March 8, 2022
Bryan Terschan
Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Elope
Why are couples choosing to elope?
Maybe you are like me when I was planning my wedding several years ago and you have no idea what an elopement even is. Or maybe you are on the fence about whether you want to have a big traditional wedding or elope. No matter where you are in the wedding planning process, you deserve to have a day that is authentic and a representation of your relationship.
The experience of saying your vows to your partner and committing your life to them matters. A lot. You deserve to have a wedding day that feels like everything you have dreamed of and more.
Eloping is an intentional, authentic, and experience-driven celebration of you as a couple that focuses on commitment and meaning. You can elope just the two of you or with your closest friends and family at your side. Unlike traditional weddings that focus on the guests’ experience, elopements focus on you and what makes you happy. You can hang on to some of the traditions of a big wedding or throw them all out the window. You can get married on a mountaintop, in some kayaks, on the cliffs by the ocean, or by your favorite creek.
Sounds awesome? Still not sure if you want to ditch the big wedding yet? Here are my top 5 reasons on why eloping might be for you!
1 . You want an intentional and intimate experience.
When you choose to elope, you have the freedom to do something that represents the truest form of your relationship. Many couples that elope want to escape the pressure, production, and performance of a big wedding. They want to relieve themselves of the obligation and anxiety. They want an experience that is about them, their love, and what the day represents.
Without the big stage and performance of a big traditional wedding, couples feel free to express their love to one another in a raw and uninhibited way. There are less distractions, less stress, and less pressure.
Traditional weddings often include just a few moments after the ceremony where you can celebrate what just happened. You got married! After those few moments, it’s on to the cocktail party where you should say hello to all of your guests. In theory, it sounds like a great idea to have all of your people there to celebrate with you. But in reality, it is impossible to have a meaningful conversation with 150 guests (or more) at your wedding. Even just having a small 2 minute conversation with every guest will take close to 5 hours. Oh, and that whole time you don’t really get to speak with your partner, you know, the one you just married.
Choosing to elope allows you to not miss a single intimate and romantic moment between the two of you. You can really feel and grasp the fact that you are getting married. You are afforded the opportunity to hold your partner close and say “This is happening – I just married you.” The entire day is filled with intention and you get to choose exactly how you want to start your lives together.
2 . You want less wedding day stress, anxiety, and family drama
Let’s be real here for a second, planning a traditional wedding can create a lot of stress and anxiety, and even some tension between family members. Figuring out who to invite, what your family is going to think of the plans you have, and making sure that everyone is happy is a huge burden to carry.
Planning a traditional wedding involves a lot of people, and unfortunately it also involves unsolicited advice and opinions as well. It can easily overwhelm you and make you feel anxious on your wedding day. And nobody wants that.
Eloping can relieve you of that stress and allow you to focus on the one thing that matters, honoring who you are as a couple and your commitment to each other.
Sadly, not everybody has a close-knit family where they can feel free to be themselves either. For some, even the thought of having your family there is probably extremely uncomfortable and stress-inducing. The reality is, sometimes even close families with the best intentions can add a lot of unnecessary stress to a wedding day.
No matter what, you deserve to have a wedding day surrounded by people that support you 100% with no judgment or negative feelings. If you grew up with a traumatic family situation or if you have a healthy relationship with your family but want to focus on your spouse, you don’t need an excuse to elope. The day YOU get married is YOUR day. Spend it how you want to begin that chapter of your life.
You can read more about how to tell your family you want to elope here.
3 . You value experiences over things
If you value experiences over stuff, you are like most couples who choose to elope. People that elope would rather have an epic all-day adventure in a new place than spend money on a lavish party. It’s not that eloping couples don’t want to spend money at all on their wedding, they just want to invest that money differently.
The average wedding price in 2021 was $28,000 (according to The Knot data from 2021). A good portion of this money is being spent on cheap party favors, centerpieces that will be thrown away, plates, napkins, attire that will never be worn again, and just a bunch of stuff. Not only is this expensive, but also wasteful.
Eloping can give you the freedom to spend your money in a way that is less-wasteful and more impactful.
Close your eyes and think. If you and your partner could go anywhere and do anything for a day, where would you go and what would you do? Forget the fancy napkins, plates, and giant centerpieces, instead go on the helicopter ride over mountain vistas you’ve always dreamed of. Go hiking up your favorite mountain at sunset or cliff jumping into the ocean.
If you value experiences, full GoPro memory cards, and making memories that will last a lifetime, you would likely enjoy eloping. And if you are eco-conscious trying to produce less waste in the world, eloping is for you too!
4 . You want a wedding day that is authentically you
Sometimes the authenticity of what getting married actually is, committing your life to someone, can be swallowed up by the wedding industry. Traditional weddings are full of unoriginal traditions that might not speak to you and who you are as a couple.
There are a great deal of couples that feel as if the traditions of big weddings don’t reflect their relationship and what they want in life. That’s okay! It’s also okay to want a big wedding too!
All relationships are different and they all deserve to be authentically represented on their wedding day. If you aren’t connecting with aspects of a big wedding, you can feel like you are a square peg being forced into a round hole. It’s just not for you!
But with elopements, you get to start fresh with a brand new set of blocks. There is no rulebook except that you should do whatever authentically reflects you as a couple. You could go on a hike with some of your closest friends, you could kayak into the middle of a glacier lake and soak in the views, or you can dance your heart out on the beach.
Eloping allows you to focus on what is most important – the love you have for each other and the life you are going to build together. Choose to have a wedding day mirror the life you want together.
5 . You want amazing photographs
There is a common misconception that couples who elope don’t want to invest in photographs because they don’t really care what their day looks like. This could not be more wrong!
Couples who elope care deeply about the photographs because they have chosen to do something different than the status quo, something raw and uninhibited. They want to preserve the emotions, the memories, and the WHOLE day.
Couples who elope are often worried about their wedding photos looking too posed or fake. With elopements, you are not forced into the 30 minutes of running around doing “now look at each other and smile” photos. With elopements you are afforded the time for the emotions to actually spill out into what you are doing, getting married! You are allowed time to think, process, and feel. All of this is a recipe for some incredible photographs!
When I photograph elopements, I don’t really pose people that often. You are living out the best day, with your best friend, in front of a location that means something, and committing to a future together. I photograph who you truly are.
Photographs can be a powerful representation of our souls captured in time. You can immediately be transported back to a moment or feeling. Elopement photography allows for you to relive the entire “best day ever” all over again.
Don’t just take my word for it, you can find real elopements with real couples in my gallery.
At the end of the day, only you know if eloping is right for you. If you believe that eloping is or might be the wedding experience that you want to have – I would love to help make that dream a reality! I can help you craft and document a memorable and authentic elopement experience in Georgia, the Southeast, or anywhere in the United States.
Where would you elope? What would you do?
I’d love to speak with you to find out!
