Top 10 Reasons to Elope in 2023
Are you wondering how you are going to have a wedding day focused on just you and your partner? An authentic day that’s fun, adventurous, and truly celebrates your lives together? Are you asking should I elope? Well don’t worry, I got you. Because right here I’m going to give you the top ten reasons to elope in 2022.
You can of course go with a big wedding, hundreds of guests, catered food in an enormous over-used wedding venue, with all the typical traditions while spending a boatload of money. These weddings can be fun but honestly, there’s a lot of reasons why it might not work for you.
Which is why you should see if the following reasons speak to you.
An elopement isn’t (just) your old school version of a shotgun wedding in Vegas by Elvis or underneath the moon in secret. Oh no. There is so, so, so much more.
You can of course go with a big wedding, hundreds of guests, catered food in an enormous over-used wedding venue, with all the typical traditions while spending a boatload of money. These weddings can be fun but honestly, there’s a lot of reasons why it might not work for you.
Which is why you should see if the following reasons speak to you.
An elopement isn’t (just) your old school version of a shotgun wedding in Vegas by Elvis or underneath the moon in secret. Oh no. There is so, so, so much more.
An elopement is an intimate wedding ceremony that’s entirely focused on the couple getting married in an authentic way.
It can take many different forms, whether it be hiking all day in the Colorado Rockies, or a small backyard ceremony with your closest family and friends. The beauty of an elopement is that it can be exactly what you want it to be.
Here are the top ten reasons to elope:
Reason to Elope #1: Elope in Gorgeous Places
Have you ever been to a wedding venue that has no windows, is super dark, and yet you can tell there was a different wedding in the same spot earlier that morning? How did that make you feel?
If your heart desires gorgeous scenery – mountain peaks, dazzling blue beaches, lush rainforests, red deserts – then you should really consider eloping. When you elope, you are choosing to make the day your own. With that, you are no longer limited to finding a spot that can fit 200 distant cousins, but rather, a spot that means the world to your heart. The world is truly your oyster, with so many gorgeous locations and one of them is meant for you.
No outdoor adventure is ever the same. The weather is different, the feeling is different, the lighting is different, the time is different. There are spots that people hardly know about, and with the right person helping you, we can find you that perfect secluded private wedding location.
Want to know the best places to elope in Colorado? I got you. How about where to elope in Utah? Or the most stunning places to elope in Italy? Don’t settle for the same, settle for spectacular.
Reason to Elope #2: Intimacy Just Focused On You Two
This is the most important reason, and ultimately all other reasons lead back to this. Why are you getting married? Most likely because you want to commit yourself to this one person who you want to spend the rest of your life with. You love them so very much, and you can’t live without them.
If your commitment is just focused on you two, your celebration should also just be all about you two. Nothing else is anywhere near as important. Don’t let societal pressures force you to do things that take away from celebrating your commitment with this person. Start your marriage off right with a day that’s exactly as you want it.
Want to know how to plan your elopement? Check out my blog post How to Plan Your Elopement.
Reason to Elope #3: Celebrate With the People Who Matter Most to You
Let’s say you have 150 wedding guests, and you want to spend at least 1 minute with everyone just to say hi. That’s 3 hours of your wedding just saying hi to people!
That doesn’t include getting ready, the actual ceremony where ya know ya get married, eating, and the cake, and dancing. Not to mention that 1 minute just isn’t enough to have a meaningful interaction with your guests. Some of these guests may even be distant relatives. Sure you love them, but would you rather spend 2 minutes of your time talking to your great aunt Marge who you’ve only seen once in your life or 2 minutes having the time of your life dancing with your best friends? If you have a 6 hour wedding day, half of your day is just saying hi to people, instead of celebrating. That doesn’t sound ideal to me.
When you Elope, you can elope with a handful of your closest family and friends, if that at all. So every moment is meaningful and special. You won’t feel pulled or torn to talk to everyone at the wedding. It’s just you and your crew, celebrating. Heck, it can just be you and your boo! Skip everyone else and just celebrate the day between you two. What’s a more magical way to celebrate than just with the person you love? You can always throw a party for everyone else afterwards (and guess what, it’ll be cheaper because it’s not your wedding party!)
Want an amazing example of what it looks like to elope with your closest family and friends? Check out this elopement I shot with a couple and their closest family and friends on New Years day. Or this gorgeous couple that eloped alongside their parents in Garden of the Gods.
Reason to Elope #4: Experience the Magic, Don’t Forget It.
Here’s a scary truth: So so many wedding couples can’t remember their wedding day, and that ain’t causa the alcohol folks. When your attention is torn between so many guests and traditions you don’t care about, and you are running from one event to the next chances are, the highlights will get bunched up and overwhelmed by the forgettable moments that dominate your day.
So so many wedding couples don’t remember their wedding day. That’s horrible! How can you not remember one of the most important days of your life??
Eloping changes all that. You build a custom timeline that matches exactly what you want. Everything is spaced out comfortably and you only incorporate the events and traditions that you actually care about. You spend each moment with only the people who matter most to you in your life. You can take your time with your vows, getting ready, hiking, activities, and even taking an hour or two just to watch the sunset while drinking champagne and eating your favorite cake. You aren’t being tugged and pulled and corralled to do a million different things. Nah, elopements are all about FUN and having the best time. I meant, look at that couple above with their dog witnessing their marriage license. You think they won’t remember their day?!
