If you’re googling what the benefits of eloping are, we’re guessing you’re tossing around the idea of eloping yourself. There are plenty of articles about the pros and cons of eloping. However, we can’t really find any cons, so we’re sharing a few of our FAVORITE benefits of eloping. Don’t let a single thing hold you back from having your dream elopement. This is YOUR day, spend it exactly how you want. So, without further ado…
Table of Contents
10 Benefits of Eloping
1. Eloping is less likely to be affected by the coronavirus.
This is just the world we live in now – it’s weird, yep. Venues shut down because of city lock downs. Guest counts are slashed because of guest capacity limits. Friends and family cancel because they are cautious of catching the virus. You might have to prance around in a mask your entire reception. Eloping just makes sense during these times. Your guest count will be two, you’ll be outdoors well over 6 feet away from anyone else, and you won’t have to worry about a venue with four walls shutting down due to government mandate. If you don’t want to worry about postponing, cancelling, or drastically changing your wedding plans, eloping is the way to go.
2. Eloping is more eco-friendly.
I’m going to start this one with a quote from The Green Bride Guide. “The average wedding produces 400 lbs of garbage and 63 tons of CO2. With an estimated 2.5 million weddings per year, that is about 1 billion lbs of trash and as many emissions as approximately 4 people would produce in a year, in just one single day.” That’s a lot of waste. Eloping cuts out an incredible amount of waste. Think of all the centerpieces, decorations, left over food, bridesmaids dresses, that will all either just end up in the garbage or thrown in a closet never to be seen again.
We’re a different generation. We have a better understanding on how our actions affect the planet. Eloping makes it so much easier to be less wasteful. Producing less waste is a benefit of eloping that not only makes it easier for planning purposes, but also shows some love to Mother Earth. That’s all the reason we need to see why eloping is better.
3. Less stress and planning for you.
Another one of the many advantages of eloping is so much of the stress is taken out of the picture. There are far less people to please, less choices to make, and far less moving pieces. Imagine not having to choose bridesmaids dresses that everyone will like, or coordinating centerpieces with your color scheme, or finding a way to feed 150+ people that won’t break the bank.
When couples hire us as their adventure elopement photographers, they 90% of the time don’t even bother to hire a wedding planner. We take so much of the stress out of the planning process by guiding you to your dream location, recommending all the best vendors around, helping with the logistics, and giving you all sorts of tips and advice along the way. You can check out what we offer in our Packages & Pricing here! Imagine feeling only excitement, and zero stress.
4. Eloping is more private and intimate.
Some of us don’t like being the center of attention. One of the benefits of eloping is getting to have a “just us” experience. During a traditional wedding, so much time is spent saying hi, and thanking others for coming to celebrate. There’s nothing wrong with that – friends and family are great. However, we find that a major reason why people opt to elope rather than have a wedding, is to simply be able to spend more time with each other. The whole day is about you. Giving yourself the space to actually spend time together on your wedding day is a great way to celebrate that.
5. Your budget will stretch farther.
Another one of the many benefits of eloping is spending your money on the things that matter to you. According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in the US in 2019 was $33,900. That’s a solid chunk of change. Imagine taking that money, and spending it on creating an incredible experience for yourselves. Think of the items on your bucket list you could knock out with that amount of money, then incorporate them into your elopement. Travel somewhere you’ve always wanted to go. Take a helicopter tour to multiple glaciers in Alaska. Sleep in a glass cabin underneath the Northern Lights in Iceland. Book a 3 week trek to Everest Base Camp and say “I do” at the base of Everest. Hire a private chef to make an INSANE meal for just the two of you on a remote beach. Spend the money on making impactful memories.
6. You can do whatever you want.
Why elope instead of having a wedding? Because you can do literally whatever you want. Traditional weddings have an expectation that there will be some sort of ceremony in a pre-determined location, followed by a period of having your photos taken, followed by a large dinner, and dancing. Elopements have zero expectations. Wake up at 3am and hike to a mountaintop at sunrise to say your vows. Packraft out to a private island for a picnic. Get married in a state where it’s legal to marry yourselves, NO OFFICIANT! Turn your elopement into a two day backpacking adventure. Having zero limitations on what you can and can’t do is one of the major benefits of eloping. Keep any traditions your like, and ditch the rest.
7. Less family drama.
This one is pretty simple. When you elope, it’s just the norm that it’s either JUST the two of you, or your immediate family and BEST friends. You won’t have any of that guilt that comes with “if we invite this family member, then we HAVE to invite that family member.” Maybe your family has a very specific idea for how your wedding should be, and you don’t want to be pressured to fit their mold. Maybe certain family members don’t get along, and you just don’t want to deal with it. One of the benefits of eloping is that there are ways to graciously and politely tell your family and friends that you are going to be doing this thing alone. Here’s a great article on ways you can tell your family and friends that you’re eloping!
8. Experience vs. material things.
Why elope instead of having a wedding? A lot of people who come to us wanting to elope are people who highly value experiences vs. material things. Another one of the benefits of eloping is that the entire day is based on having an unforgettable experience, and not so much on all the material things that come along with a traditional wedding.
Eloping is a great way to uniquely tailor every aspect of your day to represent you and your relationship. Infuse your day with things that uniquely bring you and your partner joy. Think of your elopement as an experience rather than an event. This is a day centered around literally just the two of you – no one else. Our couples don’t care so much about centerpieces, or placecards and welcome signs. They care much more about the stories they’ll walk away with after the biggest adventure of their lives.
9. Adventure of a lifetime.
I can’t stress this one enough. Someone’s wedding day will most often be an unforgettable day for them. When you elope, you have the opportunity to not only make it an unforgettable wedding, but also an unforgettable adventure. When our couples initially inquire with us, which you can do here, we ask them what the biggest adventure they have been on together is. 99% of the time they answer by telling us of some awesome adventure they’ve had, followed by saying that they’re excited to make their elopement their biggest adventure yet.
Oftentimes we have these ideas of adventures we plan on doing “sometime in the future.” The future comes and goes and we’re in the same spot – still waiting for the opportunity to go on said adventure. Your elopement is the PERFECT time to make it happen. Take that trip, do that thing – you don’t have to wait another minute.
10. You’ll have epic photographs.
This is one of the benefits of eloping that goes without saying. The best part is that they can be photographs completely unique and different. When you get married at a venue, you’ll often see repeat shots. All the photos start to look pretty similar taken within that space. Dan and I are SUPER passionate about helping our couples find those off-the-beaten-path type places where you probably won’t find many other photographs from! We’re explorers through and through and are all about finding somewhere FRESH and new. We not only help you find these places, but also help you decide the best time to show up at these places to put you in the best light possible.
Pros and Cons of Eloping
To finish off, we just wanted to mention that if eloping is what YOU WANT, then there are no cons – not a single one. We truly believe that eloping is THE BEST way to get married. Subtract everything that takes the focus away from your unique relationship, and add in all the things you love. That’s an elopement. From having the adventure of a lifetime, to less family drama, to letting your individuality shine through, there is no going wrong (not to mention it just makes sense during a pandemic!). Do what feels right for you, and you won’t regret it.