Elope to the Courthouse

So, you want to get married and you want to do it as soon as yesterday!.  Eloping has become a more popular and trendy thing among couples today for a variety of  reasons plus there are many options when it comes to eloping.  Some couples use the tried and true low cost option of a courthouse elopement for good reasons.  The average price of a traditional weddings reached $27,000 in 2012.

What is the cost of eloping to the courthouse?  The price of the marriage license, averages about $40, depending on the state.  Going to the courthouse to elope is the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to get married.  It creates less fuss, involves little to no planning, and provides a sense of spontaneity that some people seek.  Of course, there are guidelines, laws, or rules that have to be obeyed, such as time, fees, required documents and blood tests in some states.  But it’s still and probably always will be the most cost and time-efficient way to elope.

Eloping to The Courthouse or Not?

Of course with the sweet comes the sour.  With any elopement, a couple can run into some problems.  These can come from friends and family having hurt feelings that they weren’t involved in such an important time in a couple’s life.  Some couples feel that eloping to the courthouse robs them of a wedding and all the experiences that come with that.  Some traditions are lost, such as giving the bride away, unity candles, scripture readings, tossing of the bouquet, not to mention a less than desirable backdrop for your wedding photos.  Sometimes eloping to the courthouse was a hasty decision that maybe should’ve been thought out or waited on.

But there are elopement options now that can give you the best of both worlds.  There are so many places now, like small romantic inns, bed and breakfasts, beaches, the mountains, some cruises plus wedding chapels that offer low-cost elopement packages to fit almost any budget that give a couple the sense of that spontaneity, yet allow for a wedding feel.  Today you can elope and still have the dress, the music, the champagne, the photos, and even some friends and family plus a honeymoon in a romantic place while still avoiding falling into that wedding trap of months of planning, all of the stress plus spending a small fortune.

Either way, eloping has a great sense of romance behind it, eloping to the courthouse, in the great outdoors or in a wedding chapel, it’s all about the two people making their lives one.  What do you think?  Courthouse or Not?  Please share your thoughts with our readers by leaving a comment below?