Best 10 Reasons to Elope | Elopement Photographer & Planner

Choosing to elope might be the first big decision a couple has had to make together when it comes to the future of their relationship. Because of this, having the courage to elope is SO empowering. However, I know couples might have not committed fully to their elopement yet, they love the idea but have not put down commitment to start booking and planning. There could be reasons holding them back from fully committing to moving forward or even aren’t 100% committed to deciding together to elope instead of having the big ole’ traditional wedding. This blog is to help both commit to an elopement and commit to your future together.

Here are the top 10 reasons why you should elope from an Elopement Photographer & Planner who has seen both sides of the fence.

I have been doing this for so long and I can see the difference in feelings, emotions, and intention between elopements / micro adventure weddings and the traditional wedding route. This is a real list of answers to real anxieties couples have expressed to me about choosing to elope.

Reason 1 on Eloping: Less Pressure on Your Shoulders

This reason is the overwhelming top response my couples express to me on why they have committed to eloping while we’re getting to know each other. They feel pressure from family drama before & during the wedding, pressure to spend an excess of their money on THINGS that will be forgotten about only a few hours later, and pressure to plan a huge event when they aren’t an event coordinator. Because of this, one of the main principles in my brand is that I want to alleviate even MORE pressure and stress from you by helping you and having an easy to ride along with system.

Pressure is lame, let’s let it go.

You have probably been to your family member or BFF’s wedding, maybe as part of the wedding party, or maybe just a guest. You probably noticed that there was family drama happening during the day or that the couple getting married just seemed stressed out and not living in the moment. There is a large amount of pressure on couples to have an event more so than having a ceremony to celebrate their love.

Or maybe you were a best-person to one of your closest friends getting married so you were there in the planning stages and you saw first hand how much extra time a week they spent planning their wedding. They spread themselves thin from using their only free-time organizing, researching, planning, and stressing.

Eloping alleviates these feelings because an elopement is just boiled down to only the important parts:

you & your partner loving on each other and celebrating your love.

Reason 2 on Eloping: Having an Experience for Your Wedding

We are at an age where ‘experience over things’ speaks SO much truth to people. I am one of those people which is partly why I document elopements specifically. Couples have told me how having a conventional wedding never resonated with their souls because they felt like there was something missing.

Having an experience for your wedding that you will cherish for for-ev-er.

Having an experience will be something that you will never, ever forget. It’s a story that is only the truth for you two and something you can pass down and share with anyone who will listen.

Seeing new places, being able to travel, having so many funny stories to look back on are all so important to human life.

Reason 3 on Eloping: Focus on Your Relationship

Another common concern couples tell me about not wanting a traditional wedding is because they just want to be together and be able to focus on their relationship, together, with no other distractions. A traditional wedding can be such a fun party and way to celebrate with others, but that isn’t always the right type of wedding for everyone.

Eloping let’s you just be together and gives so many opportunities all day to feel free and authentic to your relationship.

Unlike conventional weddings, eloping allows you the permission to put all of your energy into one another. It’s the permission to not have your focus spread over 200 other people, or your focus to be on feeling uncomfortable being in front of a room full of people staring at you.

Eloping allows you the space to focus on your vows to one another as you embark together on a new stage in life with the person you are committing yourself to.

Reason 4 on Eloping: Feel Closer to Your Partner Afterwards

The beautiful thing about eloping is it is SO much more than one day being able to see each other for a few hours and really only be together for a few dances and dinner. Eloping gives you the flexibility to have your walls down together, experience some amazing landscapes that make you realize the grandness of the world we live in, and it is often tied up into an entire trip together.

Adventure Elopements bring you closer to your partner

You are on a literal and metaphorical journey together for the length of your elopement and leading right into your honeymoon.

You two will come out of this experience together even closer than you were before you left. It will be an experience that will change you as people for the better, and that is something that is bigger than us.

Reason 5 on Eloping: Do Whatever the F You Want.

Ok, imagine this:
It’s your elopement day, you’re finally here. You’ve just opened your eyes in bed, see the sun streaming through the gaps in the curtains, smelling that fresh morning air rolling off of the dew kissed grass. You see your partner there next to you just waking up.

How do you want to feel on your elopement day after you woke up? What vibe do you want to have? What types of adventure will represent your relationship the best? Where do you picture saying your vows to one another? How do you want to feel until you close your eyes again that night before you both go to sleep?

