Top Reasons to Elope: 10 Real Reasons From 450+ Couples

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 completely yours. After photographing over 450 elopements across Colorado, Yosemite and beyond, I’ve seen firsthand why eloping can be such a game-changer for couples! Want numbers? See my Colorado elopement packages!

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.

What Is An Elopement?

An elopement, or eloping, means choosing an intentional, small-scale wedding built around your experience together, not a guest list or a fixed format. I wrote a whole guide on the definition, the trends, and how the word has changed: What Is an Elopement? Modern Definition, Insights, & Trends. This page is about something different: the real reasons couples actually choose it.

What are the 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 prioritize 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 entirely yours. 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!

“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 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 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.

Elopements Can Be Nature Focused

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.

Should You Elope? Here’s How I’d Decide

If the day should feel like it’s for you two and not a performance for everyone else, elopement is probably your answer.

If you’re asking whether you should elope, don’t start with dresses, venues, or Pinterest boards. Start with the kind of day you actually want. After photographing 450+ elopements, I’ve noticed the couples happiest with their decision usually care more about the experience than putting on a show for everyone else.

You might be a great fit for an elopement if:

• You’d rather spend your wedding day exploring somewhere beautiful than sitting at a reception.
• Being outside feels more like you than a ballroom or traditional venue.
• You want most of the day to be about you and your partner, not entertaining guests.
• You don’t want to spend months making decisions based on what family or friends expect.
• You’d rather put your money toward photography, travel, a great meal, or an experience you’ll actually remember.
• Hiking to your ceremony, watching the sunrise, or exchanging vows somewhere meaningful sounds better than a traditional wedding timeline.
• You want to build a wedding day around your relationship instead of following a set formula.

But eloping isn’t automatically better than a traditional wedding. If having 100 of your closest people together is the dream, that might be the better call. If you love the dance floor and the big reception, don’t ditch that just because elopements are trending. The real question isn’t “is eloping better,” it’s “what do we actually want our day to feel like.”

And it doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Elope with immediate family, keep a few traditional touches, throw a party later, whatever fits. That’s my favorite thing about modern elopements: there really aren’t many rules. If you want to see what that can look like, check out my elopement packages.

How Is Eloping Different From Having a Traditional Wedding?

An elopement lets you build the wedding day around your relationship, location, and experience instead of a fixed guest count and reception timeline. The biggest difference isn’t that an elopement has fewer wedding-day elements. You can still have vows, rings, family, great food, a first dance, killer photos, and a hell of a party. The difference is you decide what actually belongs.

I’ve had couples tell me they want an elopement because they’re tired of hearing what their wedding “should” look like. That’s usually the real issue. They don’t hate weddings, they hate planning one that doesn’t feel like them.

Traditional wedding	Elopement
Guest list often drives the day	The couple can drive the day
Venue often dictates the timeline	Location can shape the experience
Reception is usually a major part of the day	Adventure or time together can be the main event
More logistics around guests	Fewer people can mean more flexibility
Many decisions involve other people	More decisions can stay between the two of you

Should You Elope Instead of a Traditional Wedding?

Elope if the day should center on your relationship, not the guest list. Choose a wedding if having family physically present matters more than the ceremony itself.

Here’s the thing: I’ve watched over 450 couples make this call, and there’s a pattern. The ones who elope and never look back were planning a big wedding for someone else, parents, tradition, a Pinterest board from three years ago, not for themselves. The ones who end up genuinely happy with a traditional wedding are the ones where having their people in the room is the actual point.

There’s no wrong answer here. There’s an honest one. Ask yourself: if nobody else’s opinion existed, would you still want two hundred people watching you say your vows? If the answer’s no, that’s worth paying attention to. One thing that changes the math here specifically: you don’t need to find or pay an officiant. Self-solemnization means you and your partner marry each other, no third party required. One less vendor, one less cost, one less thing that has to line up on the day. Here’s exactly how that works.

	Elopement	Traditional Wedding
Typical guest count	0 to 15	75 to 200+
Average total cost	$5,000–$15,000	$30,000+
Planning timeline	Weeks to a few months	9 to 18 months
Officiant required in CO	No, self-solemnization is legal	Optional, most couples hire one
Best fit for	Couples who want the day about them	Couples who need family present

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