ELOPING.
*SIGHHHHHHS* The term that sends grams into a tailspin and gives your family a stage 29421 heart attack. When we hear the world ‘elope’ we only think of running to Vegas to get married by Elvis because the fam doesn’t agree or approve of your better half, or someone is prego?! AM I RIGHT?
GUESS WHAT!? That is NOT why people elope anymore..
Nowadays eloping is a total voluntary choice. It is usually made because flower arrangements, seating charts, massive debt, and having to smile and be nice to aunt Susy is just not appealing to you and PRIASE THE LORD IT IS OKAY TO FEEL THIS WAY. Just like skinny jeans aren’t for everyone, the same applies for traditional weddings and boo, you just gotta do you!
When couples chose to elope there are so many “What if grandpa Bill disowns me?” and “what is cousin Sally going to think?” thoughts – but the reality is this: It isn’t about them. IT IS ABOUT YOU. You shouldn’t be required to go into debt or have a day that doesn’t bring you joy, simply to please others. HECKKK NOPE.
If you dream of running off to a beautiful place and saying your vows with only your photographer and the open air to hear them, we need to chat like yesterday. I have shifted my entire business to cater and serve clients with this mindset because well, elopements deserve the same respect and love that big traditional weddings do, no exceptions.
Now, hear me out. I am not here to say everyone needs to elope, because well, eloping isn't for everyone. I just want to help you feel empowered to chase this dream if it is on your heart. I also want to educate and redefine what eloping really is. If this is you, I want to help you plan the most epic day, in the place that matters the most to you, with the person who feels most like home.
So, with all this being said, If you are on the fence about eloping and want to hear my thoughts, I am spilling 3 reasons to consider eloping below!
ENJOY!!!
1. SAY AUDIOS TO FAMILY DRAMA! (or most of it!)
Honesty hour: We all gots the drama. Its normal and its also normal to not want to deal with all the extra hot mess express drama queens/kings on your wedding day. If there is family tension, or just situations you do not want to deal with, consider an elopement your loophole ;) I have had sooooo many couples tell me that they wished they had eloped because the stress and drama never stopped. If you’re stressed now, you’ll be stressed throughout the entire process and that’s no fun.
2. YOU CAN GET MARRIED ANY DAY YOU WANT!
Hello freedom!!! When you decide to elope a whole slew of dates open up and NEWS FLASH, it doesn’t have to be on a Saturday!! PRAISE THE LORD. You can pick a date that matters to you, like your anniversary or first date, and if it falls on a Tuesday, PERFECT! You can get married and your first meal together can be at the taco truck because taco Tuesday is worth celebrating too.
3. YOU AUTOMATICALLY GET TO ADD IN SOME WILD ADVENTURE
Like I said, elopements aren’t just for shotgun Vegas weddings. Hire a bomb photog (hello, hi!), pick an epic location, and spend your day of marriage enjoying a new or familiar place together. A lot of couples even choose to honey moon where they get married and BOOM, more awesome adventures.
And there ya have it! Whether this opens your eyes as a potential client on why I am so passionate about elopements, or as a photographer gaining new insight into why I do what I do, I hope you learned something from this post! This is purely my explanation of a personal business decision, and in no way a condemnation on you if you choose to have a huge 500+ traditional wedding. There is a photographer for everyone and I totally respect that! Whatever you love, rock on. The amazing thing about this awesome career is that everybody is different and everyone does things in different ways. And I think that's incredible!
So tell me, what are YOUR thoughts on eloping? Do you agree? Do you not? Did you learn something new?
I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts in the comments below!
2 Comments
Apr 19, 2019 3:58:49 PM
Kristen White - I love and agree with this 10000%
Thank you for sharing your heart and opinion so others who may be considering an elopement get the inside scoop coming from a mama ;) Your family was a joy to work with and I cannot wait for you guys to see the rest of the gallery!! xoxo -Kristen
Apr 19, 2019 2:54:52 PM
Mary Jerome - As the mother of this handsome groom and my new beautiful daughter-in-law, I highly recommend an elopement. It is much more intimate for the couple and alot less stress on the family personally and financially. We were able to abandon the stifling etiquette that we often suffer through to keep everyone else happy. We were able to invite the whole wedding party out for dinner without spending thousands of dollars. In this day and age, money invested in a large wedding can be better spent as many couples have to finance their own weddings. The beauty of it was that we still got lots of beautiful pictures!