However you are feeling right now- you can do. There is no one to tell you otherwise. No one to tell you you should be doing it another way. No one to tell you both that you should be saying your vows in another way. You can do WHATEVER you hearts desire, guilt free, and just enjoy the moments as thy unfold all day long.

Reason 6 on Eloping: Authenticity to Yourselves

Almost every single couple has told me that they ultimately decided to elope because while planning a conventional wedding they felt like they were not being true to themselves, for a variety of reasons such as:
- They don’t like planning.
- They don’t want to be the center of attention in front of all of these people
- They have a strong bond together over travel & adventure.
- They felt like it just wasn’t ‘them’.
- They didn’t feel good about spending so much money on things that doesn’t spark them joy.
- They knew that they could not give the attention to all of their guests all day long and would not enjoy themselves.
- They felt dread while trying to plan and the idea of adventuring felt so much more comfortable.

Eloping allows you to be authentic to your relationship, your personalities, and honors your real wants & needs.

Reason 7 on Eloping: Spending Money

Spending money makes everyone feel anxious, especially when talking about the large amounts of money a wedding costs. The idea of spending such a large amount of money on something they really aren’t stoked on spending it on, and on items that will be thrown away by end of the night doesn’t sit well with people.

The cost for a conventional wedding in the United States could be up to $46,000. That’s a lot of money to spend on something you aren’t stoked on.

An elopement and honeymoon costs a fraction of this.

Spending money on an experience and vacation that they will cherish for literally the rest of their lives is something to spend their money on that makes them feel good.

This is where hiring a good elopement photographer & planner comes into play. A large part of your elopement budget will be spent on the photographer, so picking someone who will give you the space to be unapologetically yourselves, also be your planner, AND the keeper of your memories is as important as deciding where to elope.

Spending your money on things that makes you feel like it’s worth it and something that will be with you for the rest of your lives is the most important investment you can make into your relationship. Not starting off in a large amount of debt as a new couple will pay off in heaps later down the line.

Reason 7 on Eloping: Intimate & Intentional

Elopements are incredibly intimate & intentional. You’ve seen me use the word ‘intentional’ a few times thorough this Best Reasons to Elope blog, and that’s for good reason! Every ounce of your emotions you feel during the day are pouring so much intention into your relationship.

Elopements allow you to create a space that you both can share an experience that is filled with your intentions for each other, for your relationship, and for your future together moving forward.

It might be emotionally overwhelming at times when you are taken aback, in a good way, about JUST how special the experience you are going through is. Don’t worry, I will be there to capture those tears.

Reason 9 on Eloping: Keep it Personal

A lot of the couples mention to me that the idea of being mushy and pouring their hearts out to one another in front of a room full of people will either do two things:
1. Make them want to hide under a table and die.
2. Make them not actually express how they feel about their partner in their vows or at any part of their day because they aren’t into being vulnerable in front of a lot of people they actually barely know.

When eloping, you can be as mushy as you want and really tell your partner why you love them and why they are the one you are wanting to embark on this crazy adventure called life with.

You can keep your whole day personal and sentimental. The only other person who might hear your vows is your photographer and I swear your secret is safe with me. ;)

Reason 10 on Eloping (and my favorite): You Can Put Immense Value on YOURSELF.

This is sort of the overall theme here, but being able to value yourself enough to have the courage to do what you want even when the world and possibly your loved ones is telling you otherwise is an experience that will absolutely change you as a person for the better. Feeling that courage to put value into yourself and into your relationship enough to go against the grain, ruffle some feathers, and put your wants and needs first is the biggest accomplishment you can do in your life.

Take it from me, once I learned to value myself and my unique interests over trying to fit in, life got 400% better almost immediately.

Things you can buy will one day be thrown away, the flowers will die in 48hrs, the food will be forgotten by a majority of your guests, you won’t remember 98% of the songs that were played at the reception, you for sure will not remember the name of the centerpieces you half-heartedly purchased.

But you will always remember how it feels to tell the world that you are worth the experience and you value yourself enough to do what will make you happy.

If you are still on the fence about eloping, or haven’t committed to a location yet, or haven’t committed enough to start your planning & booking- I hope this blog inspired you to have a wedding you are excited about and will keep you authentic to your relationship and being.

If you need a little help on finding the right location to elope, how to start planning your elopement, or want to just brainstorm all of the possibilities you can do, please reach out so we can chat about it.