Elopement Tips: 6 Reasons Why You Should Elope

6 Reasons Why You Should Elope

One of the most important things that I stress to all of my couples is to celebrate your love, your way. Whether that be a big traditional wedding in a large ballroom or hiking to the highest peak of a mountain. Whichever you choose, make sure it feels right to you. Over the years, you may have noticed a dip in more "traditional" weddings and have seen an increase in elopements/adventure elopements. You may be thinking "this came out of nowhere", when in fact everything was building to this very moment. So many couples nowadays are choosing to elope and I am loving it. There are several reasons why I love elopements and why I believe they are a worthwhile experience and investment in capturing your love story. While I could go on and on about this topic, here are 6 reasons why you should elope... coming from a destination wedding & elopement photographer.

One of the main reasons that a couple may choose to elope is because of the unique and personalized experience it brings to your wedding day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that a large traditional wedding can't be unique or personal however, there are many more factors and variables involved. When you choose to elope, you are choosing to get married anywhere and do almost anything! Whether it be at the top of a mountain, in the middle of the rainforest, at the Taj Mahal, or on a secluded island in the Caribbean. You are able to make your wedding day 100% yours! When you choose to elope you are basically agreeing to no limitations which means the options are endless. So much to do, you don't even know where to start!

Choosing to elope may also be the perfect opportunity for you to choose a more cost-effective option for your wedding day. Now, I'm not saying that all elopements are cost-effective because you sure can rack up the bills depending on where/when you choose to get married. However, in comparison to a large wedding at an expensive venue, choosing to elope may give you a bit more wiggle room in your wedding expenses.

When you choose to elope you are allowing yourself the choice of where you want to invest & splurge your money and where you want to save. Elopements give you the opportunity to cut down on typical wedding expenses like party favors, catering, seating, and decor. If you're looking to save a bit more money for your wedding day, then choosing to have an elopement might be right up your alley.

You know that excited feeling you get when you see that 2-for-1 deal at the store? Well, imagine that amped up by 100% because that's what you get when you choose to elope. Now picture this, you decide to elope in a new country/destination location you've never been to. You are exploring the area and decide that this is where you want to get married. Why stop there though? Not only can you get married at said location, but turn it into a whole trip where you can also celebrate your honeymoon. This not only helps cut wedding costs by already being at that location, but you are in a new place that you've never been with your partner! It's the best of both worlds and makes for the most perfect elopement. I 10/10 would recommend this if you're choosing to elope!

When you hire the right wedding photographer, any photo on your wedding day will be beautiful. If I'm being honest though, nothing will beat the type of beauty and magic you can capture when you choose to have an elopement/destination elopement. Not only are you exploring a new place, but the views and scenery are 10/10 insane! If you're splurging on a destination elopement, I would highly recommend investing in a wedding photographer to document those memories. It's not every day you get to travel to Ireland, Spain, Portugal, or wherever you choose to get married. So you want to make sure that you are documenting every minute of it. If you take away one thing from this it's, invest in a wedding photographer. If you're in need of one *cough cough* I'm right here (and I travel!).

When you decide to elope, you are also choosing to have a less stressful wedding day. With a larger, more traditional wedding there are so many moving parts. Those moving parts and variables can lead to a lot of things going really right, or really wrong. Although we don't want that to happen, we always have to prepare for the unexpected. Having an elopement allows you to have fewer guests, fewer expenses, and really focus on you and your partner. This, in turn, can lead to a less stressful wedding day and have you focus more on celebration rather than everything that could go wrong.

You don't like being the center of attention

If you're someone who doesn't like being the center of attention and the thought of saying personal vows in front of a large audience freaks you out, then eloping is your perfect solution. Choosing to elope with just you and your partner gives you both the opportunity to feel more like yourselves, not feel under pressure from people watching and focus more on celebrating your love above everything else.

Again, while elopements have my heart and I could go on and on talking about them, the most important thing is that you do what feels right for you. Don't let anybody, not even me, pressure you into doing things one way or the other if it doesn't feel authentic to you, your partner, and your love story. However, if after reading you feel like you're wanting to save money on wedding expenses, travel to a new destination and focus more on an intentional and personal experience, than eloping may be for you!

Photos By Gayle does more than just take photos of people. Rather, it is capturing moments of LOVE and HAPPINESS. Singing to the skies, dancing in a field, smiles that hurt because they’re so big. There is nothing else I would rather be doing than photographing these unique details that make you and your significant other a couple. If this blog puts a spark in you, you know where to click <——— right there!