Reason to Elope #5: Don’t Waste Money
Weddings can be super expensive. I’m not kidding! The average wedding cost about $30,000 in America. Most of that goes to a venue and feeding a whole lot of people you don’t really care to hang out with the day of your wedding. You are basically paying the most money of your life to feed distant relatives.
Couples constantly ask How Much it Costs to Elope, and they can’t believe just how much they can end up saving – Tens of thousands of dollars!
Eloping can cost a fraction of a wedding. In fact, it can cost about 10% of a traditional wedding! And instead of boring stuffy venue experiences and pictures, you can have the time of your life in the outdoors with the person you love. Have you seen the photos in this blog? These kiddos are having a BLAST!
So consider an elopement and save a ton of money. Put that money into a down-payment on a house. Or maybe fulfill an epic life-long dream of traveling around the world. The trillion dollar wedding industry shouldn’t be pressuring you into fulfilling their pocketbooks, and depriving you of your dreams. na-ah. The day is about your commitment to the one you love. Skip the rest and focus on the best.
Reason to Elope #6: Celebrate Your Wedding Over and Over Again
You have family and friends all over and it’s just too complicated to get them all in one location. Hey this is real. I don’t live in the same state as my family and half of my friends. It can be a huge hassle trying to get everyone together for an 8 hour event. It’s also tough for everyone else to jetset for destination weddings. It’s especially hard and very risky to travel during the pandemic.
Instead of asking everyone to fly out to wherever you want to get married, and either feeling obligated to pay for some of their expenses as a gift, or guilty for having made them do so… Skip it all!
Just get married, the two of you (and me! For the photos!). Spend the day together celebrating and enjoying each other’s company. Do it exactly your own way. When it’s all done, at some other time, maybe when you are scheduled to visit, go out and celebrate with everyone else. And guess what this means? You can celebrate over and over and over again. That sounds like a huge win to me.
At the end of the day, this is all about you two. You should never feel pressured to say yes to someone or anything. You should have the exact day you want and desire.
No matter how you do it, big or small, weddings are wonderful moments in your life. For a lot of people, elopements and smaller weddings are the way to go. Consider throwing away the playbook and making your own ideal intimate wedding!
Reason to Elope #7: Get Rid of Wedding Stress
It’s a joke in our society that wedding planning causes a ton of stress. We’ve all seen someone we know freaking out about table clothes, or seating charts, or whether or not to invite Great Aunt Sally who no one has seen in 48 years. Want to get rid of all that stress? Then ya came to the right place because Eloping is for you!
Eloping is a free pass to tell everyone that your wedding day is focused on you. You are going to do things differently, and do them how you desire. You aren’t beholden to traditions you don’t understand, or care for. You have complete flexibility to make the day yours.
And that means crafting an authentic day that’s at your pace. That takes into account only what you truly want to do.
Trust me, it’s a blast.
Reason to Elope #8: Create a Unique and Authentic Wedding Day
You and your partner are unique and authentic people. Together, you make a unique and authentic couple. Shouldn’t your day reflect who you are? Shouldn’t your day be as special as you two are? I think so.
When you elope you get to craft a specific day focused on what you love to do. Want to go snowmobiling in the Colorado Mountains? Want to take a helicopter to hidden waterfalls in Hawaii? Or a 4X4 Jeep through canyons and cliffs in the Utah Desert? Want to dress up in funny costumes, have a picnic or go cray cray? There are so so so many unique elopement ideas that you can incorporate into your day to make it truly special.
It can be an adrenaline rush, or just cuddling underneath the stars. The point is that you are creating a day that makes your heart sing. That gets you all fired up. When you get back from your magic day, you’ll be gushing and overflowing with excitement. Every person you see you should be bragging about your day. And guess what? Because it was so dang authentic and glorious and fun and gorgeous everyone will want to listen and see! They are going to be just as excited for you two because you did something truly special.
Ain’t that worth it?
Reason to Elope #9: Have an Adventurous Fun Wedding Day
We’ve been talking about so many reasons to elope, and you know what we haven’t really talked about yet?
That your elopement can be HELLA FUN. I’m talking SO. MUCH. DANG. FUN. Like, heart so full you cry or can’t stop hugging because it’s the best time ver.
First off, you are eliminating so much stress. Second, you are crafting a day that is special and unique to you. Third, the day’s activities can be super fun! Maybe you are taking a helicopter above snow capped mountains. Or scuba diving. Or surfing. Or having a picnic beneath the stars. Or playing with your pups. Or celebrating with your best friends in a swanky Airbnb. The options are endless and because they are true to your heart they are going to fill you with so so much dang joy. I mean, for real, like exceptional joy for a day that you won’t ever forget.
Reason to Elope #10: Amazing Photos
You’ve planned out the best day of your lives, and ya LIVED IT. You did it! Round of applause! And now you want to relive it. Over. And over. And over again. You don’t want some grainy photos, or just a few selfies – you want a gallery that tells the whole story in the best way possible. That’s why you need an awesome elopement photographer to help capture the moment. You want someone who’s an expert at what they do, will be able to help you craft the perfect day, and capture it in timeless photos that will last and inspire you for the rest of your life. Lucky for you, I think I know the perfect person!
Meet Adam, Your Adventure Elopement Photographer
Hi I’m Adam. Elopements are my thing and helping you find the best Colorado elopement photographer for you is what puts a smile on my face. I can help you figure out the best elopement package and help you plan the day of your dreams. If you are excited about creating your perfect day and are curious where to start, reach out and ask. (And may I be the first to say, congrats on choosing a celebration that is honest to you!)
