Thinking about ditching the big wedding and eloping instead?

There are many reasons to elope, and many reasons to have a bigger more traditional wedding. Whether you choose a traditional wedding, an elopement, or something in between, the end goal is the same- getting married and committing your life to your partner. No type of wedding is right or wrong. It’s whatever you and your partner want to do and whatever will make you and your partner happiest.

That being said, here are 5 reasons to elope!

What is an elopement?

Elopements used to have a bad reputation. When people heard the word “elopement”, they used to get visions of the couple running away to Vegas and getting married without telling anyone. But elopements aren’t that anymore! Here’s my definition of an elopement. An elopement is a small, intentional, intimate wedding experience that focuses on you as the couple rather than a large traditional wedding event. Some couples choose to elope with just the two of them, while others opt to include a small number of close friends and family.

1. You Value Experiences More Than Things

From my experience, couples who choose a bigger more traditional wedding really value having their whole community-family, friends, and guests-together for a big, celebratory party. With a party, comes lots of things: venues, decorations, drinks, food, tents, tables, chairs, and a lot more. Couples who choose to elope still want to invest in their wedding, but I’ve found that they want to invest mostly in the experience itself and less on tangible things. Then, you can can invest in a really awesome experience with just your partner or with a small group of friends and family.

2. A Traditional Wedding Just Doesn’t Feel Like You

Maybe you just don’t feel a connection with the traditions of a large wedding and you don’t want to do it. That’s ok! You don’t have to have a bridal party, walk down an aisle, do a bouquet toss, or do anything that is traditionally included in a wedding. When you elope, you have the opportunity to essentially do whatever you want on your wedding day.

One of my couples decided to elope in Sedona, Arizona. When I first talked to them, they said that they just didn’t feel like a traditional wedding was for them. Instead, they decided to take their closest family members on a trip to Sedona, a place that they’ve all always wanted to visit. They made a whole trip out of it, rented an Airbnb in the desert, and spent several days exploring Sedona together. On the elopement day, they all took a Jeep ride up to an overlook, the couple said their vows with the red rock views in the background and their family as witnesses, and then all watched the sunset together. It was a day that felt authentic to them.

3. You Don’t Like to be the Center of Attention

Don’t want to be the center of attention all day? I get it. I’m an introvert at heart and don’t love being the center of attention either. When you elope, instead of being the center of everyone’s attention, you get to intentionally focus on what is important to you.

4. You Want an Intimate Experience That’s Up to You

When you elope, you get to pick exactly who you want to spend your wedding day with. You don’t have to invite all of your relatives, your friends, your parents’ friends, and everyone’s plus one. You don’t have to deal with potential family drama. Instead, you get to decide who is with you, and if you don’t want any guests at all, that’s ok too!

You also don’t have to do all the traditional wedding things. It’s up to you to create an intimate experience and pick exactly how you want to spend your day. For an elopement, you essentially start with a blank canvas and imagine what you want to do on your wedding day. If you’re considering eloping, I encourage you to think about this: What would the best day ever look like for you and your partner? Maybe that includes hiking to a really epic mountain overlook, traveling to a place you’ve always wanted to visit, sipping craft beers around a campfire, or just spending a relaxing day with your closest family without the stress or expectations of a traditional wedding.  

5. Less Planning, Stress and Anxiety

There is a lot of planning that goes into a wedding. Elopements take a bit of planning too, but not nearly as much as a big wedding. When planning an elopement, you are just planning what you want to do and how you want to experience the day. You don’t have to worry about guests, invitations, plus ones, decorations, catering, venue limitations, music, rentals, etc. Instead, you get to plan an awesome day with your partner to start your marriage.

Want more reasons to elope? I’ll let you hear it from real couples I have photographed! Here is what some real couples said when asked why they chose to elope:

“With Covid we weren’t sure if venues would be cancelled and how attendance would be so we decided we would take a trip to a beautiful location that neither of us had been to before. We both love to travel and have always wanted to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.”

Kim + Davis

“What’s important to us is our love and commitment, not the materialistic aspects of a large wedding. Plus neither of us are crazy about being the center of attention or having things focus on us so this way we can just focus on each other and the commitment we’re making.”

Courtney + Jesse

“John was always one who wanted to elope. Covid made us realize what is important when it comes to our wedding and that was just getting to marry each other and starting the rest of our lives together. We decided to have a day we could actually enjoy in our happy place and elope!”

Alexa + John

Colorado Elopement Photographer

I’m a wedding and elopement photographer based in Boulder, Colorado. I’d love to help you plan your elopement in Colorado or beyond. Yes, you’ll get amazing photos, but I’m more than just a photographer! I’m your personal elopement guide, location scout, planning consultant, tour guide, cheerleader, and adventure buddy. I’m most passionate about helping couples have a meaningful, memorable, fun elopement that truly represents who you are. Get in touch to start planning your elopement!