Top 5 Reasons to Elope | Hawaii Elopement Photographer

TOP 5 REASONS TO ELOPE | HAWAII ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER

Thinking about eloping?

Trust me, you are so not alone. These days, more and more couples are choosing elopements over the fuss of a traditional wedding. Elopements are simple, beautiful, and unique. Elopements allow a couple to get down to the essence of what their love is all about, focusing on each other rather than on flower arrangements and where to seat 100+ guests. There are a lot of reasons to choose an elopement, but these are the reasons that stand most to me.

1.BUDGET FRIENDLY.

It may not be popular to talk about, but many wedding planning decisions come down to budget. The average U.S. wedding costs more than $33,931 (excluding honeymoon expenses), and that’s a lot of money to spend on a single day. It’s a brand new car, or a down payment on a house or even a lifetime supply of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Not having to feed 150+ guests may allow you to travel across the world to say “I do,” hire your dream photographer to capture the experience, and purchase that dress that wouldn’t be an option with a big wedding.

2. YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT AND MORE OF IT.

You don’t have to give thought to whether this friend or that family member will make the trek to the top of a mountain or hike to a waterfall. Your photographer can capture you two together, getting ready, hiking at some epic location and get a little more intimate. You don’t have to worry about what everyone else thinks. It’s normal with wedding planning to give thought to what everyone says and it’s only natural that those thoughts can influence your decisions. At times, your day can end up being more about what future mom-in-law thinks or what your Aunt says you should do rather than about what you want it to be. You get to be in full control of your elopement.

3. YOUR DAY CAN BE HASSLE FREE.

It doesn’t have to be crazy stressful. You don’t have to plan it for years. It can be spontaneous and it can be amazing. It can be relaxing and all the things you want it to be. Planning a big, traditional wedding can definitely become overwhelming stressful because of the nature of it. You’ll have more people to think about, more choices to consider, more things to strategically plan out.

That’s not always a bad thing. Some people really love planning events and truly enjoy the idea of a traditional wedding. But a lot of people aren’t interested in that, and it doesn’t have to be that way for them.

Elopements can free you from some of that stressful planning.

You get to be in complete control of your elopement. You can choose that bucket list location you’ve always wanted to go to, and wear that non-traditional wedding dress that Aunt Jane isn’t a fan of, you can make it what you want it to be! You’re free to put as much planning (or as little planning) into your elopement as you want. It can be as laid-back and relaxed or as strategically planned as makes sense for you. And no one can say anything about it!

4. YOU CAN ADVENTURE SOMEWHERE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN.

You can choose wherever you want to go. I grew up visiting different national parks every year for our yearly family vacations, and I absolutely love adventuring especially with my couples. Elopements are ridiculously beautiful and allow you to choose unique locations not suited for larger events.

You can choose to elope in a place like Yosemite National Park or Redwood National Park in California, Waimea Valley in Oahu, Mt. Rainier in Washington, anywhere on the Oregon Coast or maybe you want to venture to a place you’ve never been to.

5. AN INTIMATE EXPERIENCE 

You get to experience a totally intimate wedding day just for the two of them.

You have the opportunity to get away from the pressures + anxiety that come along with planning a traditional wedding, and instead, you get to experience a day with the only person that matters, your soon to be spouse.

Elopement is a phenomenal option for people who don’t feel like the big wedding route is the right fit for them, and it gives you the freedom to decide how to commit your lives to each other. You get to say your vows with only the stunning landscape as your witness, and experience a place and a moment in time with the love of your life. You’re traveling together, hiking together, crying and laughing together. It’s about basking in every little detail on the day you get married with zero distraction. Rather than being rushed through a bunch of scheduled items and feeling like you have no memory of your day, you will be able to take a step back and see this day for all that it is.

So if you’ve just gotten super excited about the idea of an elopement and would like to chat more about planning and capturing it, don’t hesitate to reach out!