Top Reasons to Elope in 2026
Last Updated on March 12, 2026 by vowsandpeaks
WHY DO MOST COUPLES CHOOSE TO ELOPE?
I get it—traditional wedding planning can feel like a full-time job. Between hunting for the perfect venue, juggling a guest list that pleases everyone, and surviving the dreaded seating chart, it can start to feel more stressful than celebratory. That’s exactly why I’m sharing my top reasons to elope—so you can see how ditching the pressure and doing it your way can make your day feel truly unforgettable. After photographing over 450 elopements across Colorado, Yosemite and beyond, I’ve seen firsthand why eloping can be such a game-changer for couples!
Modern elopements are way different than the Elvis drive through quickies in Vegas. Eloping strips away the pressure, the performance, and all the expectations. It’s not about following traditions you don’t care about or throwing a party for everyone else—it’s about creating a day that genuinely reflects you. Whether we’re saying your vows near a waterfall in Telluride, or high up in the mountains of Colorado, eloping gives you the freedom to design your day exactly how you want it.
Over the years, I’ve worked with couples who started out stressed and overwhelmed by wedding planning—and then realized what they really wanted was an experience. Something intimate, meaningful, and unforgettable. They didn’t want to be the center of attention or make small talk at a reception they barely had time to enjoy. They wanted to explore, to breathe, to connect, and to be fully present with each other. These are the exact benefits of eloping, and why I’m such a huge fan of helping them pull it off.
The benefits of eloping can be life-changing. It gives you permission to slow down, be intentional, and build a day that’s entirely your own. Still on the fence about ditching the big wedding? That’s totally okay. But if you’re craving something different—something real—I’d love to show you what’s possible when you choose to elope.
Alright, now that we’ve covered why eloping can be so amazing, here are my top reasons to elope and how it can completely change the way you celebrate your love.
TOP REASONS & BENEFITS OF ELOPING
• ELOPEMENTS ARE WAY LESS STRESSFUL THAN WEDDINGS
Do you know what was really stressing me out? The endless dilemma of whom to invite and worrying about our families’ reactions to our plans. Planning a conventional wedding entails accommodating a lot of people—and, regrettably, enduring unsolicited opinions as well. Weddings can quickly spiral into overwhelming and stressful affairs! And who wants that on the most significant day of their lives? One of the perks of eloping is shedding that stress and embracing the start of your journey with an epic adventure, because you absolutely deserve it!
If planning, coordinating, and balancing a wedding sounds like a nightmare, then consider planning this your elopement around what makes you truly happy — hiking elopements in nature, sweet mountain air, and sharing an epic day with the person you love.
“When it came to picturing our wedding day, I realized I had never envisioned a traditional wedding for myself. I was not one of those girls that had a wedding Pinterest board and I truthfully cringed at the idea of stressfully entertaining guests on a day that I wanted to be low-key and focused on my (now) husband, Joe, and I. Instead of forcing myself into a traditional wedding, (because let’s be real, our extended families would have likely preferred that), Joe and I followed our hearts and realized we wanted to elope. Our google search led us to our noble mountain man photographer, Sean, who found the most place imaginable for us to marry. We decided we wanted to elope with our families, who were in awe of how incredible our elopement day looked and often expressed how they wish they could have had a smaller, low-key wedding day. We would recommend this to anyone who listens!”
– Phoebe & Joe
• ELOPEMENTS ARE UNIQUE AND PERSONAL
Eloping is more intimate and easier than a traditional wedding in a lot of ways—one of which is simply because you have zero limitations! Think about it: the venue, the location, the vows, even what you wear. Each elopement is completely customised to what you want. Eloping is great for couples that value experience over a big wedding or would rather put their money toward something that is more important.
Most couples that opt to elope crave a day that authentically mirrors their relationship. They’re rad couples that cherish a genuine experience they can cherish for a lifetime. They understand that these memories aren’t derived from the material aspects of their wedding day, but rather from the profound experience of being together, focusing solely on each other in a manner that epitomizes their love. This sentiment is further accentuated when couples have the option to self-solemnize, allowing them to marry themselves!
