Top 10 Reasons to Elope
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The Night We Met
Traditional, Shmaditional! Out with the old and in with the adventure, There’s nothing like the anticipation of exploring a new place. It can make you feel so alive, SO FREE!
I understand the need to cut the guest list and go somewhere unimaginably beautiful. Exploring is a lot like marriage and if you want to abandon the traditional wedding day, let’s get outdoors and celebrate your love there!
Top 10 Reasons to Elope:
What is an Elopement?
Court house. Last minute Vegas Trip. Running away, without telling friends or family?? I bet those were some of the first things that came to mind when you thought, “Elopement?!”
It’s not like that anymore. That definition has changed. Now it can be defined as a small wedding, a meaningful experience true to who you are as a couple while aligning with all your non-traditional wants and needs.
Choosing to elope puts the focus back on you with less stress. Although, you can still fly last minute to Vegas, elopements can now be planned months in advance. Elopement photographers help you plan the type of wedding you could ever dream about.
Also See: What is an Elopement?
Travel Somewhere Completely EPIC!
Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
Eloping is a zero f***ks given approach to travel somewhere EPIC and roll right into your honeymoon at the same time!! Here are some ideas of locations to Elope at:
Puerto Rico Hey, you don’t even need a passport if you are a US citizen. How cool! Vacation right in our backyard.
Yosemite National Park For the obvious backdrops that can make you look like a painted masterpiece.
Sedona, Arizona All the red rock and texture will really make your dress POP!
Horseshoe Bend A short walk and you’re there!!
New Zealand Full of natural beauty for the seaside lovers or golden light dreamers.
Santorini, Greece Get yo’self some of those postcard worthy views.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Mountain tops and EPIC views
SEE ALSO: Jordan + Ian Colorado Elopement
The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland Love each other to the ends of the earth
SEE ALSO: Kaley + John Ireland Elopement
Choose Your Guests
Party for two!
When choosing how many people you want to invite to your intimate elopement, try to keep it (up to) or around 20 people or less.
You can invite friends, family, whoever you want, but the general idea is to keep the guest list short otherwise it now becomes a destination wedding.
Think about inviting your closest of close friends and immediate family members you just cannot imagine your day without.
If you want just you two, show off that wedding album when you get home.
See Also: Prints and Products
Less Planning Headache
The heart of the wedding is the marriage, not the other way around.
(Say that louder for the folks in the back!)
It’s hard to hire someone for a job you’ve never done before, and it’s even harder if that person has to be YOU. Having a big traditional wedding is just like that. You’re managing things with a florist, baker, decor, venues, etc…
You are the master of all trades with little to no skills on how to navigate all this. That can be stressful on anyone! Sure, you manage to get it all done but I find it so sad when I hear some of my couples talk about they just want to get the wedding day over with.
The thought of managing hundreds of people and tens of thousands of dollars for one day. The thought of you dreading your wedding day or it flying by because of a jam packed timeline really breaks my heart for you and your wallet.
Focus on YOU and your marriage
Authentic love stories written by you.
Imagine this…you are able to create a day so unique, so authentic to who you are as a couple that you find yourself feeling lighter.
You can create a day completely revolved around YOU. No family drama. No family expectations. No worry about rushing or thoughts of “do we have enough time? Can we even fit that into our schedule?”
Picture taking a week (or two) out of your calendar and you can plan on getting married on any of those days, pick your own EPIC location and do whatever you want. YOU like experiencing new food and culture, do yoour thang!
You want to take a helicopter ride to a remote location? Nothing is off limits, take a deep breath and let it out slowly because no one is rushing here.
About YOU!
It's about YOU! When you chose to elope you are breaking wedding traditions with less stress on your plate. It gives you the freedom to let go of all the traditional ways and create a day completely authentic to who you are as a couple. Some ideas you can do are:
Have a first look or get ready together.
Have your loved ones write letters and you can’t open till your elopement day!
Dancing under the moon
Have a candle lit dinner
Helicopter Tours
Campfires
Plant a tree
Slow down and embrace the moment together
Have a Reception Party Later
This is optional of course! If you REALLY want to have that dance party you’ve always dreamed of well here is your excuse to put your wedding attire on again and celebrate with friends and family.
Save Some Money!!
When you’re not spending $500 on invitations, $400 on favors, $500 on a wedding cake, or $70 per person on catering (According to The Knot: The Average Cost of a Wedding) you could apply all that towards things that really matter for YOU, like your wedding dress!
