YOUR WEDDING, YOUR WAY
Our Unique Guide to Eloping in the US & the Best Spots for Your Intimate Wedding for You
You’ve got the ring and now it’s time to start planning. But you might be asking yourself, should I elope or have a traditional wedding?
So many couples have wondered if this is a good idea. It’s something that in our post-covid world has become a top consideration. No matter what you choose, be sure that you’re doing it because it’s what YOU want and aligns with what you envision for your dream day.
Benefits of Eloping
Traditional weddings can become very expensive very quickly and that’s okay. Traditional weddings with 150-200 people with a venue, catering, photo, video, etc, can run anywhere between $25K-$35K. Of course, this is an amount that is typically broken up over time when planning.
Whether you choose traditional or elopement, if you’re looking to stay within a certain budget, I suggest choosing the top 3 things you want to invest in to help control spending and compromise on areas that aren’t as important to you.
Destination and Elopements
So, we’ve covered traditional, now let’s talk about destination and elopements. On average, a typical elopement is about 1/3rd the cost of a traditional wedding. Many couples that elope choose to get married outdoors and skip a venue. This is automatic savings that get invested in wedding permits for the location they choose. These permits range at around $500 (compare to the cost of a venue). That’s about 90% savings.
When you choose to have a destination wedding or elopement you’re not only investing in your wedding but also your honeymoon. This can add up to be a cost savings overall and allows less stress after your wedding of having to fly to a location for your honeymoon since you’re already there. Note that price varies by location so places like Hawaii and California have higher costs overall, but if you want to invest more of your money back toward you and your honeymoon, a destination wedding or elopement is a good choice.
There are always factors to be considered when planning a wedding. When choosing your destination wedding location you will want to think about the time of year you are getting married. Is it rainy season? Is it going to be 100 degrees with a heat index? Is it prime time for tourists in that area? Is it a holiday where plane tickets will be super expensive for you and all your guests? Is it a easy flight so people who want to attend can? Whether you choose a destination in the US or international all of these things will make a big impact on the experience you have on your wedding day.
Now you have the insight so where should you go?
Here are the top destination weddings in and outside the US:
Costa Rica (featured) - Guanacaste
France - Paris
Florida - Destin, The Keys
California - Yosemite, Big Sur, Joshua Tree National Park
Utah - Moab
Colorado - Rocky Mountain National Park
Backyard - of a friend or family member who has a beautiful, natural backyard setting (shout out to all my Iowa/Midwestern couples!)
Once you’ve decided on the location, next is planning all the details. For destination weddings I alway suggest that you hire a travel agent for you and all of your guests to use. (often give discounted rates if their is a certain number of people) This takes the stress out of figuring out tickets that align with who needs to be there at specific times. Another way to cut down on the stress of the details is to choose a resort destination. Most places offer discounts on all-inclusive day rates for weddings booked with a certain number of guests. They typically offer wedding packages that include all the decor, catering, etc vendors which allows for easy decision making and no clean up. For intimate elopements be sure to look up the locations policy on permits needed and what is/isn’t allowed. The last thing you want on your wedding day is getting kicked out of your location.
A few other fun things you can incorporate for destination and elopement weddings are adventure sessions prior or post wedding day, rehearsal dinner photography coverage incorporating games after dinner (sand volleyball, frisbee, etc), and/or a post wedding day shoot with your partner (could be in the hotel room, a cute brunch spot, having coffee and reading together on the porch, etc)
Sounds fun right?
If you are looking for more information on elopements you can inquire below! I am ALL IN on traveling to your dream wedding destination and documenting all the feels of your dream wedding day.
