What does elopement mean? How to know if eloping is for you.
Are you considering having an elopement wedding? is the thought of one hundred people looking at you at a big Castle wedding making you feel anxious or uneasy, or is the cost of a large wedding a little hard to swallow? If so, and you think that eloping to Scotland is the answer for your micro-wedding dream then read on to discover more about the meaning of an elopement wedding and how to know if it really is for you.
Elopement Wedding Photographers Insight
As Scottish Elopement planners, we at Wild Hearts we are especially lucky to work alongside an abundance of seriously special elopement wedding photographers and David Conaty of David Conaty Photography is no exception. Davids spectacular elopement photography and landscape shots speak volumes for themselves and he has kindly shared his thoughts in his own words on the topic of what an elopement is and how to know if it will suit you below.
What does elopement mean?
An elopement is just running off in secret to Las Vegas and having a terrible Elvis impersonator officiate, right? Not quite. Eloping has changed dramatically over the years. Back in the day, it used to mean running away in secret to get married without anyone finding out. Before that it was associated with the idea of escaping or fleeing. Although secret elopements are romantic and still happen, the definition of an elopement has come a very long way since then.
If you’re reading this and your mind’s jumping to the image of a couple getting married in secret because their family don’t approve, you’re not alone. There’s still a lot of misconception and confusion about what actually makes a wedding an elopement and not just a small (or micro) wedding. If you scour the internet looking for a definition, you’re likely to come across quite old-fashioned ideas.
As an elopement photographer and someone who has decided to elope, I thought it best to write my own definition:
“An elopement is an intentionally small, intimate, and connected wedding experience that wholly embodies your values and every decision is an honest reflection of your relationship”
Eloping is all about stripping things away - the anxiety, the expectation, and the obligation. You get to choose how you decide to commit yourselves to one another for the rest of your lives in a way that makes sense for you.
What’s the difference between eloping and getting married in a ‘traditional’ way?
Eloping and getting married are the same thing…technically. The difference lies in how couples choose to plan their day and the decisions they make. If you think of a ‘traditional’ wedding, you’re likely thinking of table-top designs, seating plans, who to invite and who not to invite to prevent any drama, and the endless list of things to buy and things to do.
Don’t get me wrong - couples who elope can still enjoy lots of the same aspects of a traditional wedding. By eloping, you’re not ‘giving up’ anything. You’re simply deciding not to have any of the things you never actually wanted to begin with.
You can have guests, a cake, a first dance, and walk down an aisle. However, the big difference between eloping and a getting married in a ‘traditional’ way is the intention. Want to have only a select group of your closest friends and family, cut your cake on a hillside, have your first dance in a forest, and have the path which hugs a river as your aisle?
If that’s you, go for it!
What is the cost of eloping? Is it cheaper than a normal wedding?
I’ll start by saying this: elopements are not ‘cheap’ weddings or only for couples who can’t afford a ‘traditional’ wedding. Elopements can cost a lot, but they can also not cost a lot. It really depends on what you want to do.
However, the important thing to remember is that what would be considered a small wedding budget can easily be a healthy elopement budget.
Instead of spending money on the things that, at the end of the day, don’t really matter, elopement couples invest in things that bring meaning to them. It’s for this reason that couples who elope tend to spend more on their accommodation, travel, clothing, and suppliers. Always wanted a certain photographer but thought they were out of your budget? Not anymore.
It’s also worth noting that lots of couples who elope combine this with their honeymoon. When you’re thinking of where to elope, think about what else is there and what you’d love to do.
Eloping sounds amazing! How do I do it?
Fantastic! There are so many ways to elope. Here’re some ways you can kick-start that process:
Get in touch with a dedicated elopement supplier, such as a planner or photographer. They’ve likely gone through this process many times and will gladly help you. They’ll also have elopement packages which take a lot of the heavy lifting out of the planning process for you.
Find inspiration from those who have gone through the process before. Pinterest and Instagram are my favourite places to search for locations and ideas to bring my vision to life.
Top tip: think about what you’d love to do in an ideal world, then work backwards to make it happen.
Think outside the box. Don’t allow your preconceived ideas of weddings to get in the way of your elopement dreams. You can do pretty much anything. Also, don’t feel like you need to do everything - an Instagram search for elopements will show you couples in helicopters and climbing mountains! If you want a small, quiet elopement, then that’s okay too.
Start to book. Suppliers and accommodation tend to book up 12-24 months in advance, so start to ask around for availability. You’ll feel a lot better when your elopement is starting to come together, even if it’s not fully realised in your head yet.
If you have begun he process of searching for an elopement wedding photographer in Scotland, then David is one of our top recommendations and you can visit his website here.