Pros of eloping: Cost Effectiveness
Elopements, on average, only cost one fourth of the traditional wedding. The average wedding in America cost just over $33,000 in 2019 while the average elopement cost just over $8,000 with all the bells and whistles as we found out when writing our How Much Does it Cost to Elope resource for couples. Eloping couples are able to do more with their wedding day and prioritize experiences over things while still saving a big buck to put towards any debt or future goals like buying a house or starting a business.
Cons of eloping: Disapproving Opinions
Your relationships are important to you, and sadly, some of those relationships may be strained by your choice to elope. Friends may be jealous you have chosen such a stellar way to get married while some family may be upset they didn’t make the tiny guest list. Overall though, it is likely tensions will cease if your loved ones are given time to process your decision and kind words in the initial announcement of your elopement. The pros and cons of eloping depend wildly on your ability to communicate well and take the pressure off if friends and family aren’t as excited as you are at first.
Pros of eloping: Mental Wellness
This is one of the biggest pros when thinking of pros and cons of eloping. We cannot express enough how much stress a traditional wedding can cause if you are not both overly excited about planning and organizing. Wedding planning stress is all too frequent, and frankly, we love when couples say no to that stress altogether. Alternatively if you hire a planner, you will pay (and rightfully so) for their giftings. This may cause stress as you rack up a bill for your wedding as well. Elopements feel more like planning a fun, all-about-you vacation where the decisions are less about being prim and proper and more about what kind of adventure you want to have together on your wedding day. As an added bonus, being outdoors is statistically proven to boost an individual’s mental health and improve focus. You will want to be in a positive mental state on your wedding day and have the ability to focus on your commitment to one another.
Cons of eloping: Etiquette Confusion
Eloping has a lot of perks like flexibility, personalization, mental peace, stellar views, and giving an authentic-to-you wedding experience. It does, however, cause confusion over parts of the wedding and engagement process. We get a lot of questions from eloping couples over events such as showers, bridal party trips, and other traditional expectations placed on them. Some eloping families sadly do not shower them with gifts because they feel it’s weird if they’re not actually coming to the wedding. However, a lot of eloping couples are at a point in their lives and career where they are settled and do not need house gifts or awkward parties with their great aunt glenda. It depends upon your needs. Some eloping couples do still receive gifts, send elopement announcements, and so much more so that their experience is similar to that of a traditional wedding while carrying all the perks of an elopement as well.
