light moves through them in that particular way, everything takes on a quality that feels more like a painting than a photograph. You don’t manufacture that kind of light. You simply have to be there when it arrives.
On James and Gunan‘s day, we got lucky. The light was extraordinary, soft and golden, filtering down through the canopy and landing exactly where I needed it to. James and Gunan were relaxed, present, and entirely in their own world, which is the best possible combination when it comes to making photographs that actually mean something.
Boranup Forest sits within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, which is managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in Western Australia. Ceremonies here require a permit through Parks and Wildlife WA, something I organise on behalf of all my couples as part of the planning process. One of the things I love about this system is that the permit limits ceremonies to one per day at each location. It means that when you elope in Boranup Forest, you genuinely have it to yourselves. No strangers wandering through. No awkward overlaps. Just the forest, the light, and the two of you.
The permit process is straightforward but not something you want to leave to the last minute, I’d recommend allowing at least four to six weeks. And don’t forget that Australian law requires your Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) to be lodged at least one calendar month before your ceremony, regardless of where you elope. If you’re planning from interstate or overseas, these timelines matter.
The Coastal Adventure
After the ceremony, we headed to the coast.
I’m intentionally keeping the exact location between us and the couples who come with me. Part of what makes an elopement feel truly intimate is the sense that you’ve discovered something that isn’t on every tourist map. The Margaret River coastline is extraordinary in its variety and there are stretches of it, accessible only to those willing to put in a little effort, that take your breath away.
This particular spot required exactly that kind of effort. To get into position, James and Gunan had to climb large granite rocks, the kind that demand you pay attention, focus on each foothold, and trust the person beside you. There’s something about that kind of small shared challenge that does something wonderful to a couple in front of a camera. By the time they reached the spot where the view opened up, they weren’t performing anything. They were just there, together, genuinely exhilarated.
That’s when I work. That’s when the photographs become something real.
The coastline in the South West of Western Australia is genuinely world-class. For couples planning an adventure elopement in Margaret River, I’d say this: don’t let anyone talk you into a beach that’s easy to reach just because it’s convenient. The locations that require a little more from you tend to give back the most in terms of photographs and in terms of how the day feels when you look back on it.
Into the Forest: The 4WD Adventure
This is the part of the day I’m perhaps most excited to share.
I spend a lot of time in the South West doing landscape photography, just me, my camera and a 4WD track leading somewhere I haven’t been before. It’s how I stay connected to this landscape, and it’s how I keep finding new locations that most people simply don’t know exist. A few months ago, I was out doing exactly that when I found a series of spots deep in the Boranup area that I immediately filed away for the right couple.
James and Gunan were the right couple.
After we’d finished at the ceremony location, I suggested we take a small detour. I didn’t tell them too much, just that I knew a track and that I thought they’d love where it went. They were in.
We loaded back into the 4WD and headed off the main road, following a track that wound deeper into the forest. The light by this point was shifting again, later in the afternoon, lower and warmer, doing entirely different things to the trees than it had earlier. The spots I’d found during my landscape work were just as I’d remembered them: secluded, beautiful, and entirely ours for the afternoon.
I think this moment — the unplanned adventure after the ceremony — ended up producing some of my favourite photographs from the entire day. There’s a looseness that happens once the vows are done. The nervous energy dissipates. People laugh more easily. And when you combine that with a genuinely surprising location, the results tend to be something special.
This is one of the reasons I love working the way I do in Margaret River. After 300+ elopements across the South West, I’ve built up a working knowledge of this landscape that goes well beyond the standard locations. The 4WD spots, the hidden forest clearings, the coastal tracks, these are discoveries that come from years of being out here, not just for weddings, but for my own photography as well. When you book me, you’re not just booking someone with a camera. You’re getting access to that knowledge.
What Made James and Gunan‘s Day Work
I want to pause here and say something that I think is genuinely useful for couples in the planning stages.
Days like this don’t happen by accident. The reason James and Gunan were able to move fluidly between a forest ceremony, a spontaneous 4WD excursion and a a coastal adventure is because everything around them was already handled. The permits were in place. The timeline was planned with enough flexibility built in for the day to breathe and evolve. They didn’t have to think about logistics. They just got to be there.
That’s what full elopement planning and coordination actually means in practice. It’s not just showing up with a camera. It’s being the person who has thought through every contingency, every timing consideration, every permit requirement, so that by the time the day arrives, the couple can simply be present for it.
If you’re planning an elopement in Margaret River and you’re trying to work out whether to book a photographer and a planner separately, or find someone who does both: I’d gently suggest the latter is almost always the better experience. Not because I’m biased (though I am), but because the integration of those two roles is where the real magic of a day like this comes from. The reason I knew where to take James and Gunan after the ceremony was because I was already embedded in the day, not arriving for a two-hour photography slot, but part of the full arc of the experience.
Planning an Adventure Elopement in Margaret River: What You Need to Know
For couples researching their own elopement in the South West of Western Australia, here are the practical essentials that apply to days like James and Gunan‘s.
Boranup Forest permits are managed by DBCA (Parks and Wildlife Service WA) through the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park framework. Permits are required for ceremonies and limit access to one ceremony per location per day, which is actually a feature, not a constraint. It ensures your ceremony is private and protected. I handle all permit applications for my couples as part of the planning process.
