Top 10 Reasons to Elope
Top 10 reasons to elope (and not worry about what everybody else will think)
A lot of people start to get the itch to elope, but it’s not an easy step to take! If you’re looking for that little bit of courage, or just to find out why so many people are deciding against the traditional wedding at home, here are some great benefits to eloping!
Saving money
Let’s just get down to it – though a wedding in a foreign land seems like it would cost an arm and a leg, the fact that you only have to consider you and your partner means that the cost of the wedding goes way down. Additionally, the money you do spend goes a lot further to making that special day. So many people want to start their marriage on a good financial note, but a $20,000 wedding accommodating all your friends and family can put many people into financial difficulty right when they’re beginning to live their married lives together. Money shouldn’t be the only reason you choose to elope, but it does sweeten the deal!
Less planning
When you take away guest lists, endless catering menus, decoration, bookings, suit and dress hires, musicians and the church – everything begins to be about what really matters. You can choose the things that will have a big impact on your wedding, without getting buried under the endless small decisions that a traditional wedding requires. For those living busy lives, a simpler planning process means that you can also get it done in a fraction of the time!
Romantic/Intimacy/Too many people
It may seem rude to leave people out of your special day, but the truth is that a wedding should be about you and your partner. Often that intimacy is ruined by the obligation to greet everyone, to be social with anyone but the person you’re marrying. By focusing your wedding on just the two of you, you get a special day that you will both remember for the fact that you spent it truly focused on one another and the future you will have together.
You don’t have to elope alone!
Of course, that doesn’t mean your wedding has to be just the two of you. Even having a few friends and some family can be possible during an elopement, and still ends up being a simpler, purer event without blowing the budget. The important thing is: you have the choice as to how complicated your wedding is, and how many people are invited.
More experience, less materialism.
A big wedding not only involves a lot of gifts from extended family, but also a lot of money spent on making sure your guests are comfortable and enjoy themselves. Sometimes that means spending a lot of money on temporary, material things instead of focusing on the romantic sentiment, creating a moment you will never forget. Eloping is not just a way to escape the trappings of traditional weddings, but a way to create a shared experience that is truly special.
Location is key
How many brides look all around their hometown for the perfect wedding venue, while dreaming that they could be married under the shadow of the Dolomite mountains, by a swiss lake, or in the countryside of Tuscany. There are so many choices of location that simply blow the local restaurant out of the water.
Avoid Family Conflicts
Maybe your family isn’t the most harmonious of groups, or you have a bunch of people you would have to invite if you were to get married locally. By removing the ‘big wedding’ notion from the equation, you have the freedom to have a peaceful wedding on your own or with some close friends, and then celebrate individually with people when you get back home.
You’ve been married before.
Maybe this isn’t your first rodeo – It’s natural that a second wedding shouldn’t be like the first one, with the memories of each relationship overlapping. Eloping for your second wedding sets up a clear difference for your second time around, a distinct, independent experience to what you remember about your first marriage.
People who are getting married for the second time, or later in life, often have the freedom of choice as the family is more relaxed and doesn’t put as many limits on how the day should play out. Taking advantage of that freedom for a really special time together can be the perfect way to start your relationship together.
Focus on the wedding.
Instead of focusing on tradition and the obligations that a traditional wedding day can bring, an elopement trip lets you focus on your relationship and the commitment you are making to one another. It is not just one day, but a multi-day trip with your significant other as you prepare to take your vows overseas. Having time to spend with your partner as you travel to get married, and then moving directly into your honeymoon can be a great way to make sure the focus stays on your vows and not on the stress others can put on you.
Beginning with an adventure
Depending where you get married, an elopement can be the first step in the shared adventure that is marriage. Your dream wedding location can be a leap of faith, into an unknown landscape, into a new country or continent, as you begin your wedding life together. Surrounding yourself with great beauty and taking the challenge alongside your partner can be an unforgettable journey to begin the bigger journey of love you will take over the coming years.
No matter what your reasons, and no matter what you choose, the important thing is that you choose to have the wedding that you want, not what everybody else thinks you should have. The decision is about the happiness of you and your partner, and nothing else matters.
