Many people dream about their wedding day from an early age, looking through wedding dresses, where they could get married, color schemes etc. And it's only once they find the one that they are able to put it all together into one big wedding. But what if that wasn’t quite you? What if the “big wedding” wasn’t exactly what you dreamed of, or if it was, what if you’re not sure about it now? What are your other options?

Elope!

There are so many options out there for how to tie the knot with your loved one, and that means you don’t have to fit into the cookie cutter style of wedding you may have thought you did. Elopements are so much more, and while they may not be for everyone, they should definitely be considered!

Here are my top five reasons of why you should elope.

1. Have the Day that You Dream of

While some couples dream of the “big wedding” for their marriage, it's not the case for everyone. Maybe you don’t dream of having hundreds of people at your wedding and that’s cool. Just have yourselves, or your closest family and friends at your wedding. Not a big partier? I hear you! Take the day to do exactly as you want, and exactly how you want to remember it. So if that means you want to chill with your SO in a quiet little cabin, being intimate and only going out to say your vows, that works! Maybe you want to ride a hot air balloon and see the world with a bird’s eye view. Or do something familiar, something you both enjoy doing together. The great thing about eloping is there doesn’t have to be any traditions for you to follow if you don’t want there to be. The day can be however you want it. The options are endless.

2. You Don’t Need a Venue

With elopements, your venue can be anywhere or anything that you want it to be. Instead of competing for dates with other couples, or shelling out wads of cash just for a place to house your ceremony, why not choose somewhere special or intimate to you? Given elopements generally have a small number of guests, usually limited to the officiant, photographer, and some of your closest family and friends for witnesses, you don’t need a venue that holds hundreds of people. Literally almost anywhere can be your venue.

Want to just get married in an open field? As long as you have permission from the landowner, go for it! Prefer perhaps a mountain backdrop? There are so many options. And the great thing about Canada is, there is such a diverse amount of landscapes to choose from, and it is relatively easy to get permission to be wed somewhere. Banff and Jasper National Park, for example, both allow weddings to take place nearly anywhere in the park, given that a National Park pass is held, and no disruptions or permanent structures are erected. So as long as you keep things simple, just choose a place! You could even just pull over on the side of the road somewhere. (Please keep safety in mind).

That being said, you can focus on picking a beautiful place to stay the night of your wedding, instead of focussing on somewhere to entertain your guests.

3. So Much Less Stress

Stress is no joke, and we all know how hard it can be to enjoy a moment when we are stressed about…well, anything.

So don’t do that to yourself. By choosing to elope, you remove almost all the stress of planning a wedding, as you have no expectations to uphold except your own. Your elopement can be done on your timeline, so if that means you want to elope in a year, or in a month, it's completely up to you. Don’t worry about trying to book a venue for a weekday, or what relatives won’t be making it, or who to sit at what table, or if the table arrangements look good enough… By minimizing the amount of people who are invited to your wedding, you minimize the expectations, the prying eyes, and interfering timelines. As long as you plan for everything YOU dream of, no one else matters.

4. More Meaningful and Intimate with Your Partner

How much time during a traditional wedding, do the married couple actually get to be alone?

Have a hard time remembering when they actually were alone? Yeah, me too.

Traditional weddings focus on guests being able to celebrate the couple and their love, which means that once the wedding starts, there’s not a lot of time for the couple to just be together. Before the ceremony? Generally in separate rooms getting ready. Ceremony? Everyone’s watching, cheering you on. Then there’s photos and reception and supper and cake cutting and dance… All activities where everyone is present.

Elopements focus on the couple and their love, however they want to show it, and without a crowd of people, in means they can be together as much or as little as they want on their wedding day. Be intimate, get ready together, walk to your location hand in hand, have an intimate candlelit dinner, just the two of you.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that your wedding day is about your guests. Your wedding day is about you and your partner, be with them as much as you want.

5. You Both can Just be You

As stated before, there are no expectations to uphold for your elopement, which also means that you don’t have to worry about how you look in front of everyone. You can just be YOU, however makes you happy. Want to nerd out during your day? Do it! Are you shy around other people, but goof off when no one’s around? Guess what, no one is watching! Just be who you are when you are around each other, be intimate and authentic, because that is who your partner loves you for being. That’s why they are marrying you. And holding yourself back because someone might not approve isn’t right.

Elopements can be whatever you want them to be. They can be short, or multi day events. They can have traditions, or you can break all the rules and make new paths. Whatever you do, they are the ultimate tool for sharing your love story however best suits the two of you. Don’t force yourself into a big wedding if it doesn’t suit your story, or you may only regret looking back on that chapter. Write your story how you want to remember it, and if you need a photographer, I would love to be there to capture it.