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Elopement Planning

5 Signs You May Want to Elope

If you’re here, you’re probably trying to decide whether you are having a traditional wedding or an intimate elopement.

Before we talk about the signs you should look for if you want to elope, let’s talk about what an elopement is.

By definition, to elope means to run away. When you elope, you usually tie the knot without telling anyone. However, the meaning of elopement today differs from couple to couple.

Couples now decide to elope and announce their elopement, before or after. Some couples even decide to elope and include their immediate family. At Wandering Weddings, we encourage couples to plan their special day the way they want to.

With that said, if you can relate to the following feelings, you may want to consider eloping!

1.You Both Love Adventures

santorini island greece sunset elopement weddingPhoto by Lighthouse Photography

We enjoy hearing why couples decided to elope. A lot of times, the decision is made based on their pure passion for adventure like this Seaside Elopement in Santorini, Greece.

“This may sound funny but neither of us could picture ourselves in a traditional wedding. It just didn’t feel like us! We’d been together almost 10 years and already felt very committed to our life together. As soon as I let go of the idea of what a wedding was supposed to be, it was so easy for me to picture how we would get married. We wanted it to be stress-free and adventurous. It was important to me that we write and speak our own vows to one another and that that was the central focus… We also wanted to be abroad and wanted to exchange vows somewhere that would have been difficult to pull off with guests. The idea of it just being us two in a stunning location felt right.” [Lindsay, The Bride]

2. You Don’t Want a Traditional Wedding

Couple celebrating marriage at Moab, Utah.Photo by Emily Hary Photography

Many brides have imagined their wedding day since they were little girls. The idea of marriage and a bride’s wedding day has been portrayed in every movie, book, and song since the beginning of time. However, as that little girl grows up and meets the love of her life, maybe the traditional wedding isn’t what she really wants.

Some couples could care less about the extra fluff of a traditional wedding. This couple, who got married in this Desert Elopement in Utah, expressed how nothing else really mattered to them except for just getting married.

“We had been together 5 years before eloping, and I just looked at him weeks before our planned road trip to see my family and said, ‘I’m tired of not being married to you, what are we waiting for?’ Lucas thankfully agreed, and we decided to get married on the way to Arizona. My hair was wild and un-styled, we traveled long hours in the car, so his suit was wrinkly. We didn’t have rings, I wore no makeup, but we didn’t mind! The time spent together, the laughs shared, and the tears shed on this trip meant the world to me.” [Jordan, The Bride] 

3. You Want Something Stress-freeSedona red rocks elopementPhoto by Luna Marie Photography

Planning a wedding can be stressful, especially when you are planning a big wedding with all the trimmings. This stress often times takes away from the blissful feeling of marrying your partner.

As more and more brides realize how stressful and fast their wedding day is, more brides opt for smaller and intimate moments.

Kaylee, who had a Sedona, Red Rock Elopement, didn’t have to worry about anything but getting ready and getting married.

“I wasn’t stressed about other opinions or if napkins were folded a certain way. We got to focus on the covenant we were making together in one of the most beautiful places on earth!” [Kaylee, The Bride]

4. You Don’t Want to go into Debt

Iceland elopement by the beach.Photo by Autumn Marshall

Some couples do not want to spend a lot of money on one day. They recognize that their wedding day is important and once in a lifetime, but they also consider the financial burden that a lavish wedding may put on the start of their marriage.

This couple eloped in Southern Iceland because they wanted to invest their money towards other things in their marriage.

“Grif and I never felt comfortable spending so much money on a party. We always talked about how that money could be put to better use doing something we loved more like traveling or investing in our home in Chicago.” [Maddy, The Bride]

Debt is a real thing that many couples face when having a traditional wedding. According to the Brides 2018 American Wedding Study, a wedding in 2018 typically set couples and their family members back about $44,000.

5. You Want Something Intimate and Personalgroom dips wife at Antelope canyon.Photo by Savanna Kaye

Sometimes you can’t appreciate intimate moments during big weddings. The bride and groom have to worry about running from table to table saying hello or making sure everything is going smoothly.

For a lot of the couples we feature, we have realized that intimacy and loving moments can be appreciated in the quiet surroundings of mother nature. Gabby and Grant got married at Horseshoe Bend in Arizona, and they can’t be happier with their decision to elope.

“We wanted to be fully surrounded by God’s creation during the most important day of our lives. Grant and I love the trends of today with formal weddings but knew we would look back and say, ‘Remember when we thought that was in style?!’ We wanted depth, something that man or no trend could alter. Thus, we wanted creation in its purest form.” [Gabby, The Bride]

 If you related to these stories from our Adventurous Elopements and Intimate Weddings section, then you may want to consider starting to plan your elopement.

Remember that an elopement, despite its traditional definition, can be whatever you want it to be. Many couples become scared because they still want to include some people on their special day.

The beauty of all these stories is that each and every couple got married how they wanted to.

What’s your plan? We are here to help with our Elopement Planning Resources.

Leave us a comment if you are thinking about eloping, are planning an elopement, or have eloped!

Photo by Savanna Kaye

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