5 Reasons Why I Love Elopements and Think You Will Too!
5 Reasons why “no frills” and “getaway” ceremonies might be the way to go…
If the idea of a big blowout wedding with hundreds of guests and fancy centerpieces makes you cringe, you may be part of the ever growing movement of couples leaning the way of elopement. While every wedding is deeply personal and there a million reasons to go one way or the other (neither being right or better than the other), there are some reasons why this trend is becoming more popular. Read on for 5 reasons I personally love the idea of elopements, especially ones that involve travel!…
Monayyyyy!
Without a doubt, one reason elopements are so popular is cost savings. Weddings being a way to keep up with the joneses and costing a years salary or <gulp> more are becoming a thing of the past. Grandparents and parents used to start trust funds specifically to pay for huge wedding ceremonies. It was commonplace to have your parents dole out lumps of cash to cover the big day and was even a source of pride.
While for some lucky couples, this is still an important role for parents, nowadays we are getting married MUCH later in life, which changes all of that. With engagements in your teens and early 20s becoming more rare, you are usually living on your own, have possibly finished your education and are making your own money and are much less reliant on mom and dad’s help financially. This extends to wedding planning which means you and your partner are probably footing the bill for most of your big day. Add to that the fact that you are probably paying for a home, cars, and countless other bills and obligations, spending an arm and a leg on a wedding just isn’t a priority for some.
Between venues that can accommodate hundreds, seating, entertainment, food and booze, you can spend tens of thousands. Add to that the outfits, flowers, decorations and invitations to impress all of those guests and the bank will be broke in no time. Then there’s the honeymoon too??? Which leads me to my next point….
Adventure!
Instead of spending upwards of 6 figures on the event of the century, then another few thousand for your dream getaway, why not marry the two? If the idea of going without the big ceremony/reception and huge guest list is appealing but travel for the honeymoon gets you going, just do that!
~Beach girl? Find a rental on your favorite beach or a resort in a beach paradise.
~Love the mountains? Rent a cabin within hiking distance of a place you’ve always wanted to see.
~In love volcanoes? Find a guide and climb the side of one to say your vows. The sky is literally the limit.
Find the spot you really want to go and start making a list. You can find wedding packages through hotels and resorts. With google, instagram and Facebook, it’s easier than ever to find food, officiants and even florists in your preferred destination and coordinate everything from afar. If where you want to go is somewhere cool, you may even find a photographer willing to offer a discount to travel with ya! <Ahem…shoot me an email and lets start this party! ;)>
Guest list drama…
Whether its family dynamics making you nervous or just the dreaded ‘if I invite them then I HAVE to invite these guys..’ obligations, the work of nailing down a guest list for a big event can be such a pain. You can run into hurt feelings and angry relatives or even a way overblown guest list of everyone you or your parents have ever met before you know it.
Eloping means you don’t have to do any of that. Take just your two best friends, just your parents, or just the immediate family and closest friends, or hell… no one at all. It’s your day and even if you don’t go far, the whole idea of eloping means people will automatically know that the huge guest list will be the first thing to go so you don’t have to feel one ounce of guilt for keeping it as small and intimate as you wish.
Do whatever you want!
Not inviting a huge list of friends and family means less opinions and expectations. You can literally do whatever you want since there will be less people to keep happy and compete and way less prying eyes to insert their opinions on your big day.
Wanna wear hiking boots all day? do it. Want everyone to stand on the side of the road at that exact spot? Hell yeah! Tasteful dinner party at the cool bar down the street? Don’t mind if I do. The beauty of elopements is you get rid of the expectation that this should be a show for everyone. It is literally all about you two and what YOU want. No stress about making tons of people happy and what will keep them all entertained and impressed. Just do you boo!
Intimacy and remembering what its really about…
The #1 reason to elope in my book is to keep it real. Weddings so easily become these huge productions. The bigger the event, the more stress. The more stress on the couple, the less you focus on what you are here to do, which is love each other completely. this day doesn’t need to be a show that you put on for everyone else.
When the pandemic hit us in 2020, so many people were forced to cut down their dream weddings from these huge 100+ guest list events to small, intimate ceremonies with just their closest friends and families. While what they actually got may have been plan B or even plan C, for many these smaller ceremonies ended up being even more perfect than anyone could have imagined. They got to actually spend the day focusing on each other and actually enjoying their day and their guests without trying to squeeze a million traditions and conversations into one day.
Don’t get me wrong. There are a million different reasons to get married and a trillion ways to do it just right. Elopements may not be for everyone either. I am personally getting married down the street with all of our friends and family around us. That’s what was most important when we started planning so that what we did. There is no wrong or right way because at the end of the day it is 100% about you. So make it your day. Do what you love and be with who you love. Just know that there are options. And just because tradition or a family member says it should go one way, be true to yourself and what makes you and your boo unique and you won’t regret a second of your perfect day.
Wedding in Boulder Colorado Mountains