Look at me go, posting to the blog two weeks in a row! I hope everyone has had a fabulous week. Here in Northwest Arkansas the weather has been absolutely beautiful and warm this week (except for the snow and ice that came in on Sunday night and was melted by Monday night) and I have been enjoying a lot of hiking with my puppy Luna and soaking in the sun.
This week I am answering one of the questions I get asked all the time. Actually, the question is usually “Why do you love shooting elopements so much more than traditional weddings?”, but I thought that was kind of long for a blog post title. So, I decided to shorten the question and answer it from your perspective.
Why elope?
If you have already decided to elope, you may be hearing this question from loved ones. If you are bringing up the topic of eloping to your fiance, you may hear this question from them. And if you are just now starting to consider eloping, you may be asking yourself this question. Before I answer, I just want to say that everyone deserves to have the kind of wedding they want to! If it is your dream to have a big, traditional wedding, do it! But if that is not your dream, if you are feeling pressured into planning a big, traditional wedding that is making you feel stressed and overwhelmed and honestly does not feel like you are planning it for you, consider scaling your wedding down to an elopement or even an intimate wedding. It is your wedding, and you should do whatever makes you happy.
Eloping in 2024 is not about all the things you’re excluding from your wedding, it is about what you’re including. More time spent with your partner. Being somewhere you absolutely love. Prioritizing your own experience on your wedding day. Including people in your day out of love, not obligation. Creating meaningful memories that you will be able to look back on for years to come.
I am going to tell you three things that I wish someone had told me when I was planning my own wedding five years ago:
1. Eloping is not selfish.
Just because someone does not understand why you want to elope does not give them the right to call you selfish. It is your wedding day, and it is not selfish to plan a day that is centered around you. Spending the majority of your wedding day with just your partner is not selfish. Experiencing a new place or a new activity with your partner on the day that you join your lives together is not selfish. Choosing to be present with your partner without the distraction of other people on your wedding day is not selfish.
2. Eloping is just as special as a traditional wedding.
All weddings are special, whether there are 300 guests or zero guests. Whether it is in a ballroom or in city hall or by a waterfall. Whether the bride is wearing a white dress or a black one (by the way, if you are wearing a black wedding dress, please hire me. That goes double if you are wearing a black dress and eloping by a waterfall). What makes a wedding special is two people promising to spend the rest of their lives loving each other. And that is really all that matters.
3. You can still include your family and friends in your elopement …
… it just might look a little different than they are used to. Even if your loved ones understand your reasons for eloping, they will probably still feel disappointed if they are not able to witness your actual ceremony. Finding ways to include them in your day even if they are not present at your ceremony can be really special for you and for them. Here are four ways to include your loved ones in your elopement:
- Plan celebrations that they can attend, either before or after your elopement (bridal shower, bach parties, reception, etc.)
- Do a first look with your parents, your grandparents, your siblings, your best friends, etc.
- Ask them to write a letter for you and your partner to read on your elopement day
- Have them record a video toast that you can watch on your elopement day
For the most part while I was planning my intimate wedding in Rocky Mountain National Park, I felt a lot of love and support from my people. But there were a few times that someone brought up the above topics (and I wasn’t even planning an elopement!), and I wish I had known then what I know now, so that I would have been able to calmly and rationally explain to them my reasons. But now, I am so happy that I get the chance to support other brides (like you).
I hope this post was helpful to you as you plan your wedding day. It’s going to be amazing, I just know it!
*All my blog posts contain a selection of images that I’ve taken. If you are interested in booking a wedding or session with me, I am more than happy to send you a full gallery upon request!
I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a couples/intimate wedding/elopement photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and access to all of my new (and old) freebies! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!
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