In the end, there are no rules for your elopement days. The most important thing you can do is honor who you are as a couple.
You can choose it for your elopement! The top of a mountain? Snowshoeing during a winter elopement? I’m stoked to help you plan it! The options are endless, and it starts with choosing the best place to elope!
You also can tie your elopement into your honeymoon and make one big trip out of it.
“We love telling everyone our elopement story. It is an epic story that people love to hear and we love telling. It’s a million times better than having everyone we invited to a traditional wedding talking about how dry the chicken was or that the DJ didn’t play any good songs. Instead we have this ridiculous adventure story that makes us sound cool lol and that people enjoy hearing.”
– Rachel & Steve
• ELOPEMENTS ARE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN WEDDINGS
Let’s face it. Having a wedding is expensive! According to Nerd Wallet, the average price of a wedding is $33, 931. According to The Knot, receptions can eat up 48–50 percent of your budget! No matter your reasons to elope, you’re still going to be saving money by cutting out expenses that don’t really add anything to your experience.
One of the benefits of eloping is getting to decide what’s important to you, and how you want to prfioritize the money you spend! Eloping gives you the freedom to cut down on unnecessary party favors and refocus your time and energy on YOU!
If you are trying to find reasons to elope, the budget of a traditional wedding might help push you in the eloping direction!
“We had originally started planning a more traditional wedding, and quickly realized how much time, money, and stress was involved. Once we came across eloping we knew immediately it was the right fit for us. Eloping allowed us to make our day completely about us, not about other people’s expectations – and looking back we cannot imagine not eloping”
– Helen & Mike
• ELOPEMENTS OFFER MORE INTIMACY THAN WEDDINGS
Elopements offer intimacy and hold deeper meaning compared to weddings.
No matter how at the moment you plan to be at your traditional wedding, it’s nearly impossible to focus only on each other. You’ll be tied up with the timelines, the to-do lists, the guests, and the event. A big wedding is a production, and it’s difficult to make intimate space for each other when there are so many others demanding your attention.
Eloping is intimate, private, and unforgettable. Imagine exchanging vows with a mountain at your back. Make a soft forest path your aisle. Sharing your first kiss in a field of wildflowers. It’s all possible when you elope! You can have a true adventure and have plenty of time to be present and enjoy the day with your partner.
“I’ve been to too many weddings where the bride and groom looked more overwhelmed than thrilled on their wedding day. In my family, there’s a tendency to compare how expensive or well put on one cousin’s wedding was than others. None of that mattered to us. We wanted the day for ourselves, first and foremost. Eloping accomplished this. We will always have the memory to hold onto uninterrupted by anyone else’s expectations – eloping surpassed our dreams for the perfect day.”
-Jo & Ryan
• ELOPEMENTS SIDESTEP ALL THE WEDDING DAY DRAMA
Look, we’ve all got relatives who are difficult. Uncle Eddie, anyone? Or maybe your family stresses you out, or they’re putting demands on you to get married the way they want, not you. But it doesn’t even have to be an opinionated or difficult family. Perhaps you have a giant family, or too many friends to count. If the thought of planning a wedding to accommodate an enormous guest list makes you queasy, that’s a great reason to elope!
You can play by your rules, and that means you can even include a few close friends and family members. In the end, all couples are different, and you deserve a wedding or elopement that is authentic and reflects who you are. Maybe that means no one but you and your partner. Maybe that means a small group of beloved family and friends. But whatever it is, eloping gives you permission to create the day you want!
“Our story is nothing you’d find written in a fairytale, or seen on a romcom. It’s more like a little SHAMELESS mixed with the L Word and Spiderman kind of vibes. The last thing we wanted is anything other than our vows to be talked about. We wanted an elopement experience that was unique to us. Something we hadn’t seen, we would enjoy, and could stretch out into a hippie road trip.”
-Brittany & Ralphie
• YOU CAN EXPLORE A NEW PLACE WHEN YOU ELOPE
If you’re contemplating eloping, chances are you’re envisioning a destination more thrilling than your local country club. What elopement activities do you both adore? Where do you envision launching your married life? Blend your passions with your elopement to transform your wedding into an extended honeymoon!
