Elopement Planning

What Does Elope Mean?

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Amanda Morales

Amanda Morales

updated Jan 1, 2025

Amanda is Wandering Weddings’ executive editor and first joined Wandering Weddings in 2019.

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What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about eloping? You may think of running off to Vegas and some guy impersonating Elvis marrying you two. Although we love a good elopement with Elvis, you’ll be surprised how the meaning of eloping has transformed over the years. At Wandering Weddings, we have featured multiple couples who have decided to elope. Each couple who decided to elope is unique and completely different than the Las Vegas elopement you’re thinking about. The meaning of elopement has changed when it comes down to it, and we are here to shed some light. Who knows, maybe you’ll get inspired to start planning your elopement!

What Does Elope Mean?

While the technical definition of eloping means to run away and get married without telling anyone, our team of elopement professionals defines eloping as when a couple decides to celebrate their marriage the way they want to with 10 or fewer people, without worrying about the constraints of a traditional wedding.

An elopement is a personal, intimate, and romantic way to get married for couples who want their wedding day to be 100% focused on what they want. You have probably heard of words such as intimate weddings, micro weddings, and even destination weddings. These are all classified as modern-day elopements.

Elopements, although becoming more popular, can still be misunderstood by a lot of family and friends who don’t truly understand what it means to elope in today’s world (feel free to share this resource with them). To elope doesn’t have to be last-minute or even hidden in secrecy. Elopements can mean planning an epic adventure at one of the best places to elope in the world and creating an amazing memory you both will remember years from that day.

Still not sure what eloping means, and how it differs from a traditional wedding? We are here to help clear things up for you.

In this resource:

 

The Changing Meaning of Elope

So, what does elope mean? More importantly, how has it changed over the years?

Back in the day, the history of an elopement looked very different than how it looks today. When a couple decided to elope, it didn’t just mean spontaneously saying “I do” in a little white chapel with Elvis, but it also meant tying the knot in secrecy or out of shame away from their family. It was actually shameful, which sheds light on the reason why your family may make a sour face at you when you say, “I want to plan an elopement.”

Fast forward to today, and eloping has become an epic way couples have decided to celebrate their marriage. 

The meaning of eloping today has transformed into a unique and personal way to get married that is more intentional and intimate compared to a big, traditional wedding. Couples who decide to elope do so to plan an authentic wedding experience to honor who they are as a couple. To decide to elope is to ditch traditional wedding standards and embrace activities you both love to celebrate your union together.

We have featured hundreds of intimate elopements over the years, and we have come to realize that eloping has not only become more popular and accepted in the wedding community but is also a great alternative for a lot of couples.

Couples who elope can go on adventures together and travel together. From picking epic spots in Yosemite, Olympic, or Zion to planning a backyard elopement at a secluded Airbnb. If you can’t travel somewhere new and exciting, we have also seen many couples get creative and elope right in their hometown or state park.

Instead of running off to marry in total secrecy, couples are creating fun elopement announcements or including their immediate family and friends. Instead of a last-minute decision, eloping can be just as planned out and thoughtful as a traditional wedding.

Check out our elopement packages at some of our favorite places to elope to get a better idea of how your elopement day can look like!

What is the Difference Between Traditional Weddings and Elopements?

Now that you know what it means to elope, how does it differ from getting married?

When a couple decides to elope, they are running away from traditional norms and getting married the way they want to. Thus, eloping and getting married are technically the same. The difference, however, comes from what the couple prioritizes during their wedding day.

If they are essentially the same, then why is it called eloping? When a couple elopes, for example, they are forgoing planning a traditional wedding ceremony for something more intimate and simple. Instead of planning how many tables and chairs they will need and where to sit each person, they focus their elopement timeline on each other.

Let’s go over some key differences between an elopement and a wedding.

Number of Guests

One of the biggest differences between a wedding and deciding to elope is the guest count.

Most traditional weddings invite 150+ people. Planning an elopement, however, often involves just the two of you or no more than 20 people for your small wedding experience.

So instead of worrying about inviting your aunts and distant cousins you haven’t spoken to in years, you only have to worry about inviting your closest family and friends. You can even elope with your pet! This makes it ideal if you also want to plan a destination wedding adventure. If a small guest count sounds more like your type of wedding day, where you don’t have to worry about seating charts, favors, and more of your energy to plan, then maybe it’s time to elope.

