To many, eloping or to elope means exactly the definition found on dictionaries: “to run away secretly with the intention to get married usually without parental consent”. It also means “to escape”. However, for many others, nowadays eloping is to privately get married in a place they love, without following all the traditions of a traditional wedding, and with no headaches when it comes to guest lists.
Eloping can be only the two of you on the top of a mountain, on the beach, in the forest, by the lake, or in any meaningful place in your lives. Maybe where you met? Or a dream destination? You can also choose to have your closest family members present, or maybe your pets. Is there a ceremony? If you want to. Should you wear a wedding dress? If you want to. Read vows? Again, if you want to, because that’s what makes eloping special apart from being a small ceremony for the two of you, is that you can do whatever you want on your day.
Sounds tempting? Not convinced? Here are 7 reasons why you should consider eloping:
Your dream destination as your dream location
Remember that beach you had a great time together on your first vacation? Or that special mountain you hiked together? Or that vineyard you met while traveling in France? Well, it can be your elopement location. Why now? Yes, elopement sounds like endless possibilities, and this might be scary. Ditching tradition can be hard for many, but wouldn’t it feel adventurous and special to do it?
The focus is you
As soon as you start planning your wedding, you realise that you not only will have to invest a lot of money and time, but you will do it for others more than for you. You can’t serve the food you really want because not everyone is vegetarian, you need to think of what will happen if it rains and your guests are all under the rain, you will want everything to work out and be perfect because you are worried of what others will think and want.
Trust me, I’ve been there. My wedding party had over 150 guests, and even though I did my best to do it just as me and Wolfi wanted, we had to compromise A LOT just to make other people happy. Well, guess what? You can avoid all that if you decide to elope, because in an elopement the focus is you. What you like, what you want to do, how you want to get dressed and the list goes on.
It can already be combined with your honeymoon
Most people choose to elope on their dream destination, or somewhere where they can already combine it with their honeymoons. Imagine how amazing it would be to get married on a Greek Island and from there explore other islands. I know, it sounds dreamy.
Goodbye to the dreaded guest list
I believe the guest list is one of the things couples hate more about planning their weddings. I remember changing mine until days before because my father asked me to include some of his business partners or an uncle I had last seen when I was a child. A guest list can cause many conflicts and headaches when planning a wedding, something you won’t have any trouble with if you are brave enough to decide to elope. Of course you can still have your parents and best friends on the day, it’s your choice. Or another option is to have a ceremony only the two of you, then still have that big party afterwards.
The budget
Elopements are not cheap, but you most probably won’t need a loan to do it nor keep paying it for years afterwards. You can finally buy your home and still be able to do something incredible and meaningful on your special day.
You won’t need to pay thousands for a venue, the most you will be paying is a fee for a National Park. Here in Europe most places are open and free for elopements. You won’t need to hire a catering service for over 100 people, but a small company to make you a special picnic or a romantic dinner under the stars. You won’t need hundreds of bottles of alcohol for the guests, but maybe one or two bottles of champagne for the two of you. No need for wedding favours, or invitations. So yes, it already sounds like a much less expensive budget even if you need plane tickets for another continent, doesn’t it?
Less planning
Though elopements still require some planning, it can’t even be compared to planning a wedding. Not to mention, it is much easier to get a date settled this year than a wedding. For an elopement to happen you basically need the two of you and a special place. Having a photographer and/or videographer, make-up and hair stylist, a celebrant, and your chosen outfits are the marshmallows on your hot chocolate.
Many photographers already help you with planning (I am one always happy to help you with your plans), some even offer you the whole package.
You can do whatever you want!
Oh yes! It’s your day, you can choose to do whatever you want to, from hiking to diving or even an helicopter ride, from having a brunch or a romantic dinner, from wearing a traditional white wedding dress to wearing a navy blue one, from wearing a hat to a ski helmet. And it can also last as long as you want, from early morning to the next morning, or just the morning, or just the sunset time, whatever sounds more like the two of you.
Though it sounds like, this post isn’t to convince you to elope, it’s for you to know what eloping is, how it is done and for you to have an alternative to the traditional wedding everyone expects you to have. It is good to have options, and today eloping became a very popular way of getting married among couples who want to do something different on their special day. I for one know that today I wouldn’t have done my big wedding, even though it was amazing and I had a lot of fun with everyone who was able to attend it, but I find elopements much more special, they give you much more freedom, and being a travel lover it sounds incredibly tempting to elope by the ocean, on a beach I loved visiting a few years ago.
If you are here you are either considering or are planning to elope. How exciting! Feel free to take a look at my work and don’t be shy to say hello if you have any questions.
