Top Five Reasons More People are Eloping!
Cost
This one may be the most obvious one. But considering how expensive weddings can be these days (the venue alone can cost around 8k!) - eloping instead has become MORE appealing. Instead of spending money on cake that no one really eats and a “warehouse” or barn that is the new trendy venue. You can spend it on a ticket to Greece. Or Iceland. Or Hawaii. Bring your dress/suit. Buy some local flowers when you get there and find a photographer that knows what they are doing! It’s a honeymoon/elopement in one and you can still have a backyard BYOB BBQ when you get back.
No Drama
When I talk to couples about their guest list you can tell that it is often a point of contention. Do we invite kids? Do we invite your mom’s friend we have met once? Do we have to invite Uncle Kenny who drinks too much? When you do elope - the only thing you need to worry about is getting to the airport on time and packing a swimsuit. Why do we put SO much pressure on one day? For those who are not eloping - be open to things not being perfect on your big day. Most likely something will go wrong. And at that point you just have to have a good attitude.
The Photos
This is where yours truly comes in! You have all seen the photos on Instagram. A gorgeous couple standing on top of a mountain in some place you didn’t know existed. There will be an expense, obviously, for getting those epic photos - but it is worth capturing this day! Having a beer and snack in a cabin together before you get ready. Getting ready - together or apart. The details of where you are staying. A first look. Finding the perfect spot to say your vows. The emotion and authenticity of sharing this moment with each other and making a commitment to each other. Going on a an adventure with your photographer until the sun goes down with no strains on timely or the feeling like you want to be with your guests. And then getting to share those photo with everyone as you announce you are officially MARRIED!
No People Pleasing
Many of us don’t realize how much of a “people pleaser” we actually are. It’s just human nature to not want to let people down - especially the ones you really love. And sometimes things become important to you, because they are important to other people. Let’s say you wanted to strut down the aisle to “isn’t she lovely” by yourself and then your dad confesses that he has been dreaming of the time he gets to proudly walk you, his daughter down the aisle to meet give you away to your future wife. How could you say no! Your mom surprises you with HER veil that she wore when she got married and how much it would mean to her if you wore it. And then (and not necessarily in a bad way) your wedding becomes a blend of everyone’s thoughts and opinions.
Oh and remember (this could be it’s on category)- weddings are LONG - you have a 5pm ceremony, people get there are 4:30pm and the trendy thing now is open bar BEFORE the ceremony. They grab a drink. They there is cocktail hour from 5:30-6:30pm. Then dinner with wine. Then champagne toasts. Then more DRINKS. That being said, IF you are having a large wedding - don’t have an open mic or a DJ that takes requests. And make sure to provide ways/ideas for people to get home safely!
Less Planning
Unless your job is actually an event planner. We are nurses, creatives, business owners, in tech and then BAM - you are a wedding planner. So yes hiring an actual wedding planner helps! But - YOU still have to make decisions. It’s still a LOT of work. And when you elope you literally have these things to plan:
When - and honestly you could just be like mid-May and then see when your photographer is available and what they think based on weather and flights and tourism
Where - the freakin’ best part about elopement. Again - if you need help with this - call me. If you are like gosh I don’t know - maybe Morraco, Greece or Bali. Or Yosemite, Moab or Banff. Let’s figure it out!
How much - what’s your budget….uh, maybe this should be the first thing.
Photographer - oh hi.
What to wear - second favorite part to decide! Let’s get creative! Also if you are dreaming of wearing on of those Beyonce halo crowns from Etsy - please do. We can do some photos with it on and some with out.
There are a lot of perks to eloping. And you can find a lot of blogs out there on about it (mostly written by photographers who are dying to tag along and capture it). But some people have 47 best friends and can’t imagine celebrating with their tribe. I respect that. Eloping is not for everyone. And - if you got married 10 years ago and just want to renew your vows somewhere epic - DO THAT. Just check in with yourself from time to time while you are planning and making decisions and know that this is a reflection of your love for each other.