Time and Energy Spent Planning

We talked about how eloping doesn’t have to mean planning last minute, and it doesn’t, but it can also mean putting an epic elopement adventure together in less than 3 months. Traditional weddings require much more time to plan. When you’re planning a big wedding, you need to secure certain details, including the venue, at least a year in advance.

When you’re planning to elope, you’ll have to make sure you have enough time to book the elopement photographer (and other vendors) you want. The permit for your wedding location at a national park or small wedding venue is another priority to do with plenty of time.

It’s important to note that you can plan to include a lot of traditional wedding elements in your elopement. You can still hire all the vendors, plan a year in advance, and include some of the bells and whistles like your dream elopement dress that’ll take at least 4 months to make. Even if you plan your elopement like you would a traditional wedding, you would still spend way less energy and stress planning your big day because everything you’ll be planning for will be on a smaller scale (think flowers, food, invites, etc.).

Amount of Stress

This leads to the biggest difference when planning to elope or have a traditional wedding. The difference in stress levels during the planning process.

We can’t tell you how many times couples who elope tell us how excited they are when they decide to elope because of the stress factor. Planning a big event for more than 100 people is stressful because there are a ton of variables and details that come attached to that big guest list number. You’ll start to worry about the quality of food, the seating arrangements, the venue, and whether the location is accessible for your guests. The list goes on and on from there.

Couples who decide to elope, on the other hand, don’t stress about the little things and only focus on the details that are important to them. This actually makes the planning process fun for them!

It’s important to note that if you want to plan a big wedding, there’s nothing wrong with doing so. Just keep in mind, that there is another way to celebrate your wedding day if you’re struggling with the idea of planning a big wedding.

Check out these reasons to elope to see if you would rather plan an elopement instead. 

Cost Differences

Another big difference between an elopement and a traditional wedding is the total cost.

On average a traditional wedding costs $30,000+, depending on your guests list and wedding location. Elopements on average will cost $3,000 – $15,000. Even comparing the more expensive estimate of an elopement, that is still half the expense the traditional wedding costs!

For weddings, the largest expense usually lies in the venue and catering for you and your guests while for elopements, photography, travel, and accommodations are the largest expense.

Dive deeper into elopement costs and what you should consider when planning one. 

Spontaneity and Overall Adventure

Weddings tend to be perfectly planned, down to the T. Even though things can not go according to plan during traditional weddings, things usually stay on the same course without many surprises. Elopements, however, can change from one hour to the next. You can be planning at one location and need to shift plans last minute due to the weather or a sudden closure.

While traditional weddings can be adventurous for some, elopements take your “adventure” to a whole new level. If you’re the type of couple who aspires to see epic views of mountains or coastlines during your wedding day while hiking miles to get to your vantage point, then you may want to consider eloping.

Even if you don’t hike miles to your given location, you can still plan an epic adventure doing activities such as a boat ride, skiing, hot air balloon rides, or even rock climbing to name a few. The possibilities are endless when it comes to what type of adventure you can plan when you elope. You are not restricted by your guest count, which alleviates the worry of expense that tends to come along with it.

Want to plan your elopement in Italy so you can continue your honeymoon right after your elopement? You can do that! How about exploring the Dolomites for a multi-day “wedding” day experience? We have had plenty of couples do that too.

You have enough wiggle room to plan your dream wedding adventure with no strings attached.

Is Eloping a Good Idea?

You’re now probably trying to decide if you want to elope and if it’s a good idea for you. You should consider asking yourself what’s important for you and your partner on your wedding day. If you both want to have a bridal party or include a lot of family and friends, then you should probably have a traditional wedding. If you want to focus on adventures and each other, without any distractions, then you should probably elope. There are multiple reasons to elope, and if you agree with these reasons then planning an elopement is a good idea.

Check out our top 10 reasons to elope.

Elopement Myths

The term elope has gotten a bunch of heat over the years, worldwide. Many still don’t understand the changing meaning of eloping and often question why couples would even want to plan an elopement in the first place. Since elopements are non-traditional and are not the standard in the wedding industry, we can understand why there would be so many assumptions about planning to elope.