I would say 95% of the couples I work with choose to travel for their elopement. Because why not? Eloping in a new destination gives you the opportunity to explore somewhere exciting for your elopement wedding day. Not only do you get to discover a new area, but you can also wine and dine at new spots and find some incredible lodging that is unique. Consider looking at my Colorado elopement packages to add an extra touch of adventure and natural beauty to your special day.
“Eloping in a destination was a big reason why we chose to elope. We had never been to California! We are from a poo town and nothing is pretty so we wanted to elope somewhere completely different than we’ve ever seen. Eloping gave us a reason to travel but also allowed us something new to explore.”
-Cassidy & Caden
• WEDDING PLANNING IS WAY TOO STRESSFUL
Wedding planning can be extremely stressful, and the anxiety of the process can negatively impact the relationships you love and cherish. All of the planning and coordinating with friends and family turns you into a wedding manager instead of a couple who’s celebrating the beginning of the rest of their lives together. It can suck all the fun out of being engaged, and turn your wedding into a task to complete instead of a celebration.
Elopements still definitely require some planning, but instead of struggling with a seating chart, you get to sift through epic locations, plan amazing adventures, and make sure your day is entirely about you!
You don’t have to plan an elaborate day incorporating every opinion from family and friends. Instead, your elopement focuses your time on the things you love: finding an epic place to elope in Colorado, writing heartfelt vows, or planning fun things to do on your elopement trip.
Your elopement wedding doesn’t have to be about everyone else and their expectations. I’m giving you permission to reject what you don’t like and focus on what’s important when it comes to your wedding day by eloping instead! This should be an epic adventure! So make it one. Trust me, eloping can become an experience you’ll never forget.
“While we could’ve had a smaller wedding at home in Chicago, we didn’t want to be stressed by how to get our family and friends to a wedding. We tossed around the idea of eloping somewhere beautiful, so we went for it! Looking back, we wouldn’t have it any other way–eloping was intimate, stress free, romantic, and extremely fun. Not only do we have stunning photos, but we have a place that is very special to us that we look forward to visiting in the future!”
-Stephanie & Jordan
• THE PHOTOS FROM YOUR ELOPEMENT WILL BE EPIC!
Elopement photos are meant to capture your love in a way that is true to you. These photos are candid moments – a hard copy of your memories. And they’re something more and more couples are valuing. Pinterest recently reported a 128 percent increase in searches for elopement photography ideas!
“We originally started thinking of reasons to elope and one thing we really wanted was amazing photos. Once we found you, we knew eloping was the right move for us, because your work is breathtaking! We wanted to be the bride and groom eloping in the middle of an epic landscape, so beautifully framed by you. Eloping truly feels like a dream. Thank you for everything!”
-Lindsay & Jake
• ELOPEMENTS ARE WAY MORE ECO FRIENDLY
According to Wikipedia, the average wedding has 150+ guests and produces between 400 and 600 pounds of trash. Yes, you read that right. This includes trash bags, food, napkins, plates, and hundreds of dollars worth of flowers. Those lavish weddings you see in magazines don’t show the aftermath: weddings are wasteful and bad for the environment.
But, they don’t have to be if you choose to elope! Just cutting down your guest list and eloping instead already saves a ton of waste (no single-use decorations, no catering for 200), and as a photographer who helps couples elope in nature, I’m passionate about reducing the impact on the environment as much as possible.
• ELOPING ALLOWS YOU TO GET MARRIED IN NATURE
If you’re an outdoorsy couple, a stuffy ballroom might not be your thing! If mountains, wildflower meadows, waterfalls, and epic landscapes reflect your relationship better than any wedding venue, that’s one of the best reasons to elope.
Tying the knot outdoors is also much less expensive, and can allow you to spend that money on adventures and experiences instead!
There’s also quite a logjam with wedding venues right now due to Covid, and many of them aren’t available anytime soon – so if you don’t want to wait, consider eloping instead.
