5 Reasons YOU Should Elope
5 reasons you should elope
So you’re thinking of eloping…
Planning a traditional wedding is a LOT. You’re here because you’ve probably seen the stress its caused someone in your life. The table decorations, the food, the never-ending “can I bring a plus-1?” questions, the list goes on. Traditional weddings are starting to become more and more cookie-cutter, and couples world-wide are starting to yearn for something more meaningful, fun, and cost-effective.
“As we all know, planning a traditional wedding comes with it's well-known stressors that couples are choosing to opt out of—gone are the days where newly-engaged couples feel pressured to have someone else's idea of what their wedding should be or what etiquette dictates, especially since the average cost of weddings grows every single year," says Daniela VillaRamos, owner of Once Upon a Vow. "Couples still want something celebratory and meaningful, but are choosing to create their own adventure with a heartfelt focus on what they love to do with the person or people they love most."
In recent years, there has been an eruption of popularity in couple choosing to elope over hold a traditional wedding celebration.
Here are the top 5 reasons you should consider eloping!
Less wedding stress
Don’t get me wrong, there will be some degree of stress no matter what you decide to do. But you will not have to sweat as many details and moving parts as you would for a traditional wedding. You may choose to adventure just the two of you, or invite your closest humans along with you, but planning a celebration with 10 people is a lot less stressful than 150 people.
Instead of focusing on table decorations, renting 150 chairs, flowers for each of the tables, and favors for everyone, you can focus your energy on what REALLY matters, like soaking in your wedding day. Instead of spending the day stressed out, you can spend it truly immersing yourself into your wedding day.
Especially if you invest in a photographer who knows what they’re doing, you will not have to sweat any details like locations or timeline. They’ve got that covered for you. When looking into elopement photographers, make sure to ask them the following questions:
Will you help us plan our timeline?
Do you have hiking experience? Have you ever hiked at this altitude/ in this kind of terrain?
Will you plan out the locations?
What do you like about photographing elopements versus traditional weddings?
This will ensure that your potential photog has YOU in mind, and will help make your elopement as stress free and easy-breezy as you deserve. When it comes to elopements, I am like your elopement planner, getting your day organized and all the little details taken care of, while also providing step-by-step guidance on what to do next.
More focus on YOU
Eloping is one of the most intimate decisions you can make for you and your partner. The only people that will be there are you, your partner, the person marrying you, a photographer, and if you choose to have a few family members/friends with you. You don’t have to make decisions that will affect 150 people.
Think about it. Traditional weddings typically are huge parties. You don’t have to worry about catering and marking whose vegan, whose pescatarian, whose allergic to shellfish, whose on a new diet cleanse and won’t be eating at all, you get the idea. You don’t have to worry about where to seat cousin Betsy who doesn’t get along with anyone. You don’t have to worry about what aunt Margaret will think of your reclaimed table decorations.
Nor should you really have to. If your traditional wedding is going to cause you more stress than enjoyment, it’s time to maybe start considering some other wedding options.
Cost
FUN FACT: did you know the average cost of a wedding in the US (according to The Knot 2018) was $33,931? That’s the cost of a brand new car (actually MORE expensive than my car). That’s the cost of some student loan balances. That’s a LOT of Taco Bell. All for an 8 hour party. How insane is that?
When you think about it, it totally all adds up. The venue, alllll the flowers, the best live band in town, the crazy gorgeous cake, the table decorations, the food. It’s a lot and can add up really fast. But rather than spending money on things that will please other people, you can choose to invest your money into an intentional day of activities that YOU want to do. Not sure what to do on your elopement day? Check out my 9 favorite ideas here!
The one thing you should invest in, of course, is a photographer. This day is something you’re going to want to treasure forever. It won’t be in hundreds of your guest’s memories like a traditional wedding. It’ll only be you two. When memories fail, good photos provide.
Start your life with an adventure, not a headache
If you’re like me, you try to take at least one trip a year (definitely more for me). You pack your bags, check them twice, the airport experience is filled with anticipation to get to your destination to start your adventure. What if this same feeling was how you started your married life? Why wait until your honeymoon to travel together with you can start with your “I do”?
Traditional weddings are a wonderful experience and a great way to bring everyone you love together in one room. However, there are other ways of bringing people together after you elope. You can elope and come home and through a more relaxed party, have a ceremony video viewing party over dinner, or have a “wedding send off” party before you leave for your elopement. There are still many ways to get the people you love together that aren’t a stressful and expensive.
Explore the best views the world has to offer…
and get some seriously gorgeous photos out of it. Of course your day is not all about the photos, but standing with your new life partner looking out onto the mountains? That’s pretty epic. Think about it. You get to explore God’s most beautiful creations and exchange vows with the person you get to spend the rest of your life with.
Here’s a take from the Christian perspective. Some may think that they need to get married in a church because that’s where God is. No, friend. God is in the mountains. God is in the trees. God is on the ocean. God is in the dang parking lot. God is everywhere. And He’ll hear your vows to Him if you’re in a church, on the beach, on a mountain, or at the Taco Bell drivethru.
As a final cap-off, I want to leave you with this. Your wedding day is about one thing and one thing only: you and your love for each other. Keep that at the center of everything you do during this wedding season. If you and your partner want to throw a huge wedding and invite everyone you know, do it. If you want to say “screw it” and travel to Iceland to elope in the mountains, do it. If you want to do one of those Taco Bell weddings where they’ll marry you and cater your wedding, do it. Can you tell I want Taco Bell?
Regardless, make sure that whatever you decide to do, you have the memories to look back on. Invest in a photographer and videographer who can give you those timeless memories to look back on for decades to come.
Aaaaaaand if you’re thinking of ya girl for your elopement, scroll down to inquire and let’s start dreaming + pack our bags!