Coastal locations in the Margaret River region fall under two different permit jurisdictions depending on where exactly you want to marry. Some beaches are managed by the Shire of Augusta Margaret River (permit fee: $156 for 2025–26, ceremony limited to three hours including setup), while others fall under DBCA. Knowing which applies to your preferred location is important and it’s exactly the kind of detail that falls through the cracks when couples try to coordinate this independently from interstate.
The Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) must be lodged with your celebrant at least one calendar month before your ceremony. This is Australian law and is non-negotiable regardless of how informal or intimate your elopement is. If you’re planning from Sydney, Melbourne, or overseas, factor this into your timeline from the start.
Seasonal timing matters enormously in the South West. Boranup Forest is beautiful year-round, but the light quality in autumn (March to May) and the dramatic mood of winter (June to August) are both exceptional. Summer light can be harsh in the middle of the day, though late afternoon and evening shoots in summer are often stunning. Spring brings wildflowers across the region and is particularly beautiful, though coastal wind can be a factor.
Adventure locations the kind that involve 4WD tracks, granite formations, or off-path forest clearings, require local knowledge, physical preparedness from the couple, and good weather assessment. These are not locations I share publicly (that’s rather the point), but they are available to the couples who book me, because this landscape is something I’ve spent years exploring.
A Note for Camera-Shy Couples
James and Gunan were not, at the outset, entirely comfortable in front of a camera. This is far more common than people expect, in fact, I’d estimate the majority of the couples I work with have some degree of camera shyness at the beginning of the day.
By the time we were scrambling up granite rocks on the coast, nobody was thinking about the camera at all.
That’s always the goal. The adventure, the movement, the small challenges and shared moments, they take care of the self-consciousness far better than any posing instruction ever could. If you’re worried about feeling awkward in your photos, I’d ask you to consider this: the more interesting and absorbing the day is, the less you’ll be thinking about being photographed. Planning a day with genuine moments of adventure built into it is one of the best things you can do for your photographs and for your experience of the day itself.
Thinking About an Elopement Like This?
I’m John Rice, Margaret River elopement photographer and planner, based in the South West of Western Australia. I’ve photographed and planned over 300 elopements and intimate weddings across the region, and days like James and Gunan‘s are exactly why I do this work.
If you’re drawn to the idea of something adventurous, forest light, coastal cliffs, a 4WD track leading somewhere unexpected, I’d genuinely love to hear from you. The South West has more magic in it than most people realise, and I’ve spent years finding it.
Get in touch via the contact page, or send me a message on Instagram. I’m always happy to talk through what a day in Margaret River could look like for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you elope in Boranup Forest in Western Australia? Yes. Boranup Forest sits within the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and is managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). Ceremonies require a permit through Parks and Wildlife WA. Permits limit access to one ceremony per location per day, ensuring privacy and intimacy. As part of my full elopement planning service, I handle the permit application on behalf of all my couples.
Do I need a permit to get married on a beach in Margaret River? Yes, in most cases. Margaret River beaches fall under either the Shire of Augusta Margaret River or DBCA jurisdiction depending on the specific location. Shire permits (for beaches and local reserves) cost $156 for 2025–26 and limit ceremonies to three hours including setup. DBCA permits apply to national park land. I manage all permit applications as part of the planning process.
How long does it take to plan an elopement in Margaret River? Australian law requires your Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) to be lodged with your celebrant at least one calendar month before your ceremony. In practice, I recommend beginning the planning process three to six months in advance, particularly for couples coming from interstate or overseas. This allows time for permit applications, vendor coordination, and timeline planning.
Can you combine a Boranup Forest ceremony with a coastal location on the same day? Yes and this is one of my favourite combinations. The Margaret River coastline is approximately 20 minutes from Boranup Forest depending on your chosen beach, making a dual-location day entirely achievable within a well-designed timeline. James and Gunan‘s day is a perfect example of how beautifully this works in practice.
Are there adventure elopement locations in Margaret River beyond the well-known spots? Absolutely. Through years of landscape photography and location scouting across the South West, I’ve built up a collection of locations, accessible by 4WD, involving coastal rock formations, or tucked deep within the forest that I don’t share publicly. These are available to the couples who work with me, and they consistently produce some of the most extraordinary photographs.
Is Margaret River a good choice for a camera-shy couple? It’s an excellent choice. The landscape itself does a great deal of the work, when couples are genuinely absorbed in their surroundings, scrambling up rocks, driving through forest, or standing somewhere unexpectedly beautiful, the self-consciousness tends to dissolve very naturally. I’ve worked with many camera-shy couples over 300+ elopements, and the immersive nature of an adventure day in the South West is one of the most effective environments I know for producing authentic, relaxed photographs.
John Rice is a Margaret River elopement photographer and planner based in South West Western Australia. Specialising in Boranup Forest elopements and adventure photography across the South West, he offers full elopement planning and coordination alongside photography with packages covering vendor booking, permit applications, celebrant coordination, timeline creation, and complete on-the-day management. To enquire about dates and availability, visit the contact page or send a direct message on Instagram.