A few decades ago, eloping was synonymous with running away from home with your partner to get married. While that definition still holds true in some cases, today elopements are an intimate and adventurous way for a couple to get married without the stress and distraction of a more formal wedding.
We always encourage more elopements, because we see them as the perfect opportunity for couples to take a simple, yet memorable route to marriage. But elopements are anything but boring, and the exclusivity of it all can make it feel that much more special. If you’re dead set on a regular wedding, that’s awesome! But if an elopement is something you have considered, let me give you some reasons why we think they happen to be the best.
1. You’re in much more control of your big day
When planning a wedding, you have to make decisions about every aspect of the day. Maybe you’re a vegan and are trying to decide what type of food to serve to your guests. Or perhaps you have that one disruptive family member and you just can’t decide where to seat them to keep the peace. Maybe you sent out 100 invites and only 30 people have RSVP’ed, leaving you worried about who will actually show up.
When you elope, you get to decide what’s important and what isn’t. With just you, your future spouse, an officiant, and maybe a couple close family members/friends, a lot of the stressful decision-making vanishes. You will still have to do some planning, but with an elopement you can decide what matters most to you and focus solely on that.
2. You don’t have to invite anyone you don’t want to
With a large, traditional wedding, there is often a lot of pressure to invite everyone from each side of the family (even that crazy aunt that no one really gets along with). Maybe you already know that there will be some drama just creating the guest list. With an elopement, you can literally invite whoever you want. Want it to be just you and your honey? Done. Maybe you both want your parents there and that’s it. That’s awesome too!
Eloping can allow your wedding to be more about you and your significant other, and less about pleasing and accommodating all of your guests.
3. You can go somewhere awesome
A lot of people who have traditional weddings do so in their hometowns so all their friends and family can attend, and some people aren’t able to take a honeymoon after the expenses of the wedding. With an elopement, you don’t have to worry about a centralized location that works for everyone.
Wanna get married on the beach in Jamaica? Do it and then enjoy the rest of the time adventuring with your babe. One of the many reasons elopements have become as popular as they are is because you get to combine a wedding and a vacation. Sounds like a win to me.
4. It can be as formal, informal, adventurous, or silly as you want it to be
Maybe you love formal weddings but the idea of an elopement is exciting to you. You can still incorporate all of those things into your big day. Maybe you guys want to wake up early in the morning, hike to the top of a mountain and get married at the peak. You do you.
With an elopement there’s no pressure to do things the “normal” way. Put your own spin on it and make it a day you and your future spouse will always remember.
5. You get to focus on what’s most important: each other
Elopements allow you to have that special time to focus on your relationship. You two are making a decision to love each other and stick by one another for the rest of your lives. Eloping allows for no distractions; you two can focus on your day being just about the two of you.
The best part is that while you can save your ceremony for you and your significant other, you can always meet up with friends and family later on to celebrate. We know several couples who have eloped and then chosen to have an awesome reception with all their friends and family when they get back. It’s the best of both worlds, and can make sure everyone is included without sacrificing what’s important to you.
At the end of the day, whether you decide to have an enormous wedding, a relaxing backyard wedding, or the most intimate elopement, what truly matters is the love you have for each other.
