So you’ve met the person of your dreams: your partner in crime, the peanut butter to your jelly, the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. First of all, congratulations! Now comes the hard part. You’re going to want to make it official. The question is, how?
Should you have a big wedding in your hometown or run off and get married privately somewhere? Are you someone that not sure should I elope? Will i regret eloping?
Elopement vs Wedding : What’s The Right Pick For Me?
Photo by Lauren Kindsey Photograpy
Elopement : The Exotic Way to Marry
Gone are the days when eloping entailed a guilty pregnancy or disapproving parents. Now, eloping is simply defined as an intimate, small destination wedding with only the bride, groom, and one or two witnesses.
The level of intimacy that goes into elopement is off the charts. Eloping is between you and your partner, and it’s akin to a precious little secret that both of you get to carry around. With very few others intruding, it’s an action focused entirely on the rightful centers of attention, instead of on more trivial things like whether the groomsmen’s bow ties match the bridesmaids’ dresses. It’s quality time for both of you, as much deserved.
Simple Elopement in the Colorado Mountains. Photo by Erin Hearts Court
It is far less expensive to elope than to have a wedding, and arguably a lot less stressful. The scruples of wedding expenditure will involve catering, entertainment for the guests, and other trifles. With eloping, you won’t have to splurge on napkins that fit the rest of the décor and also cost twice as much as normal ones. You also won’t have to argue with your partner about if third cousins twice removed should be invited. Eloping ensures a (mostly) stress-free marital ceremony that won’t break the bank.
Brides Dress – Valentino | Brides Shoes – Christian Louboutin | Grooms Suit – Armani | Venue – Chelsea Town Hall via Photographer – Dominique Bader
Weddings : The Traditional Take on Marriage
Weddings have been the hallmark of marriage for as long as time can remember. The symbolism behind long white gowns, bouquets of flowers, and the ceremonial walks up the aisle have been imbedded into hearts and minds as the perfect representations of love and commitment.
Wedding Dress + Veil – Johanna Johnson Bridesmaid dress Monsoon, Needle and Thread and Nordstrom via S6 photography
Weddings involve company. It means friends and family can get involved and be a part of one of the most special days of your life. While eloping runs the risk of hurting jilted family members and friends, weddings ensure that a fun celebration can be thrown without anyone being left unhappy. Even better, you get to celebrate taking a big step into a brand new chapter of your life surrounded by loved ones. Surely it doesn’t get better than that.
A wedding can feel like a much bigger milestone than elopement and can be an excellent way for you and your partner to get to know each other better. It gives both of you something to plan and anticipate. While creating radiant memories to be recalled with nostalgia years down the line, weddings mark the beginning of a new life, and the feeling that comes with looking forward to the big day can be far more exciting that eloping.
The jury’s out – what’s your verdict?
At the end of the day, marriage should not be defined by anyone else’s ideas – the way you choose to marry, and how you further decide to manage that, is entirely up to you! A small wedding ceremony is always a good way to strike a balance, and going all our either way is a pretty fine idea too.
What do you think? Does the ceremonial brilliance of a wedding tickle your fancy, or do you love the sensual allure of eloping? If you’re married, we’d love to hear why you chose to get married the way that you did, and if you’re planning to tie the knot, let us know how you want to do the deed!
If you’re looking for a small intimate wedding check out these posts
