Can You Have An Elopement Wedding Registry?

Are you in the process of planning your elopement? If so, you may be starting to think about which wedding traditions you are going to incorporate into your day. In the past, it was often the case that eloping couples felt they couldn’t indulge in things like a wedding cake, a first dance, or even a fancy wedding dress! The good news is that this type of thinking is outdated and you can do whatever you want on your wedding day even if you are eloping. That includes having an elopement wedding registry for anyone who wants to celebrate your marriage with a gift. Modern elopements are no longer about just the happy couple running off to wed in secret – unless you want that! Today eloping can be more like having a small wedding with many of the usual features and traditions, but a micro guest list!

What Is The Etiquette of Having an Elopement Wedding Registry?

Traditionally, guests give a wedding gift as a thank you for being invited to the wedding. So how does that work if you are only having a handful of guests? The truth is, there isn’t really any specific etiquette that relates to having an elopement wedding registry. Like any other bridal registry, you can register for gifts at a favorite store, or even on Amazon and then share the link with any of your friends and family who request it. Just because they may not be invited to your wedding doesn’t mean they won’t want to buy you a gift. Even at a traditional large wedding guests who are unable to attend will often purchase something from the registry. It’s not different just because you are planning to elope instead. Your friends and family still want to celebrate with you and giving a gift is one way to do that.

A recent article on Yahoo! finance spoke in depth about the etiquette of gift registries in general and how to handle one if you do choose to elope. They noted that eloping couples do tend to receive fewer gifts than those hosting a more traditional wedding. However, this is to be expected considering every other aspect of the wedding has also been scaled down! Etiquette expert Karen Cleveland stated that gift registries are perfectly acceptable when eloping. However, she also believes that couples should be low-key about it! That means don’t go blasting your wish list all over social media, but if someone asks if you have one, by all means, send them the link.

Are you planning on setting up a registry? We would love to hear about your plans.