• YOU CAN’T FIND A WEDDING VENUE
Let’s be honest, not only are wedding venues expensive but they’re extremely backed up because of Covid. There is a serious logjam right now with venues and some might not have availability for 2 years down the road! If you don’t want to wait that long for your dream wedding venue, then it might be a good idea to elope instead! This will not only save you money on the venue but you can still get married in your preferred period!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE IF YOU SHOULD ELOPE
If you’re on the fence, these are the questions that couples often have about eloping! These might help you decide if you should elope.
• IS ELOPING SELFISH?
You very well might offend some people by choosing to elope, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is your happiness. I’m a huge advocate and supporter of the couples that elope with me because I eloped myself! I know how much pressure you might feel, so it’s important to set appropriate boundaries with others when eloping. On the flip side, you might experience a ton of love and support by choosing to elope, which would be a welcome surprise!
Eloping is whatever you want to make it. Just the two of you? Friends and family? Your pets? You’ve got it! What is most important is making sure that you choose the option that will make your day as happy and stress-free as possible. For us this meant just the two of us. We didn’t keep it a secret from our immediate family, some were initially disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to attend, but they understood once we mentioned that we wanted an intimate and stress free moment to ourselves. We did keep it a surprise to most friends though. Most assumed we were simply on a breathtaking vacation until we got to post some sneak peek photos that Sean delivered to us in under 24 hours. Truly an amazing experience!
– Jared & Ron
• DO WE HAVE TO ELOPE ALONE?
No way! In places like Colorado, you can self solemnize, but elopements have come a long way since the Elvis in Vegas days. You can really craft and customize your elopement to match you. Having family at your elopement is completely acceptable and welcomed!
Read more on how to include your family in your elopement!
• CAN WE STILL ELOPE WITH TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS?
Just because you’re choosing to elope, doesn’t mean you have to skip out on traditional wedding traditions. A lot of couples will still purchase dresses, share the first look, and write their own vows so that the elopement feels special. Feel free to incorporate as many traditional elements as you’d like into your elopement! The best thing about elopements is that they’re so customizable – there are absolutely no rules.
• DO COUPLES REGRET ELOPING?
I have helped over 400 couples elope and I have never heard one regret it. I eloped myself and it was the best decision of my life! But, I do know a handful of couples who had traditional weddings and regretted that, wishing they had eloped instead. At the end of the day, the only person who knows if eloping is right for them is YOU!
• IS ELOPING DIFFERENT THAN GETTING MARRIED?
Absolutely! Just because you eloped, doesn’t mean it’s not officially a marriage. You still do all of the legal aspects when you elope that it is a legally binding marriage.
• CAN YOU SECRETLY ELOPE?
That’s completely up to each couple! You definitely might rub some family members wrong if you wait to tell them after your elopement, but that’s a risk each couple will look at differently. Check out this blog for tips on how to tell your family that you are eloping!
DID THESE REASONS TO ELOPE CONVINCE YOU TO ELOPE?
My name is Sean, and I can’t wait to help you elope! I’m a free spirit who has dedicated my life to exploring this wild world and connecting to the people in it.
My passion has led me here, where I can follow my heart and share my love for the outdoors with others on their wedding day. It’s truly an awesome experience, and I’m stoked every time I get to document your day.
Still, looking for reasons to elope? Reach out so we can get started and we can chat more!
Awesome advice. Like you said Big weddings aren’t for everyone and this so good for those people to be able to see. Also obsessed with that bride playing frisbee.
Me too! They were having a blast!
That bride playing frisbee in her dress has to be one of the best elopement photos ever! So fun! What has been your favorite place to shoot an elopement?
Right?! I had so much fun with them. Honestly, I’m a mountain person, but canon beach was amazing place to shoot an elopement. So many cool places to explore and get creative.
I love this so much! A ton of good advice!!
This is such a great list! Eloping is the best option for sure.
Not only are the photos amazing, but this is very educational! I wish every couple would elope haha! Love this post!
Yes to ZERO limitations, and extended honeymoons. Someone bring on outer space elopements!
Love these! Beautiful images as well!
great advice on why a couple should elope! also love the idea of an extended honeymoon, such a good idea.
All reasons to elope are great reasons LOVE THESE POSTS
I wish I had eloped with my closest family and friends! I loved your point about limitations!