Let’s go over some myths surrounding elopements and break down why they aren’t true:

1. Myth: Elopements are Selfish

Photo by Bianco e Nero

The majority of the backlash couples get when deciding to elope is “how selfish it is to plan an elopement without family and friends”. These couples are often met with upset families feeling like they are being left out of the union experience. However, it’s important to remember that this is YOUR day. Planning a wedding day adventure that is intentional to who you are as a couple, even if you include no guests, is NOT selfish.

Even if you don’t include your whole family physically, there are a ton of ways to include them on your wedding day including, Facetiming them, planning a small wedding ceremony before your elopement adventure, planning a post-elopement party, or even ready letters from them and recording the ceremony.

You can also include family and friends if you want to during your elopement! Remember, deciding to elope doesn’t have to mean just the two of you. Most of the couples we feature include 2-20 people during their elopement or for part of their elopement.

2. Myth: It’s a Quick Way to Tie the Knot

Contrary to the belief of the original definition of elope. Eloping doesn’t mean going to the courthouse, signing some paperwork, and going back home (even though some couples do go this route BEFORE their elopement adventure). Eloping is more detailed and consists of way more time than 1-2 hours.

Most elopements are all-day experiences, some of them even explore multiple locations on multiple days! Remember, elopements have changed throughout the years. Planning your elopement shouldn’t be thought of as a rushed way to celebrate your wedding or make your wedding official by quickly signing some papers.

In our learn how to elope guide, we discuss the 8 steps in planning your special day. We go into detail about imagining your ideal wedding day adventure and help you bring it to life. If that means starting from sunrise getting ready together while sipping some warm coffee and ending as you stargaze and dance under the moon, then let’s make it happen!

3. Myth: You Have to be a Hiker to Have an Adventure Elopement

This can’t be further from the truth. While some couples are avid hikers, you don’t have to be to go on an epic adventure with picturesque views. A lot of our location guides go over specific locations worldwide, where we discuss some places to elope, including accessible ones where you can drive up to OR walk for a couple of minutes.

Keep in mind:

These more accessible spots you can plan your elopement are usually more crowded, but that’s nothing a sunrise adventure or weekday adventure can’t fix!

When you team up with an elopement vendor from our directory, remember to discuss what type of adventure you want to go on. Whether you want to hike for 2 miles or 15 miles, they can suggest multiple locations for your adventure.

4. Myth: Elopements are Planned Last Minute

Nope, this isn’t true either.

Fun fact: most couples plan their elopements 3 months – 12 months ahead of time.

Since these elopements are adventure elopements, couples have to plan for vendors, travel, and even accommodations. Planning an elopement is also a very intentional way to celebrate your marriage, so couples take time to consider what elements are truly important to them and how to include these elements into their adventure.

5. Myth: Elopements Don’t Include any Traditional Wedding Traditions

No, you can include ANY traditions you want to.

Just because you plan to elope, doesn’t mean you can’t include wedding traditions you love. You can still have a first look, have your parent(s) walk you down the aisle, exchange wedding vows, have your first dance, or include memorable wedding ceremony traditions.

6. Myth: Elopements are Shameful and ONLY Done in Secrecy.

Elopements are NOT shameful.

In the past this was true, but this is not true anymore for couples who decide to elope. A lot of family members are learning what it means to elope and they are fully supporting their children when they decide to elope.

It’s intentional, less stressful, and saves you some money! When you decide to elope, you’re not compromising because of money or saying no to that big wedding venue. Instead, you’re deciding to elope because it’s the best decision that resonates with both of you.

I’m In, I want to Elope! How Do I Plan My Elopement?

If you made it this far, we are 100% sure you are pretty sold on planning an elopement.

What now?

  1. Head over to our how to elope guide. We break down elopement planning into 8 easy steps for you.
  2. Think of Your Ideal Elopement Location. We have featured elopements around the world. We know desert elopements, mountain elopements, beach elopements, and more. Don’t know where to start your search? Check out our best places to elope.
  3. Get Inspired and Stay Connected. Our goal is to inspire and assist couples who want to elope. Our site is filled with elopement resources and stories on how others, like you and your partner, decided to say no to traditional wedding norms.
  4. Team Up With Our Vendors. Wandering Weddings offers an array of talented and experienced professionals who specialize in all things elopements. Search our elopement vendors and connect with them! We are sure they will be just as excited as you about eloping.

Are You Ready to Start Planning Your Elopement?

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