The old definition of an elopement
Traditionally, when people talked about eloping it meant that a couple would go down to the local courthouse and get hitched. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Eloping meant “to run away secretly with the intention of getting married usually without parental consent.” and still means “to escape.” This definition is quickly changing/evolving.
The NEW meaning of elope is to have an intimate (small) wedding in the location of your dreams with either a handful of people who love and support you fully OR with just you and your partner.
What it means to elope today
Eloping is all about sitting down with your partner, figuring out what makes you two happy/where you feel the most at peace/who you feel the most loved and supported by and you create a wedding day that represents your love to the fullest. You can decide if you want to have a limited number of guests or if you want it to be JUST the two of you. You can go on a 4 mile hike to your favorite lookout point or go kayaking on a beautiful lake. Maybe you want to rent out a unique cabin and have a low-key candle lit ceremony on the porch… the options are truly endless.
Eloping has nothing to do with tradition, making guests happy or having a big party. Instead, it has everything to do with being your true + authentic selves and creating the most intimate/unique/beautiful way to celebrate and capture your love.
Create your own dream elopement
The best thing about eloping is that you can create the wedding of your wildest dreams without restricting yourself! You can create your own rules. Do you want to exchange vows with only your closest friends and family there? You can do it!! Just because you choose to elope doesn’t mean it HAS to be just the two of you. However, it absolutely can be just you two if you choose! You can go to a destination you’ve always wanted to visit or you can go to that one destination you’ve been to together that you feel the happiest at.
Now… one thing I want to address in this blog (and talk about in depth on it’s own blog soon) is what I believe an elopement day could look like for you. If you read all of this post and you’re thinking “This sounds amazing!” “I never knew I could get married in such an intimate/special way!” and “We feel like this fits our personalities/relationship so much more than a traditional wedding!”, I want to tell you how truly special you can make your elopement! I think a lot of people have the perception that an elopement is essentially an extended photoshoot with a bride and groom. Maybe 2-3 hours in a beautiful destination location and once the sun sets, photo/video coverage ends and it’s all done. I believe that though you are not having a traditional wedding, you deserve just as much coverage (if not more).
Imagine what your elopement can be…
YEP! I believe that your elopement should have the exact same amount of photo/video coverage as a wedding. A full 8-10 hour day of photo/video coverage for your elopement!! After all…. it is still your WEDDING DAY. From beginning to end, you deserve to have it captured. All the details from you getting ready in the morning at your cool airstream rental. Maybe you choose to get ready with you partner because… why not!? Or maybe you do a first look reveal and we can capture that, too. We can then drive to the destination we will hike at to get to the spot where you say your vows… capturing photos and video in a documentary style the entire time. After the vows are exchanged and the couples portraits are taken, we can end your day back at your airstream with a bonfire, s’mores and a couple of beers.
If you don’t know exactly what you want your elopement to look like, that’s okay! We are here to dream with you. Curious on what the next steps are? Check out the How It Works page!
