ELOPEMENT: a definition
This is no longer your 1920 definition riddled in guilt and topped with a shotgun (See Wikipedia). This is your 2023 definition of elopement, it is an evolution. With elopement comes freedom. Freedom to choose, freedom to be exactly who you are, and freedom to throw up the middle finger to expectation and irrelevant traditions. Elopement IS a wedding. It’s the wedding you have when you want to do the most because your wedding means the most.
Elopement is limitless. It’s a personal choice for your marriage. In our context, it’s a wedding, wherein a wedding is a meaningful celebration of a union between two loving humans. Elopement is the difference between choice and conformity. Marriage is about two humans who are dedicating their lives to a purpose. That purpose is the driving force for these two souls that commit to a lifetime of service, support, companionship, and friendship.
Elopement is “the wedding” in its purest form.
Eloping VS. Wedding – What makes eloping so special?
1. ELOPEMENTS ARE EXCLUSIVE.
With their nearest and dearest in tow, eloping couples can spend true quality time with the people they love. There’s no need for etiquette or any performative measures that weddings might come with. Since they’re your people you’re free to be yourselves and fully present.
2. ELOPING GIVES YOU THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE A LOCATION THAT’S JUST MORE YOU.
Think of the places you’ve been together. Consider, for a moment, the adventures you’ve shared. What’s stopping you from saying your vows in the middle of a windy dry lake bed or in the mist of a roaring waterfall?
When you choose a unique location for a moment that will belong to you forever, your wedding can be that much more meaningful. The adventure of a lifetime stands on the other side of those vows. Therefore, your location should express the gravity of that decision. For example, a long stroll to a perfect view or a rigorous hike to a hidden beach may be just the adventure to mark the beginning of your next journey. Be engulfed by a location that takes your breath away. For your wedding it should be memorable and epic, something that can only sum up the beauty of the vows you’re taking.
3. ELOPING GIVES YOU THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE JUST MORE YOU.
Thinking in terms of only the things that really matter to you is a result of choosing to elope. Big weddings are 8-12 hour affairs that require a whole lot of production and fanfare. But what if we told you you could celebrate for 8-12 hours only doing the things you love? Surely you could figure out how to fill 8-12 hours, hell, maybe even a whole weekend! Being that your options are limitless you can think about the following completely in your own terms:
- What would we eat on such a special day? How would we be served this meal? Where would we enjoy this meal?
- Is there a place that is special to us?
- What is a bucket list location for the both of us?
- Is there something we’ve always meant to try together?
- How much time would I spend on our elopement?
- Are there words we use on this day to mark it special?
- Will we be writing vows? Exchanging letters? Doing a first look? How are we sealing the deal?
- What would we wear? How fancy would we get? What colors signify our love?
- What activity or experience do we want to make our wedding day (or weekend, or week) complete?
- Who would we bring with us? Who is our tribe?
- Is there something we would splurge on if we only thought about the things we really want on our special day?
- Which adventure should we bring our squad on?
- Are there items we’d bring with us on this day?
- What is the aesthetic of our day and how are we representing that? What elements will we include to represent the aesthetic we want?
4. ELOPING GIVES YOU THE FREEDOM TO PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOU REALLY WANT TO.
Consider for a moment the following math
A traditional sit down dinner for 100 people for an evening costs the same as having a private chef to feed 20 people for 3 days.
A premium open bar for up to 100 people costs the same as staying in an Alaskan cabin with up to 14 people for a long weekend with the chance to see the Aurora Borealis.
The venue cost for a mid-range hotel costs the same as a multi day elopement complete with adventures, luxury food experiences, stays, travel, and photography.
One 100+ guest evening wedding at a high end hotel in the US costs the same as renting an island for up to 24 guests in the Philippines complete with meals and excursions for 4 days, that includes flights for you and your family and premium photography.
So to answer the question “What makes eloping so special?”
It’s the element of you. In other words, every part of it is about the two of you. It’s your hopes and wishes and desires summed up in a day (or more) bursting with love and dripping in your artistry.
Just like your love, elopement is a deep consideration. It’s not easy to decide what to do for your elopement because now you’re forced to think about what you really want instead of what someone else thinks you should do, or what tradition dictates you do, or what everyone expects you to do. When you elope, you make meaningful decisions, you’re not checking off a list of things to cover, you’re creating the list to fit you, then checking it all off.
If this has all confused you and opened your mind to the realities of wedding and elopement planning. We provide plenty of elopement resources here.
