HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ELOPE?

Normally, when a couple wants to get married, the first thing that comes to mind is a whole lot of planning, stressful situations, dealing with guests and family schedules, and not enjoying the precious moment that a wedding should be. An elopement allows you to avoid all of that in a creative and fun way.

Eloping is a different way of getting married. Instead of renting a venue and gathering hundreds of guests to have dinner and dance, you travel to another country with your partner and get married abroad. This allows you to avoid the hurdles of inviting guests, working out dates for your family to assist, dealing with the whole wedding planning experience, and some other stressful moments.

An elopement gives you a great experience with your partner, since you visit a different country, explore its culture, cuisine and maybe do some outdoor activities. You can also have a much more private, intimate, and overall romantic ceremony where instead of performing in front of a large audience of guests, you focus on meaningful gestures like vows reading to demonstrate your commitment and love to your partner.

Now, eloping sounds like a dream come true if you are not crazy about the traditional way of getting married, but you might be concerned about how much planning and money goes into eloping. And it is natural to be concerned since an elopement implies traveling, having to hire vendors from abroad, and renting a place to stay during your elopement adventure. But one thing you must think about first is how much money we spend on traditional weddings.

The website The Knot reports that the average cost of a traditional wedding is around $33,900. That is a considerable amount of money; to some, it might be a couple of months of income, but it can also be a whole year worth of income. We normally do not realize how much money is spent on traditional weddings,

but it is a serious expense when we do the math.

There are so many things about a typical wedding with guests that make it so expensive. You must rent out a venue big enough for all the people you invite, and of course, you need flowers for their tables, and let us not forget about the food, the drinks, and the cutlery. It is a lot of money that goes unnoticed but ultimately adds up to a huge expense, and it is all because of the large number of people that will be assisting.

If you are already questioning if a regular wedding is worth the price, you might want to compare it to the average price of an elopement. The question is whether going on an elopement is more expensive than a traditional wedding. So, to compare, first, we must dissect what you pay for in a traditional wedding that ends up adding to those $33,900, and of course, what you would pay for in an elopement to the destination of your choice.

Down below, there is a breakdown of the average cost of every service and expense necessary for a typical wedding and an elopement to draw a comparison. Of course, keep in mind that this could vary depending on your location, country of origin, the elopement destination, and the type of budget you are working with; these are just averages

provided by the website The Knot.

How much does a traditional wedding cost?

In a traditional wedding, you are paying for:

For an elopement, you are paying for:

Comparing prices

So, as you noticed, an elopement has different requirements and expenses than a traditional wedding, but even then, it is cheaper than a big wedding with many guests. Not only do you save money on food, flowers, venue, catering, and wedding cake (which is already awesome), but you get a whole lot of other benefits when you do an elopement.

First off, you save time when planning things, and therefore, you are also able to keep your mental health in check. Organizing a normal wedding implies arranging a lot of stuff for many guests, and even if it is a "small" wedding, we are still talking about 50 to 100 people, and up to a couple of hundreds if you have a lot of families. All of those takes a toll on your mind and ultimately burns you out.

Also, when we think about guests at weddings, couples often invite people they have not talked to in months, or the families invite relatives that they did not even know existed. So, you end up with a venue full of people you are not close to, but you feel obligated to invite them and spend a lot of money on the party.

When you elope, you can forget about all of that, go to your destination with your partner, and enjoy your time alone. Or you could also opt for an elopement with close friends and your immediate family, where you will be comfortable and have a ceremony that feels intimate, private, and meaningful.

Another thing you get out of an elopement that you will not get in a traditional wedding is the opportunity to explore a whole new location that you love with your partner. It is an experience you won't get anywhere else, and it makes for an unforgettable time with the person you love.

You can get married in a location straight out of a postcard or a fairy tale, where you can explore the wonders of nature through outdoor activities. You could get to know a different culture, eat radically different and delicious food, and walk through the romantic streets of the city you love or maybe take part in the local holidays and festivals. All of this without spending as much money as you would for a traditional wedding.

When you put it all into perspective, an elopement seems like the obvious choice. Of course, there are exceptions, since not everyone despises big celebrations. Some couples do have many friends and are close to many of their relatives, and they would love to have them over for a big celebration when they get married, and that is okay! Every couple is different, so if big parties are your thing, go ahead and do it.

But if that is not your kind of thing, then an elopement is a no-brainer.

Put your money where your heart is.

The bottom line is that you should pay for what makes you and your partner happy, what you appreciate in life, what you enjoy doing together, and what matters to you. If big parties with all your crew are what give you joy in this world, then that is where you should put your money. If you as a couple are more about small groups, intimacy, adventure, unknown places, and meaningful celebrations, then an elopement is for you.

The unforgettable experiences you will get out of an elopement are priceless, and you might not be able to get them at a traditional wedding. Not only do you save money, but you also save time, and you avoid the stress that comes with organizing a big wedding with all those guests. However, you look at it, eloping is the best alternative if you are not a fan of big celebrations with many guests. Instead, you want to focus on experiences,

intimacy, romantic moments, and beautiful memories.

So that is it, now go ahead and plan the elopement of your dreams, and if you wish, I can join the ride to take the most amazing photos of the journey. Your adventure elopement is more than just a trip with your partner to say I do; it is a magical experience that you will forever treasure and ultimately share

with your family and friends or even your future kids.