Are Elopements Just a Trend??
Adventure elopement photographer serving the desert and pacific northwest
Is eloping a fad? Absolutely not and I'm not just saying this for the benefit of my career as you may be thinking. I'm saying this because I truly believe that eloping and adventure elopements are not just a fad, but they're here for the long run in the wedding industry.
In the last blog post we went through several of the misconceptions of choosing an elopement over a traditional wedding and while this could have easily been added to it I felt like it deserved its own platform. I often read about elopements being just a fad or a trending thing on social media. Some thing it's just for the cool photos but it's not. It's a strong connection for those couples getting married that want something deeper on their wedding day, those who want something that tells more of their story and that they feel more connected to. Most of these couples may not have connections with their families or they're huge outdoors people and that's where they spend all their time together or they just want a day to themselves to really connect. I think that there are couples who see the photos and get excited and think that's what they want to do just based off of the visuals and the “fad” aspect will run its course with those who do not see the value in eloping or do not connect with this type of wedding.
At the end of the day eloping is still a wedding. It does still take planning. It does still take organization and things still go wrong. Just like your typical wedding day. As I always say elopements are not just a just a day out in the outdoors with your partner. It is your wedding day and weddings are never going to go out of style. People are always going to be getting married and therefore elopements will always be a thing. I think that the only thing that may be a fad or crazy about it is the locations. Certain locations are going to be more popular than others for different reasons and at different times. I think Horseshoe Bend is a good example of this. Maybe the location is not a fad, but it definitely hit a peak and now we're starting to see other places come up as super popular locations for elopements like Iceland and Alaska is starting to grow popularity tremendously. I think social media has a huge part in that and creating fads and excitement around certain places until the next one comes into interest. If you are thinking of eloping do not choose your location based on popular locations trending on Instagram, choose something that you connect with or that means something to your relationship.
No matter what we all of our different opinions and none of us know the future of what is to be happen with elopements, but I hope that it's here for the long run. I hope that the vendors working in the wedding industry and the elopement industry, the photographers that are wanting to capture elopements and the couples that are wanting to elope are changing the wedding industry, because the traditional wedding is not for everybody. I know personally that I could never have a traditional wedding and feel fully at peace about the experience. There are also people who could not elope and be okay with that experience. Elopements offer couples another option of how to get married and how to start their marriage off. It's definitely a positive thing in our industry. If you're thinking of eloping definitely do your research, especially if you're unsure and just starting to consider it. Know what your options are, know whether or not it's something for you. The worst thing that could happen for any couple is to elope and regret it later or do the traditional wedding and regret that later. There are so many options out there nowadays and it's just important to do your research and to be truly genuine to who you are as a couple and as a person. That's all that matters at the end of the day. It's about you and your love story, it's not about what's trending on Instagram or anywhere else. That's kind of what elopements stand for anyway, being you. I don't know how being genuine to yourself can be a fad.
