Elopement

An elopement is a short, intimate wedding ceremony conducted either with just the bride and groom or a few close friends and family members. Traditionally, eloping usually means getting married without telling anyone, but these days you can choose to elope while still announcing your marriage in advance to family and friends. Elopement can be a great way to have a stress free wedding day and save money.

What Is Eloping?

Traditionally, eloping means running away to get married. In the past, many couples chose elopement if their families didn’t support their marriage. Couples might also choose elopement if they face a cultural taboo, such as getting pregnant before marriage. Yet, in modern times, eloping is similar to choosing a small wedding or intimate wedding that helps limit planning and budget. If couples are looking to get married with a no-frills ceremony, they can choose an intimate elopement for their wedding day that means they don’t have to worry about months of wedding planning. During an elopement, most couples just have an officiant, casual wedding attire, some decor, and a photographer.

How to Elope

Before learning how to elope, first decide if it’s the right choice for you and your partner. If you don’t think you have the money for a traditional wedding or just don’t want one, elopement is a great choice. The only downside to eloping is that you won’t be able to include as many friends and family, but that may be a benefit for you depending on your wants and needs.

Hire an Officiant

As with a traditional wedding, you’ll still need an officiant when you’re eloping. You can easily find an officiant by searching online. Depending on what state you live in, there will be different requirements for officiants. If you’re eloping you may also want to have a close friend or family members serve as the officiant to make the day even more special and intimate. Many states have simple steps to becoming an ordained officiant that usually takes just a matter of weeks.

Send out Elopement Announcements

If you’d like to let your friends and family know when you’re eloping, you can send out an elopement announcement before or after your special day. If you send out your announcements after you’re married, you can include photos from the day so your loved ones can still feel like they were there. If you’re including a small number of friends and family during the elopement ceremony, you can also send out a small batch of personalized invitations to offer the elopement details. 

Decide Where to Elope

One of the best benefits of eloping is that you can do it anywhere. Since your budget is small, you don’t need to worry about shelling out big for a destination wedding. Instead, a destination elopement might just include budget for some small decorations and lodging for the couple and the officiant. Some of the best places to elope might include places you’ve traveled in the past or new places you’ve never been with beautiful views.

Choose From Elopement Ideas

Eloping is one of the more flexible ways to get married, and there are plenty of elopement ideas to choose from. One of the best ideas is to hire an elopement photographer, especially if you’re having a destination elopement. Elopement photography can capture your big day as well as the breathtaking scenery around you that you might not be able to experience if you were to have a big wedding.

Obtain Your Marriage License

As with any special day, you still need to obtain your marriage license to make everything official. You can do so at any County Clerk’s office, and you can always get the license before or after your elopement ceremony. Once it’s official, create elopement wedding keepsakes so you can cherish your marriage for years to come.