What is an elopement?

Planning Resources

May 22

First of all, what is an elopement?

Most people immediately think of running off to avoid the shame that may come from their family or hopping a plane to Vegas so Elvis can marry them. Well, the times they are a-changin’!

An elopement is an intimate, laid-back way to commit your lives to each other in a way that is authentic to you.

I have so many couples who say something along the lines of, “we thought about eloping” or “I wish we had eloped”. Had they known what an elopement could be, I know they would have chosen to elope instead. An elopement is a wedding where the focus of the day is on you and your relationship, not other people or stuff. You can elope just the two of you or you can invite your closest family and friends. As long as the focus of the day isn’t pulled away from you, that’s an elopement!

COVID-19 is a real dumpster fire, but why should that mean you can’t get married?

Maybe you’ve been wanting to elope, but you’re not sure how to tell everyone that you don’t want a big wedding. Well, this is a great time to use “the coronavirus made me do it” excuse! Haha! In all seriousness, no one is entitled to be at your wedding. If at any point during your planning, you think, “what would Uncle Danny want?”, stop! What you should be asking is, “what would WE want?”.

So what does an elopement day look like?

The answer, short and sweet? Whatever you want it to look like. Imagine there are no boundaries, what would your perfect day look like? There is no right or wrong answer. It’s all about you! There are literally ENDLESS possibilities about what your wedding day can look like.

What your elopement day could look like.

Your day can look however you want it to look. Below are some general ideas that you can work into your timeline.

First look
Most people can’t wait for that first moment they get to look at their partner in all of their wedding attire. You can have your first look outside of your BNB if you don’t want to spend that much time apart or you can travel to your pre-determined ceremony location.

Ceremony
Where do you want to get married? Is there a place that is meaningful to you or do you want to go somewhere you’ve never been before? Say your vows, your real, un-watered-down vows! So many times couples can’t say what they really want to say because there are so many people there watching. Take some time to say what you really want to say to each other.

You can incorporate any wedding traditions that you want to. Do you want to exchange gifts? Bring your gifts with you and exchange them when the moment feels right. Are you eloping just the two of you but want to include family/friends in some way? Let them write you notes and you can read them on your wedding day. When you imagine committing your lives to each other, do whatever it is that you see yourselves doing.

Adventure
What is something fun that you want to do on your wedding day? Take a hike, go kayaking, rent some 4-wheelers, have a picnic, skydive, take a helicopter ride, ride a hot air balloon, get a drink or a coffee, go mini-golfing, stargaze. The possibilities are endless!

Food
You can create a picnic on top of a mountain or head to your favorite restaurant after your ceremony. Food is vital - this is something that can be pushed to the wayside but if there’s one thing we humans need, it’s food. Have fun with it!

Why you deserve so much more than 1 or 2 hours of coverage for your elopement day.

Another common misconception about elopements is that if you do end up eloping, you don’t need full day coverage. You may think 1 or 2 hours will be enough. Let me tell you right now that you deserve to have your wedding day documented. It is your wedding day, the day you will look back on every year and celebrate. It’s so much more than just saying your vows and getting some portraits taken. If you had a big, traditional wedding, would you ask your photographer to stop by for 1 or 2 hours? No way! You deserve the same treatment and coverage as someone having a big wedding. Your day matters.

Whether you want to get married right now or you want to wait, you deserve a wedding day that is authentic to you! If you want to chat to learn more, contact me here! I’d love to help you plan your ultimate wedding day.