In the past, eloping was considered more than a little scandalous! Not so long ago, eloping couples were doing so because they were forced to run off to be married in secret, either because they were marrying someone from a different class, thus deemed unsuitable, or because the bride was pregnant and wanted to marry before people found out!
These days, the reasons for elopement are far less dramatic. In our ongoing poll on the topic, most couples cite one of three main reasons for choosing elopement over a traditional wedding. Those reasons are :
- To save money – it is possible to elope for a couple of hundred dollars and all inclusive elopement costs $2,500, while a traditional wedding will cost on average, $25,000!
- To maintain their sanity – planning a wedding is one of the most stressful events in anyone’s life and it can cause so many arguments among family and friends that it is often easier to just run off and tie the knot by yourselves!
- To have fun – eloping is both romantic and adventurous, and many couples just love the idea of doing something a little bit crazy!
The term elopement has developed over time to become a colloquialism which is applied to any marriage done spontaneously, one done in private, a marriage with no engagement period and even very small weddings with a handful of guests. Although there is no longer any need for an elopement to involve running away, most couples choose to travel away form home for an elopement, either to combine it with a vacation– something we like to call an elopacation – or to just get away from everyone back home! With elopement becoming such an increasingly popular choice we wanted to unravel some of the most common misconceptions that people have about eloping. Over the next couple of weeks we will be addressing some of the most prevalent misconceptions when it comes to a couple choosing to elope.
Elopement Does Not Mean Rushing Into Marriage
One of the most common misconceptions about elopement is that those who choose it are marrying without proper consideration. The famous Las Vegas wedding chapels are a prime example of this misconception. How often have you seen a television show or movie where the protagonist gets drunk in Vegas and marries a stranger? In reality this is incredibly rare – the state of Nevada does not issue marriage licenses in Las Vegas between the hours of midnight and 8am and they are never issued to someone who is inebriated. It is true that some elopements may happen on the spur of the moment, but most occur within a long term relationship with at least some advanced planning. Even when the elopement seems to be spur of the moment, it is often the case that long term cohabiting partners have decided that it is time to make things official. Far from being the irresponsible choice, elopement is often a practical approach to marriage.