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Forget the outdated idea of young couples sneaking off to Gretna Green or drunkenly doing a Ross and Rachel in Las Vegas. While the technical meaning of eloping is to “run away secretly in order to get married”, there’s lots more nuance today to the definition.
Eloping traditionally meant running away in secret to get married. But, nowadays, elopement doesn’t have to be a secret. It simply means that the couple travels somewhere to tie the knot without having to tell a soul about it. That said, you can elope locally or abroad – it’s totally up to you. You can invite no one or bring a handful of family members and friends to witness your private ceremony.
Why do couples elope?
It’s a big decision to ditch tradition and elope, but there are lots of really positive reasons couples are doing so. Read through these and see how they sit with you - for some people, they'll immediately know an elopement sounds right for them, but it's fine if you realise it isn't what your want.
1. You Want to Save Money
The average U.K wedding now costs £17,300. If you’re saving for a house deposit, raising a family, or don’t earn a lot, saving yourself tens of thousands of pounds can be very appealing. An elopement in Spain is likely to cost hundreds not thousands!
2. You Want to Avoid Family Politics
This doesn’t mean you don’t get on with your family. It could be that you and your partner can’t decide on whose family to marry near, one set of parents might live abroad and not be able to make the trip, or inviting certain members of the family might cause drama with others.
3. A Traditional Wedding Doesn’t Make Sense to You
Some aspects of the traditional wedding ceremony, such as being given away, the white dress or even being the centre of attention for an entire day, just don’t work for some couples.
4. You’re Not the Planning Types
No denying it, wedding planning is stressful. Not many of us have the experience planning a party for 100+ guests nor do we want that responsibility. You can hire an elopement service to take away all the fuss of organising a wedding, but it’s also pretty simple to do yourself. It’ll also save you a heck of a lot of time, and you can be married within the month rather than the average 13 month planning process.
5. You’re Marrying Later in Life or Having a Second Wedding
Maybe you’ve already had the big wedding once. Maybe you both have children and you’d just like it to be you and your kids. Maybe you just want a smaller, simpler affair.
6. You Can Make the Day More of an Event
You don’t necessarily have to save all the money from not having a huge party; you can spend it on you! Combine your elopement with your honeymoon and splurge on fancy hotels, expensive meals, bucket-list experiences and a whole new honeymoon wardrobe. An elopement can still be extraordinary.
7. You Get to Share a Special Secret
Until the time you decide to tell family and friends, there’s a really special time that no one knows you’re married except you. That secret can be precious and sacred for some couples.
Article written by
Ellen Nguyen from the 'Hitched' website April 14th 2022
