The Top Reasons to Elope
Congratulations to you! If you’re reading this it means you are most likely engaged. If you are considering eloping, but not sure if it is the right choice for you consider some of these reasons for eloping. If you have any questions I am always happy to help answer them. Just drop your thoughts in the comments or feel free to reach out! If you did elope I would love to hear some of the reasons you chose to elope in the comments!!
Less Stress
First off planning a wedding is stressful AF. There are way too many choices, so much money to put out, so many people wanting to put their input on your day. The day of you are tending to timelines, vendors, friends and family. While we love our friends and family sometimes it is an extra stress on this special day. When I used to photograph larger weddings I can not tell you how many brides I saw so stressed out they were not enjoying their day. Or by the time the wedding day comes they are just ready to get it over with because the planning experience was so stressful. A lot of couples do not want to share their private vows in front of guess or feel anxious about being emotional in front of everyone they know. Choosing elope allows you to avoid all of that stress. Eloping is a freeing and a peaceful experience. Getting married with just the essentials is way more meaningful and easier to plan.
It’s Eco-Friendly
Mother nature matters a lot and it’s about time we start taking care of her!! The Green Bride Guide (a book you can purchase here) estimates that each wedding, lasting only one day, produces around 400 pounds of trash. If you think about it there is waste from almost every single aspect of a wedding. In the process of making a wedding dress, food not eaten, friends and family travel, flowers, gift wrapping, invites/rsvps and more. While eloping does involve being on the trails and out in nature if you practice Leave No Trace Behind Principals you will for sure be doing Mother Nature a good service by skipping the larger wedding. Key tips to keeping your elopement a zero waste wedding are as follows, do not leave flowers or corks behind, go paperless when announcing or saying thank you and keep it local. Traveling for your elopement is the thing to do, but try to tie it in to your honeymoon location, or a trip you have already planned together or elope somewhere super awesome close to home!
You will have a more emotive day.
Your wedding day is the first day of the rest of your lives together. It is the day you commit yourself to your partner forever. Too often times at weddings the couple hardly gets to spend anytime together and most of the time they do get together is planned and spent with guests. Again while we love our friends and family marriage is between two people. You deserve to have the most connected day on your wedding day! Eloping allows you to spend as much time as you wish with your partner and that time is mostly spent just the two of you, private and meaningful. With less stress, people, things to do you will be able to chat with each remembering all your good times or just hold each other while taking in the day. You do not have to limit your vow reading to only a few minutes, you can have as much time as you want to share your love with each other. You do not have to wait to see each other until the end of the day, you can help each other get ready for this special day!
It’s Healthier!
Okay, you may be thinking what the heck! In all seriousness though eloping in the great outdoors is healthier. Being outside in nature offers so many benefits to you as a person, but it can also bring benefits into your relationship. Being outside and experiencing nature can increase your short term memory, decrease stress, improves focus and much more. All of these benefits as an individual will benefit your relationship in general. Being outside with a partner though allows you the space to connect deeper and share experiences together. Some of the closest couples I have met are rock climbers and climb together, this requires a certain level of trust and communication with your partner. Check this out from Greater Good Magazine, “being in nature has a profound impact on our brains and our behavior, helping us to reduce anxiety, brooding, and stress, and increase our attention capacity, creativity, and our ability to connect with other people.”
It is Cost Effective
While I do not believe that money should be your determining factor in choosing to elope, it is for sure cheaper than your average wedding which is a huge benefit. According to Nerd Wallet the average wedding can cost more than $33,000. WOW! You can elope for around half of the cost of a larger wedding. You’re elopement cost is essentially broken down into photographer, travel, a dress, any required permits and any other vendors you may want to hire like florist, musician, etc. You may be wondering what the average elopement cost, but this could really vary from $5,000-$15,000. It is hard to pin point an average for elopements due to how different each elopement experience can be. The beauty of eloping is really you control your cost way more.
Art for your Walls
Now this one is a big one for me. I meet a lot of couples and always make it a point to speak with them about their wedding day or elopement day to hear what experience they had. It breaks my heart completely when couples tell me they have no photos on the walls of their home from their wedding. Simply put at a wedding you do not have the time with your photographer to get those beautiful, creative shots that you want on your wall in large print. While a lot of venues are super beautiful, it may not be the look of what you want to decorate your home with. Eloping allows you to get married in some of the most beautiful places around the world. You can come home from your wedding and replace the meaningless factory art work with images from your special day. I love creating images for my couples that display the beautiful landscapes they got married in or super creative double exposures. Your home is your nest where your love grows forever and I think it’s so important to surround yourself with reminders of your love.
An Adventure Together
If your favorite memories and things to do together involve adventuring, why not start your marriage off this way?! Getting to do your favorite thing on your wedding day is one heck of a way to celebrate! Choosing an adventure elopement will allow you to have a wedding day in the most breathe-taking spaces, have a super intentional day and is bond to give you the most memorable day. Imagine spending your wedding night under the stars by camp fire reminiscing back on the most magical day you had exploring a new trail or a favorite trail. The day will be special to you and you can always go back on anniversaries to the exact spot you said I do for another chance to reconnect, express your love for each other and be in nature. Where as getting married the traditional way does not offer that type of experience for later down the road.
A day that is completely you two!
Choosing to elope allows for a super special day that is down to every detail perfect for you two! It is a judgement free zone with nothing holding you back from having the day that you want to have with each other. When you want a deeper, more intimate connection that is just about the two of you eloping is really the only option. This is the type of wedding where there is literally nothing to influence how you share your love. You can have any type of ceremony you want, anywhere in the world. You only have to think about you, your relationship and what you want. It’s the spirit of adventure, combined with the ability to make our own decisions, calls us to forge our own path and go our own way…finding our own happiness. Your elopement day is bound to be filled with joy and happiness even if you do have a few guests involved, because it’s simple, pure, connected and intentional.
I hope this blog helped you in your thought process in having the traditional wedding or an elopement! I believe a couple’s wedding should be all about them and their love. I’m just there to capture it. I love being there every step of the way to help you plan the most perfect day for your love and have the best adventure you can to start off your marriage. If you are considering eloping feel free to reach out, I would love to connect!
