What Does It Mean To Elope? – Definition And The Misconceptions About Eloping!
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Elopement Definition
Well, according to the dictionary, to elope means the following:
e·lope /əˈlōp/ verb
gerund or present participle: eloping
run away secretly in order to get married, especially without parental consent.
What does it mean to elope?
It’s a wedding day centered around your relationship with your partner that is experience-focused as opposed to guest-focused. It means to get married in a way that you two want to, with no restrictions in what you want to do that day! You can make your wedding day anything you want it to! It's a little easier to do anything and everything you want when it's just you two! Oh, and me being your third wheel documenting the whole thing!
The modern Definition of Elopement!
To me, eloping is something completely different. And I think that webster is going to have to update that definition with a few additions to account for the new definition! To elope is to say your vows to the person you love surrounded by nature that is intentionally planned and beautiful! It’s the start of your marriage together by telling each other how much you love and desire to spend the rest of your life together!
Misconceptions about Elopements
There are so many misconceptions about elopements and what it means, looks like or is supposed to be. So let me tell you all the things it doesn’t mean! It doesn't mean you don't have any friends, it doesn't mean you hate your family, it doesn't mean you're pregnant, it doesn't mean you're hiding something, it doesn't mean you're poor! The meaning of to elope really is changing from what it used to mean in the olden days when our grandparents talked about it, heck even when our parents talked about it. WE ARE CHANGING THE MEANING! We get to say what it means to us! It doesn’t have to mean anything but an intimate wedding, with or without guests.
It’s a last minute decision.
You can start planning your elopement a year and a half in advance! It’s not a last minute decision that you just go do on a whim! Most of them are planned far in advance and have thought about for an enormous amount of time.
It doesn’t mean as much.
It’s a REAL wedding! When you elope, you still sign papers and get married! It’s just as real and meaningful as a big wedding! In Colorado you don’t have to have an officiant or witness to get married by law! To read more about how to legally get married in Colorado, check this out!
They only elope to save money.
It’s true, you will more than likely save money when you elope because you aren’t paying for 100+ guests dinners. BUT it’s NOT THE ONLY REASON! Most couples spend quite a bit of money on their experiences and documentation of the special day. They just choose what they want to spend money on.
You quickly get married in a courthouse.
You can elope in the courthouse but I recommend getting married outside doing something you love to do together. Most of my couples pick a mountain feature they love to say their vows near! I always recommend an alpine lake, cause you just can't go wrong!
You're hiding your relationship.
Hiding, NOPE! Just because you elope doesn’t mean you want to hide or feel ashamed by your relationship. It just means you want an intimate day celebrating your relationship!
Your family doesn’t like your partner.
Your family can actually attend your elopement! Having your parents and siblings at your elopement is perfect for couples who want to keep it an elopement but want to share the ceremony. So many of my couples have parties after their elopement to celebrate with all their family and friends!
The Difference Between and Elopement & Intimate Wedding
It’s all about the numbers! Elopements have the ultimate freedom in location and activities because it’s a very small group of people. I follow Leave No Trace principles and when you have a small group of people you can easily LNT on the forest lands when you get married. Large groups have special requirements like parking lots, bathrooms, tables and chairs. The main difference between an elopement and an intimate wedding is that there’s only up to eight guests at an elopement. At an intimate wedding there are up to 30 guests and anything above 30 is a wedding.
Elopements are centered around Experiences.
When you can really concentrate on activities for you and your partner on your elopement day it’s centered around your experiences. You should take advantage of having the whole day to do exactly what you wan to do! You can include so many activities into your wedding day if you want to! Remember, some activities can be relaxing experiences such as massages, yoga, hot tubbing, you get the idea!
Questions about elopements!
What can you do on an elopement?
When you elope you can do any activity you want to do and say your vows almost anywhere! Here's some ideas you can do when you elope and make this an adventure day!
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Dog Sledding
Skiing
White Water Rafting
Via Ferrata
Hiking
4x4 Jeeping
Sailing
Horseback Riding
Spa Day
Private Chef
The best part about eloping is you really can do anything that you want to do! There are so many things to do, so many things to see, so many adventures to be had! Why not make your wedding day one of them! The sky's the limit!
Can my family attend my elopement?
Because you want to do something a little out of the ordinary for your wedding day doesn't mean that you don't want to share it with your family and friends. And there are lots of ways to share your elopement with them. You can invite a few of them, it just has to be under 8 for it to be an elopement. Other ways you can include them but not have them on vacation with you is that you can zoom them from your cabin or have a party after you elope!
Where do I elope?
There are so many wonderful places in Colorado to elope! From alpine lakes to mountain tops I can guide you to some amazing places! It can be at the trailhead or hiking in a bit, that’s totally up to you guys and what kind of vow adventure your looking for!
What time do I elope?
I love to include golden hour into my elopements I document! I love sunrise and sunset elopements! I really enjoy doing the first dance during golden hour or blue hour and have the vows adjacent to golden hour.