Eloping?

My husband and I said that if we had it to do over again, we would get some great pics and go do some fun or cheesy elopement. My friend said eloping was the best thing she ever did.

I eloped i supposed although i don't like the sound of that word. I am from Canada and my husband is British and we both live here in the U.K....I wanted a wedding at first in Canada but basically important relatives couldn't come, relatives do not like eachother and then it hit me it was our wedding not there's. The other option was the U.K. we looked and looked and a fairly basic decent wedding here was 10 grand alone. Also you can never rely on the weather here, we knew we wanted to go to the Bahamas for our honeymoon so we looked at Sandals and went off and got married in March of this year. We did not tell anyone till after and rung them to let them know that we had gotten married they were shocked and a little upset at first but we knew we had done the best thing for us. Afterall a wedding is about the two people getting married and I think people forget that. I am not an overly showy person but it was the most amazing day, no stress at all was treated like a goddess and was just so happy to be officially be married. If you have any questions for me you can ask me most of my friends became quite jealous after they heard all about our wedding and saw our pictures saying how their wedding ended up all about their families and not what they wanted. Here is my wedding day album on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.eldridge1/media_set?set=a.10151465080823280.1073741825.511298279&type=3

I eloped. My husband asked me and we ran off that night We did tell our immediate families first with a phone call from Vegas the morning of. Then just sent everyone else a wedding announcement after.

For us it worked out perfectly. I have never been the girl to dream of a wedding day, to me it always seemed pointless and like way too much work and money for one day. I will say though, if you were the girl dreaming of the wedding all your life, you will probably regret eloping.

I eloped. Went to Fiji for three days. I had a great dress, hair, make-up, flowers, cake, champagne, etc, just no guests, no presents, no stress and very little expense. Our families were disappointed to miss out but I certainly enjoyed my day and haven't regretted it. Saving $30-40,000 is a major bonus too!

I'm in no position to get married right now but as I get older the idea of eloping definitely becomes increasingly appealing. I would probably still want a family bash to celebrate upon return but I think it would be nice to be able to have a relaxed party without all the formalities, stress and expense.

In 1971, my second husband and I eloped. From Washington state, we drove to Las Vegas and did the wedding chapel thing. My first wedding was all the bells and whistles and I was never that kind of girl. My future mother-in-law insisted we have a big wedding. I hated every minute. I had a small family and they had a huge family, so there I was under the scrutiny of a hoard of strangers.

I eloped--my husband and I got married at San Francisco's City Hall, which is an absolutely stunning building. We each had a few friends there at the wedding, and then had a little party at a restaurant after. We stayed in SF for another couple months (yes, months) for our honeymoon. It was glorious--we ate amazing food, had a beautiful view of the city and GG bridge from our apartment, rode the street cars and walked everywhere. Very lovely!

I'm not into the big fussy traditional wedding thing--too much of a headache, and I'd rather spend all the dough doing fun stuff.

Having had a traditional wedding the first time and eloping to the courthouse the second time, I have to say I so enjoyed the second so much more! No fuss or stress! Just celebrating and enjoying what's really important. Good luck and congratulations :flowerforyou:

Having had two weddings (don't judge!), I would elope. My first wedding was the big show. It was expensive and obnoxious and I vowed not to do it again with my current husband. But my current husband was never married before so I let him decide what we were going to do. He wanted a wedding. He wanted his family and friends to be there so I said ok. However, we had a tight budget and already had a kid (and mine from marriage #1) so we were not going the traditional route. We pulled a Joey Tribiani and ordained my aunt online; she married us; it was free. We got married in an old castle in a public park; it was free. I got my dress on eBay for $180, custom made from China and it was beautiful. My husband is in the military and wore his dress uniform; again, free. We had a catered dinner for our close family and friends; not free, but not nearly what we would've paid at a hall. We had a great time and 8 years later, I wouldn't change a thing.

Whatever you decide, make sure it's for you and no one else! At the end of the day the end result is the same: you're married!

Elope, then maybe have something for friends and family in someone's backyard?

We have friends who went to the courthouse one afternoon and got married. That was about a month or two ago. Yesterday, they had a "ceremony" officiated by a friend (technically, my friends were already married at this point) so that everyone else could be a part of their "big day."

It was very casual, in someone's backyard. They rented a tent and chairs and served simple foods, like chips and dip, a crudite tray, and a fruit and cheese platter. I think they got a keg and some soda from the supermarket. If I had to guess, the food and beverages probably came to less than $300. They had a friend take pictures and I think another friend might've made the cake. (Although some supermarkets do an AMAZING job with buttercream frosting...)

It was nice, because it gave everyone a chance to come together and celebrate. It also gave people the chance to give gifts to the couple, if that kind of thing matters to you.