Marie Katsoudas Photography

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10 Reasons to elope


Stepping away from the traditional wedding and breaking the rules can feel scary, but you don’t want to plan a big wedding in a huge ballroom with a party you barely get to enjoy. Within the last couple of years, more and more couples realize that a big wedding isn’t for them. Here are 10 reasons why couples choose to elope, maybe you have these reasons too.

What do I mean when I say ELOPE?
Before I get into the reasons on why to elope, you would probably like to know what eloping actually means
Definition

Now that you know what eloping means, let’s find out the top 10 reasons why people choose to elope and maybe they will resonate with you too.

1. You don’t want all the attention
Some couples get anxiety by the sheer thought of exchanging their vows in front of more than 100 people and be the center of attention for an entire day and getting comments about how they should do things from people they barely know.
Elopements are much smaller and intimate, you can choose to be completely in private with your partner or share this incredible moment with up to 25 of your loved ones as your witnesses.

2. You want your wedding to be authentic and personal
Sometimes weddings can be full of expectations and the couple is constantly worrying their guests and making sure that they have a good time, more than that they focus on each other.
An elopement let’s you focus purely on each other and what you as a couple like to do.
You can choose a special place, a special activity and special food that you as a couple love. There are no rules on where to go, what to do and what to eat.

3. You want an outdoor wedding
Instead of a venue or a church, you get to tie the knot with your partner in one of the most beautiful places in the world and while you exchange your vows, you can have the most incredible view that you ever dreamed of. Getting married outdoors will be an unforgettable experience and can hold sentimental value.

4. You want an adventure instead of a wedding
The possibilities for elopements are endless. You can do anything you can imagine. You can explore a new place, you can go to a big city, you can go hiking in the mountains, you can soend your day at the beach, you can go kayaking or ride a boat on the lake, you can sale on a boat in the ocean of Greece, book a helicopter ride over the mountains in Alaska or go zip lining in Costa Rica. There is really nothing you can’t do and no location is too far.
You should celebrate the beginning of your marriage in a way that is meaningful, intentional and unique to you as a couple.
Start the adventure of your life with the adventure of your life.

5. You value experience over stuff
An elopement is not a lesser version of a big wedding and couples who elope are not eloping because they don’t want to invest in their big day, couples who elope spend their money just differently.
Let’s be honest, feeding 200 people at a wedding venue with $150 per person is a big chunk of money, not even talking about the venue itself that you have to pay for for the day and the decor and things that you just have for this one day.
What if instead you book two flights and spend an incredible honeymoon at your dream destination and have an experience that you will never forget.

6. You want to keep it small and intimate
Elopements have smaller guest lists than weddings and sometimes even no guest list at all.
Some couples just to avoid family drama or the pressure of exceeding expectations. It is Your wedding day and you should make it entirely about you as a couple and nobody else.
Of course you can bring a few loved ones that will cherish you as a couple for the entire day and make it all about you. Plus, the fewer guests you bring, the more time you get to spend with them. During big weddings most couples just rush from one guest to the other and put so much stress on themselves becauese they want to talk to everybody who is there.

7. Eloping is less stressful
The endless thinking and stressing about Who to invite because some people will be offended that they weren’t invited, even though they haven’t talked to you in years. And then you need to plan out where they sit because your cousin hasn’t talked to your ants husband in years because something happened 10 years ago and they haven’t solved it or you invite two people that are divorced but both of them grew up with you but now they can’t sit next to each other. Planning a big wedding can be overwhelming and stressful.
With eloping, you can just decide to not invite any of these people and focus on what makes you happy. You will most likely regret stressing about things but you will never regret to focus on what’s most important and meaningful to you on your weddingday.

8. You want freedom and flexibility
The planning of a big wedding and even the weddingday can be extremely stressful because you have to try to coordinate so many things and there are so many things that can go wrong and you are constantly worrying about being on schedule.
Elopements are flexible with everything, you can take your time and be in the moment, take a minute to enjoy your environment and focus on you and your partner.
The less people you invite for your elopement, the more flexible you are with the date, you can elope on a weekday to an epic spot and avoid crowds that way.
Elopements have more room to improvise if things don’t go according to plan because the most important thing is to celebrate your love.

9. You don’t want to plan a big wedding
While elopements still require planning, the process is less stressful and more fun than planning a big wedding, because you get to focus on what matters most to you and how you want to celebrate the most beautiful day of your life. Every minute of the day is decided by you and what you enjoy.

10. The photos from your elopement will be epic
Look back on the photos and relive the small moments and big memories.
The location you choose for your elopement will be unique to you, therefore the pictures will be meaningful and special.
An elopement isn’t a 30 minute rushed photo shoot, the entire weddingday will be filled with hundreds of meaningful and intentional moments that deserve to be captured to tell the entire story of your weddingday. Elopements are filled with intimate moments that will most likely involve a lot of emotions and these emotions should be caotured as well. Just like a big wedding, you deserve pictures of your getting ready, your ceremony and the entire celebration that follows after you commit your life’s to each other.