No worries about going into debt over things that will only last a few hours (and that’s IF people even take all the favors home. I’ve seen most still left on the table by the end of the night)
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at averages for traditional vs. intimate elopement.
Florals
Traditional Wedding $2,000
Intimate Elopement $180
Venue
Traditional Wedding 8,500
Intimate Elopement $230 (Permit)
Intimate Elopement $5,000 (Airbnb-5 Nights)
DJ
Traditional Wedding $1,200
Intimate Elopement $0
Catering, Food and Alcohol
Traditional Wedding (Average 130 guest count, $70 per head) $9,100 (Just food!)
Intimate Elopement $500
Cake/Dessert
Traditional Wedding $600
Intimate Elopement $200
Wedding Planner
Traditional Wedding $2500
Intimate Elopement $0
Wedding Photographer
Traditional Wedding $2900
Intimate Elopement $4,000
Rough Traditional Wedding Total: $28,000
Rough Intimate Wedding Total: $10,100
As you can see, there is a HUGE difference. The bulk of your elopement budget will be photography. The majority of your package will be travel, permits, attire, rings, hair and makeup, officiant, food, activities and your marriage license.
The average wedding costing Michigan Couples roughly around $29,900. Could you imagine what you could do with all that money instead?! Wedding of your dreams in a gorgeous location (CHECK) now down payment on our first home together?
Starting your marriage off with NO debt. Sign me up! I’m eloping someday, possibly at Toccoa Falls, in Georgia ?! Or a dream elopement somewhere in the mountains like Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Want to know what an Elopement might cost in the state of Michigan?
Value Experiences over Things
Let’s get lost in the experience of it all.
What happens to all the money you spent on invitations? Or what about the decor items from the reception? Often times I see boxes and boxes of things my couples are often left to resell in Bride to Bride groups.
What about all the cake, did everyone enjoy it for one night? What if you wanted to mute all the extra fluff? The small details still matter, but what if they shifted to things that mean something more.
Experiences over materialistic things. These things won’t last very long, but traveling and adventure leave a mark on your soul and it sticks with you forever. The feeling of exploring somewhere new, has you feeling so free, so alive. To be in nature, listening to birds chirp and water running.
Gorgeous Photos
How can we NOT talk about the photos!?!!
If you decide to Elope in nature, think about all those GORGEOUS photos in the most epic scenery. Elopements do not have a rushed timeline filled to the max of go here, there, up dow.
Couples who elope are more relaxed, you have the time to explore new places together, to climb to those mountain tops with those EPIC, Instagram worthy views!
Less Family Expectations
I don’t have time for pressure, life is short and I’m doing ME!
Do you feel pressure to follow the rules or act a certain way? Or maybe you feel pressure from family to do things their way, or purchase things they suggest because they are helping you with your budget? Say it with me now…be brave! Be brave to know who you are, what you want and how you want to do it. It’s not considered selfish to make this day authentically yours.
Elopement Cons
Feeling Okay with Spur of the Moment Changes- We have to remember that we are going to be outdoors, and mother nature doesn’t always like to watch you read those sweet vows to each other, sometimes a thunder storm sounds like more fun to her so you have to be comfortable with the idea that plans may change!
Your lack of stress may either inspire or make your friends jealous- This could go two ways, like I mentioned. With less planning, less worrying and more money to spend on all the things that really matter…it’s either going to inspire your friends to want to do the same (in that case send them my way!!) or make them insanely jealous because we all play the evil comparison game #letsbehonest
Miss out on tradition- This really just depends on how you feel about traditional ways so this can be a pro or con, depending. You could possibly miss out on traditional things like getting ready with a wedding party, walking down an aisle, cut the cake, have a first dance, garter or bouquet toss…you could feel sad about missing these things, but dig deep and decide if those are things you would really miss.
Hire a Good Photographer
Now the most important part (besides your elopement) is finding someone who specializes in elopements. Someone who can be your guide, help you plan an elopement and find the best light.
Endless Googling and trying to search for someone who not only understands your need to take things outdoors but has “that eye.” Someone who knows how to organize the peace and beauty of your natural surroundings in a seamless and thoughtful way?
I am proud to say that I am a certified Leave No Trace photographer. Let me help you find the perfect location and let’s get this conversation started!
Catchfly Photography is a traditional wedding and adventurous elopement photographer based in Highland, MI. Julie Believes in the little details and in between moments. Nature completely inspires Julie and she incorporates nature into almost every photo she takes. Julie travels to photograph traditional weddings and intimate elopements in Michigan’s Upper + Lower Peninsula and Colorado.