Top 10 Reasons You Should Consider Eloping

Is an Elopement Right For You?

More and more couples are choosing to skip the big traditional wedding, and are making the decision to have an authentic and private ceremony instead. If any of these reasons resonate with you, perhaps an intimate wedding would be the right choice for you, too!

An intimate and meaningful experience that focuses on just you

An elopement allows you to strip away all of the expectations and pressure that come with a traditional wedding. It allows you to have a private and unforgettable experience that focuses on only you. You’re granted the freedom to decide exactly how you want to commit your lives to one another in the most romantic and intimate way possible, without sacrifice.

“We wanted an intimate and unique wedding that was 100% about us and the relationship we’ve built. We knew that if we had a traditional wedding day that wouldn’t happen, so we chose to elope. Best decision ever!” – Kate and Ryan

Do something different

The traditional wedding day structure just isn’t for everyone – and that’s ok! Elopements are a beautiful option for couples who don’t feel the pull towards that type of celebration.

Give yourself permission to have the wedding that YOU want. When you elope there are no rules – you get to focus on honouring your relationship in whatever way feels special to you.

“The summer we got engaged we attended 10 weddings and it kind of felt like groundhog day. We knew we wanted to have a wedding that was completely different from everyone’s elses.” – Becca and Greg

There are zero limitations

Some couples choose to elope because they want to commit themselves to one another in an absolutely epic location – on a beach, a cliff, in the forest or maybe a meadow full of wild flowers. Other couples prefer a simpler, meaningful location like their back yard. The world is your venue and best of all, it’s free!

The location, your attire, your vows – every little detail of how you choose to celebrate your elopement is up to you.

Eloping is an amazing option for couples who value an experience over and above material things.

“I had always dreamed of getting married in the forest. We love camping as a couple, so a deep woods ceremony was the perfect fit for us!” – Becky and Josh

Money where it counts

Traditional weddings can be so incredibly expensive. Many couples choose to elope because they want to spend less, while focusing their money on what’s really important to them on this special day.

When you elope, the money you do choose to put towards your wedding can go so far! Instead of 100 standard wedding meals, you can spend your money on 5 absolutely amazing meals. You can buy your dream dress and hire your dream photographer without sacrificing the money you’ve been saving for a down payment on a home.

“Once we started pricing out our wedding day, I realized I was being forced to sacrifice things at every turn. My dream venue was too expensive, we couldn’t afford to invite everyone we wanted to, we had to limit the meal options to save some money and we were struggling to find a way to afford an open bar. Once we decided to elope, all of a sudden I was able to plan my dream wedding without making any sacrifices at all.” – Jessica and Ryan

Prioritizing photography

On a traditional wedding day, we often have to “make time” for portraits. I have to pull a couple away during dinner to capture some sunset photos as quickly as possible. I’ve even had to take wedding portraits in a parking lot beside highway 401 because there was just no time to go anywhere else!

Eloping is a great option for couples who really want to prioritize their wedding photos. If having epic, gorgeous, Pinterest worthy wedding photos is a top priority for you, an elopement is the perfect choice.

“As a photographer myself, I knew I needed to have amazing photographs remembering this special day…this wasn’t something I was willing to compromise on. Eloping meant we could get married at an epic location that resulted in the photos of our dreams!” – Kylie and Mark

Less planning

If the idea of coordinating a huge party fills you with dread, then guess what? You don’t have to do it!

Planning a wedding is a LOT of work. Like…SO MUCH WORK! While some couples thrive on the months of timeline planning, colour coordinating and seating charts, others just don’t want anything to do with that.

You’re getting married because you love each other, and a smaller wedding means that you can focus your attention on what matters: family, friends and each other.

“I can barely decide what to make for dinner, I wasn’t about to try to plan a whole wedding!” – Crystal and Zach

Reduce the stress

Setting boundaries with a traditional wedding can be really emotionally taxing. It’s easy to end up in a situation where other people are making decisions for you, and you’re simply along for the ride. This can result in a wedding day that has drifted away from your original vision.

With a traditional wedding, it’s hard to actually make the day about you and your partner. This isn’t anybody’s fault, it’s simply the nature of these events. There can be very few opportunities for authentic intimate moments as your whole day is spent playing host to the biggest party of your life.

You often hear couples say that they want a big wedding because they want all their favourite people together in one place. While that’s such a wonderful wish, it’s simply impossible to actually have meaningful interactions with that many people in one day. This can result in feeling guilty that you never had a chance to talk to your cousin or college room mate the entire day.

“Our core group of friends is pretty small and we really only wanted to spend our wedding day with them.” – Maddie and Chris

Less family drama

For some couples, the idea of having all of their family members in one place fills their heart with joy. For others…it can be a little bit stressful.

Some families have strained relationships. Other families are so HUGE that the idea of getting everyone together in one place would be almost impossible. Maybe your family gets along well, but you still may not feel 100% comfortable being as free and open around them as you’d like on your wedding day.

Your wedding day isn’t about anyone else’s expectations or opinions. Just because your sister had a 150 person wedding doesn’t mean that you have to. Just because your mother has always dreamed about your big wedding day, doesn’t mean that’s right for you.

“My partner’s family is HUGE. We wouldn’t have been able to invite everyone, but cutting people absolutely wasn’t an option. An elopement presented us with a way to get married on our own terms without hurting anyone’s feelings.” – Liz and Beth

Elopements for the eco-conscious

Weddings can be very wasteful. Napkins, food, flowers, décor – much of which winds up in the trash at the end of the day. Some couples choose to elope because they simply want to avoid the impact on the environment of a traditional wedding.

“I work in environmental services and just couldn’t handle the wastefulness of a traditional wedding. By choosing to elope we skipped all the trash but kept all the love!” – Jessica and Bryan

If you’re considering an Ottawa area elopement, check out my elopement page for more information and special pricing.