So, you are tossing around the idea of eloping? How exciting!! Not everybody dreams of having the big, traditional wedding. After all, a big wedding means big time planning and let’s face it…big time stress! Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good traditional wedding but they aren’t the end-all be-all. Adventure elopements are just as meaningful and beautiful and are more about creating a unique and authentic experience for you and the love of your life with less stress and less pressure than a traditional wedding. This article will cover the amazing benefits of an adventure elopement!
Table of contents:
A day all about the two of you
Spend your money on what matters most to you
You can combine your elopement with your honeymoon
Elopements can be planned quicker
Start your life together with the adventure of a lifetime
Your adventure elopement will be a day all about the two of you
When planning a large wedding, your primary focus tends to be on things like how to entertain a large number of guests, following a strict timeline to ensure the day runs smoothly, making sure you say “hi” to all of your guests and thanking them for coming, taking lots of family photos, and so many other time consuming parts of the day. Often times, you’re told when to walk, sit, hold hands, kiss, and stand. It can seem more like a show than an intimate experience for the two of you. With an adventure elopement, all of that “extra fluff” is taken out of the equation and the day is 100% focused on you two and your commitment to each other. You free yourself from doing all of the traditional things that are expected of you and you free up your time to spend with your love, however you want to spend it!
Adventure elopements are less stressful to plan
Another amazing benefit of an adventure elopement is less stress! You are creating a day that is true to the two of you. There are so many less choices to make and less people to please. You’re no longer worried about the expectations that others place on your day. When it’s just the two of you, you can focus on planning your adventure in your dream location with the love of your life, instead of worrying about feeding 100+ guests, bridal party dresses and suits, and trying to impress your guests with the most up to date wedding trends. Your day will be all about you, your love, and the stunning beauty of the landscape that surrounds you!
Adventure elopements allow you to create an intimate and meaningful experience
When you choose to elope, it’s so much easier to focus on what really matters…each other! You’re giving yourself the opportunity to be fully present on one of the most important days of your life. You and your love will craft a day that speaks to your soul and fills up your heart. There is no worrying about strict timelines, hundreds of guests, or multiple vendors. Elopements have zero expectations. Create the day that you want. Do you and your partner love hiking and epic views and want to exchange vows on a mountain top at sunrise? Do it! Would you rather say “I do” on a beautiful beach somewhere with salty air and waves crashing in the background? Do it! You can plan the day that will have the most meaning to the two of you and forget about catering to the expectations of others. With an adventure elopement, you can do what you want to do, go at your own pace, and really have time to take it all in and make some beautiful memories.
Adventure elopements allow you to spend money on the things that matter most to you
Another great benefit of eloping is that you will spend your money on the things that matter most to you. According to The Knot, the average cost of a traditional wedding in 2022 was $30,000. Wow! Imagine taking that money and spending it on creating an amazing, once in a lifetime experience for you two. Incorporate bucket list items into your adventure elopement. Travel somewhere you two have always wanted to travel. Elopements allow you save money on the material things that don’t matter to you and splurge on what does. You’re creating an experience rather than an event and you’ll be telling stories from your adventure for years to come.
Combine your adventure elopement with your honeymoon
If you’ve decided on your dream adventure elopement location and can’t imagine only spending one or two days there, consider staying longer and making it your honeymoon location, as well! Whether you choose an epic mountainous location for your elopement or a beautiful beach somewhere, you can have your special day and then spend the remainder of your time relaxing in or exploring your stunning surroundings and enjoying the start of your life together! Here is a list of national parks that would make beautiful elopement locations and would be great for a honeymoon!
No guest list drama with an adventure elopement
Making a guest list for a traditional wedding can be hard! You and your partner have your list and then your parents have their list, as well. Their list may be filled with relatives or friends that you’ve never even heard of! With an elopement, you won’t have the large guest list drama. It’s normal for it to be just the two of you, or your immediate family and best friends!
Adventure elopements can be planned quicker than traditional weddings
While both traditional weddings and elopements do require planning ahead, an elopement can be planned much quicker than a traditional wedding. With elopements, you are ditching the “extra fluff” of traditional weddings and focusing more on the experience in an epic location than on all of the details and planning that a traditional wedding requires. Adventure elopements can take a few weeks to a few months to plan, while a traditional weddings tend to take at least a few months to a year or more of planning.
Location, Location, Location
One of the best benefits of an adventure elopement is that your location options are endless. You literally have the world to choose from. You can go really big with an international elopement or choose from your favorite national parks in the US. Deciding on where to elope involves thinking about what type of adventure you want to go on and what landscapes you want to be surrounded by on your big day! Where in the world can you envision saying “I do” to the love of your life? Click here to read “How to elope in Smoky Mountains National Park” and Click here to read “Sedona Arizona Elopement guide: How to elope in Sedona.”
You’ll have gorgeous photos
You’ve probably seen a lot of traditional wedding photos that have very similar aesthetics. When you get married at a popular wedding venue, the photos start to look the same and it’s hard to make your wedding look different. But when you choose an adventure elopement, your photos will stand out because you have the freedom to choose your backdrop. You can choose a backdrop of a stunning landscape that is completely unique to you and your special day. These photographs will bring you joy every time you look at them and bring you back to how you felt during one of your most favorite life adventures with the person you love the most.
Your adventure elopement will be the adventure of a lifetime
When you choose an adventure elopement, you are choosing to have not only an unforgettable wedding but also an unforgettable adventure with the person you love the most. Starting off your life together with an adventure elopement is sure to inspire a lifetime of adventures together!
I hope this article has given you plenty of amazing reasons to consider an adventure elopement. Choosing to elope over having the big, traditional wedding means that you and your partner have decided to prioritize yourself above all else and are excited to plan a day where the sole focus is the two of you and the love you have for each other.
If you’re ready to start planning your adventure elopement, click the button below! I’d love to hear about what you’re dreaming up!
Are you excited to start planning your adventure elopement?! Click here for a free planning guide!
leave a comment