Elopement vs Wedding: Which One is Right for You?

photo by Brio Photography

As soon as you get engaged, your mind goes into wedding planning mode (or let’s face it: sometimes you start planning your wedding before that ring is on your finger!). One of the first questions you have to ask yourself is how many people you want to have at your wedding. Have you always dreamed of a giant celebration with all of your loved ones, or do you want your wedding to be a more intimate affair?

We’re going to compare the pros and cons of an elopement vs wedding and all the middle ground options in between. Keep reading!

Pros of Elopements

The main reason couples choose to elope is that they want to savor their wedding day with just their partner or a few friends and family members. If you don’t love being the center of attention and big parties stress you out, an elopement could be right for you. You get to enjoy a much more relaxed day with fewer people buzzing around you. 

Elopements come with fewer decisions to make than traditional weddings, but that doesn’t mean they have to be short on details! You can still design a beautiful day with dinner and dancing, there are just fewer people there.

Some couples also opt to elope to save money. These days, an average wedding can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, whereas running off to a courthouse is nearly free. If you have big future goals, like saving for a mortgage or traveling the world with your new spouse, an elopement can help you achieve those milestones faster.

photo by Andy and Carrie Photography

Cons of Elopements

The idea of an intimate elopement may sound a lot less stressful than planning a traditional wedding, but you may find yourself missing your friends and family on the day. If you opt to invite a few people and throw a small reception, you have to be picky about who’s in and who’s out. If you have a big family or a ton of friends, that process can get painful and hurt feelings.

Secondly, depending on how you do it, an elopement may not save as much money as you thought it would. Some couples opt to plan a destination elopement with their closest friends. If you aren’t careful, the travel and accommodations cost could end up getting expensive.

Pros of Traditional Weddings

A big wedding is a momentous day that people fantasize about their whole lives. If that’s you, the stress of wedding planning will be worth it to have your dream day. You’ll love celebrating your marriage with your entire family and all of your closest friends. Seeing so many people show up to support you and your partner will make you feel incredibly loved! Plus, big weddings make for amazing parties and lifelong memories.

Another pro of a wedding is that you get to enjoy the wedding planning process. Yes, it can get stressful, but you also get to be creative and design the day you want. From color schemes to cake flavor, you get to inject your and your partner’s personality and special moments into the entire day.

Cons of Traditional Weddings

It’s no secret that wedding planning can get overwhelming. If you’re planning it on your own, a ton of the responsibility rests on your shoulders. Plus, everyone close to you has opinions and ideas that they want to interject.

It’s also not a secret that weddings can get expensive. The more people you invite, the more meals you have to pay for. Some couples ask themselves whether all of that money is worth it for one day, and that’s a totally fair question.

photo by Nikk Nguyen Photo

Middle Ground Wedding Options

If you’re torn between an elopement vs wedding, the good news is that you may be able to get the best of both options. Couples get extremely creative to craft the day of their dreams, and we love being part of unique weddings that bend tradition!

Small Ceremony, Big Reception

Do you want the exchanging of vows to be an intimate moment with just you and your partner or a few family members? You can absolutely have a small ceremony and a large reception immediately after. 

This option allows you to still have a lot of traditional things, like a wedding dress, dancing, cake, etc., but the most important part of the day is reserved for just a few people. Veronica and Charlie opted for this arrangement for their wedding, and it was beautiful!

Big Ceremony, Small Reception

On the flip side, you can have a big ceremony and an intimate reception, such as a dinner party. If you want your vows to be a public declaration of love, invite all your friends and family members to the ceremony. Since the reception is the more expensive part of the wedding, this option can save you a ton of money.

Many couples who opt for this arrangement still throw a small and brief post-ceremony dessert reception. That way they can still greet everyone who comes to see them say I do and then head off to a small dinner with just their closest loved ones.

Invite Guests to Join Virtually

During the height of the pandemic, engaged couples had to get creative and make new wedding plans. While it wasn’t ideal, the miracle of modern technology is that they could stream their small ceremony or invite guests to watch over Zoom. 

Those days are the pandemic are behind us, but if you want to include a lot of people and still have an intimate wedding ceremony, Zoom invites are still a valid option. Plus, it’s a great way for long-distance friends who can’t make it to the wedding to be part of your big day.

Elopement vs Wedding Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, your wedding should be exactly what you want and match you and your partner’s personality. Whether that’s a big party or an intimate affair, it will be beautiful and full of love!

We love decorating weddings and elopements of all sizes. Contact us today to chat about custom balloon and streamer decor for your celebration!