A Party For Two Or Two-Hundred?
Congratulations, you're engaged! While you bask in the excitement, you might also be perplexed about how you want to get hitched. For several reasons, it's becoming more common to elope without much of a guest list but some couples are still set on tradition. From finances to family, there are pros and cons for both styles. If you're unsure how to tie the knot, read on; we're here to help!
1. The Best Party For Two You’ll Ever Have.
Just the two of us!–– It'll be the biggest party you throw yourselves and you'll love everyone on the guest list. Treat yourselves to a small celebration with a huge experience. The truth about traditional weddings is that they often end up revolving around others. This is your chance to get married your way without any sacrifices.
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2. Less Stress
It's a well-known fact–– wedding planning is stressful. Planning an elopement for just the two of you is much less of a headache. You don't have to spend precious time booking vendors or creating a menu that pleases a variety of dietary needs. The best part you won't miss–– making the seating arrangements at the reception!
Jaakko Perälä on Unsplash
3. Avoid Family Drama
If you have a history of family drama, maybe you don't feel like dealing with it, and that's understandable. Weddings can often cause arguments and unwanted opinions thrown your way. With an elopement, you're fully avoiding an episode of Family Feud.
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4. Authenticity & Intimacy
Eloping will be the most intimate and authentic thing you'll ever do. Eloping is private and you can do it however and wherever you want without an audience. With all the privacy, you can make it extra romantic and you can truly be yourselves, only focusing on each other.
5. Save Money
Finances is often the biggest reason to elope. A wedding is very expensive and some couples don't want to spend that much money for one day. You can save a lot of money with a private ceremony or you could spend the same amount you would on a wedding on a multi-week getaway instead.
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6. Remote Travel Destination
An elopement is an excuse to escape to the middle of nowhere. If serene landscapes that look like fairytale paintings appeal to you, maybe you should elope in one. Find a destination that you both dream of visiting and make it your special place. Without the large group, you can travel to harder to reach destinations.
The Chaffins on Unsplash
7. Desire For The Non-Traditional
You want something different! You don't follow the trends and a traditional wedding as no sentiment to you. If that's the case, why plan a big event you don't truly want? An intimate elopement sounds more like your cup of tea.
8. Less Planning, More Simplicity
Planning for two is much easier than planning for two-hundred. Weddings involve a lot of time and logistics, from securing a venue to booking all your vendors. If you prefer simplicity, a small ceremony is much easier to coordinate than a wedding that you have to start planning at least a year in advance.
Jaakko Perälä on Unsplash
9. Leave No Trace Philosophy
If your environmental impact is important to you, it's easier to throw a smaller event that creates less waste. You can venture off to a natural oasis that has your same philosophy. You can get hitched in a forest without a trace and take only photographs.
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10. Breathtaking Photos
Less people makes it easier for epic photo ops. If you're the adventurous couple, you can find a photographer who will follow you to breathtaking views for stunning elopement backdrops. Without the stress of capturing every wedding guest, you can just focus on candid photographs of the two of you without any rush.
Eloping sounds wonderful and all, but maybe your heart is still set on something bigger. Here are the reasons to throw a big wedding:
1. The Biggest Party You’ll Ever Have.
Your wedding will probably be the biggest party you ever plan for yourselves. It truly is a once in a lifetime event for many folks and a beautiful reason to have all the closest people in your lives together in one space. A wedding is your opportunity to plan a party that you'll remember for the rest of your lives with the people you love most.
Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
2. Honor Cultural Heritage
Wedding traditions vary across cultures and honoring your family heritage might mean something to you, especially if you live outside of your home country. To some people, a traditional wedding makes your marriage feel more authentic and your commitment stronger.
Vitaliy Lyubezhanin on Unsplash
3. Brings Families Together
A large wedding brings families from both sides together. It is a time family members can bond and create lasting relationships. With a marriage, you create a larger family by committing to your partner and their relatives that come along with them. Your family gets to experience the people your partner was raised with and vise versa.
4. Celebration Atmosphere
A big wedding means a big celebration! The atmosphere at a wedding explodes with contagious feelings of love and happiness beaming off of a large group of people. You'll see people dancing like never before and everyone is having fun because of you.
Miguel Ángel Hernández on Unsplash
5. Builds Community & Friendships
You'll bring all your favorite people in your life together at one party. You're creating the best community you could possibly imagine. Your wedding party will likely enforce new friendships with your friends from various circles. A wedding is about you but it also magically brings people together that might never have met otherwise.
Ben Atkins on Unsplash
6. Professional Photos With Loved Ones
Your wedding might be the only time you get professional photos taken with your loved ones. You'll have photos to frame for a lifetime and beautifully captured memories to cherish forever. It's a time when your family is looking their best and you can freeze this moment in time with them.
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7. Sentimental Value
A wedding can involve a lot of sentiment for many people. Whether the bride wears her grandmother's wedding dress or she borrows something blue from her aunt, that could mean something special to everyone involved. Maybe the venue you get married at has a family significance or the date of the marriage is in ode to a friend.
Infrogmation on Wikimedia
8. Beautiful Venues
The wedding industry has its wealth of gorgeous venues. From golf courses to exquisite churches, you can get hitched in the most scenic places. Many venues come equipped with vendors too, making the planning process much easier. With numerous options, you can throw a wedding that is unique to your style.
Keenan Barber on Unsplash
9. Expressing Commitment
For some folks, a big traditional wedding is true to a committed relationship. With all your friends and family around to witness your vows, the ceremony feels like it's truly the real deal. A wedding might be an important sign of loyalty to either partner and the traditional ceremony would solidify that bond.
Jakob Owens on Unsplash
10. Plan It Your Way
Nowadays, a big fat wedding can look a lot different from couple to couple. You can stick to traditions but you can also spice it up your unique way. From the menu you choose to the itinerary you create, a wedding can be planned your way so you can get married in your style.
