16 Reasons Why It’s Totally OK To Elope
Fun fact: It takes two to tango and not 202.
It’s an awesome way to celebrate you and your S.O. promising that you won’t get bored of the other for a while.
But you know what? Sometimes weddings are just…too much.
So even though people might not understand, it’s totally OK to elope.
Here’s why.
1. Weddings can be expensive as fuck.
According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding is around $29,000. For some, this is a drop in the bucket, but for most people…yikes.
So you have to decide, would you rather have an epic wedding or an epic honeymoon or even an epic down payment on a house and starting your life together? If you’re lucky, you get all three!
2. Since you don’t have to pay for a wedding, maybe now you can have a destination wedding.
Always wanted to get married on the beach? In the mountains? In PARIS? Well, it will now probably be easier to afford your dream ceremony in a beautiful place if you don’t have to pay for dozens upon dozens upon dozens of people, flowers, food, and more.
3. You’ll get to save about a year’s worth of sanity.
People go crazy planning weddings. Think about eloping as saving yourself from having nightmares over tablecloth patterns and invitation designs. And let’s not even talk about all the stress that will come from organizing seating.
This is especially true for easily stressed-out peeps and those who are people-pleasers. Suddenly, your wedding will turn into a “How can I make everyone else happy?” event when it should be all about the lovebirds.
4. You won’t have to worry about choosing bridesmaids — or a guest list at all.
WHICH SISTER DO YOU CHOOSE? Wedding planning is all fun and games until you have to choose a childhood friend over a college one. And don’t even get me started on trying to figure out which of your family members you can afford to have at your wedding.
5. But you can still have family at your elopement.
When most people think of eloping, it’s two people plus a witness stealing a corner of a park for 10 minutes. But nowadays, people are starting to use the word “elope” for having a small — gulp — wedding.
You still get the flowers, the altar, the glitz and glam. You can still look super gorgeous and have dinner somewhere, but instead of 100 people, think 10. That’s a solid compromise to get your immediate family off your back about not having a bigger shindig.
6. Even though it’s totally chill if you don’t want to invite ANYONE.
We all know parents can be very…vocal about what they picture for their child’s wedding. And since it’s customary for parents to help out with the budget, the couple tends to feel guilty about telling anyone “no.”
Well, now you don’t have to care about your mother’s insistence that your colors are lavender and white.
7. You get to wear whatever you want.
Ever notice how a bunch of brides say they want their guests to go “wow” when they see her dress? At an elopement, you just want to wow yourself.
Well sure, you can technically wear whatever you want at a big wedding, but let’s be real, there will be a lot less people who will judge you if you choose not to wear a big, fluffy white dress. You won’t have to go to a bridal salon with eight of your besties and your mom yelling at you to choose something you don’t feel comfortable in.
8. And you don’t need to have a traditional wedding to rock classic bridal gear.
Elopements aren’t all about being quirky, you know. Look however you want — it’s your day!
9. No one will turn into a monster.
Notice how some people turn into bride- or groomzillas and suddenly everyone hates them? Save yourself from screaming at your bestie that she doesn’t know how to fold napkins correctly.
10. Don’t think you’re gonna miss out on having photos.
Plenty of photographers specialize in elopement photography. Better yet, they can also serve as your witness!
You won’t also have to wrangle 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen to try and take a shot that everyone looks somewhat decent in.
11. The wedding industry was pretty much created to ruin lives.
Conventions, websites, BINDERS. There’s too much. Too many emails, too many deals, too many price hikes when the restaurant just hears the word “wedding.”
12. It’ll be very hard for something to go wrong.
There’s only two people to worry about! No rain problems forcing you to move a 200-person outdoor wedding inside. No cake toppling over. No maid of honor getting drunk and uncontrollably crying about still being single during her speech.
And even if one of you got cold feet, you have no one to notify to cancel! That’s good news, right?
13. You can do whatever you want with your vows.
If it’s just you two, this is your time to be totally honest and bare. You don’t have to worry about being funny, smart, super romantic. You can be completely and utterly yourself and mention whatever dumb inside joke you two have with one another.
14. Plus, you can still totally have a big reception later on.
If you plan to party rock way after your actual wedding, your stress level will probably go down by 300%.
15. You actually get to spend the day together.
It’ll be so much easier to talk to every single guest at your wedding if there are none.
Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/sheridanwatson/i-thee-wed-without-stress
