Why 2021 is the Year to Elope
After a tumultuous 2020, it’s becoming more apparent that 2021’s wedding season could be equally fraught with postponements and cancellations. Between ever-changing travel restrictions and strict social distancing guidelines, trying to plan even a small ceremony is challenging to do safely.
But if you’re one of the many engaged Americans who were forced to postpone your 2020 wedding—or if you’re newly engaged and starting to plan your wedding—there’s hope. You can still tie the knot with your loved one, can still wear that dress and don that suit, can still have a ceremony and say your vows and hire a wedding photographer to capture it all. It’s called eloping and 2021 is the year to do it.
Here are five reasons why you should elope (in 2021 and beyond).
1. Less stressful
Think about all of the logistics that go into a traditional wedding day. There’s the venue, which needs to be booked months (if not years) in advance. There’s the catering and the cake, the band and the seating chart. There’s the flowers and the flower girl. There’s the wayward thunderstorm (or global pandemic) that threatens to derail your special day. And then, of course, there’s the drama, even in the best of families. Distant cousins who take advantage of the open bar. In-laws who squabble. You get the picture.
Eloping takes all of that stress out of the picture. You can get married anywhere, anytime, on any day you like. All that’s needed is you, your partner, an officiant (a friend can be ordained for free here), and a photographer. With fewer things to stress about, you can focus on what really matters: entering a new chapter with the love of your life.
2. Affordable
According to 2019 data from The Knot, weddings in the United States cost an average of $33,900 (including engagement rings, but excluding honeymoons). If that number’s high enough to induce hyperventilating, we feel you.
Eloping can be an affordable option for couples with a tight budget or for those of us who’d rather drop $34K on a down payment for a house, not a party. Eloping can be as cheap or as expensive as you want—eloping on your family’s farm will cost a lot less than eloping to the Bahamas, for example. Given that the average cost of a reception venue runs a cool $10,500, it’s safe to assume that you’ll be saving thousands by ditching tradition and eloping to a spot that’s meaningful and beautiful (and probably a helluva lot cheaper).
3. Pandemic-safe
Social distancing restrictions and recommendations are constantly changing, so even if the state you’re planning to get married in currently allows gatherings of less than 50 people, that number could decrease to 10 by the time your special day comes around.
In general, elopements are not about attendance, so keeping numbers pandemic-safe is easy to do. Aside from your officiant and a photographer, the only people present on your wedding day are you and your partner. If you’re missing the presence of your friends and family, you can always stream the ceremony or host a celebration later when it’s safe to do so.
4. More intimate
Family expectations can muddy the waters when it comes to planning for the big day. It’s not enough that you and your partner have your own visions for what your wedding day should look like—parents, family members, and friends also can put pressure (often unknowingly) on couples to make their wedding day look and feel a certain way. Add in 100 of your closest friends (and their dates, some of which you’ve never met), and your special day starts to feel less like “yours” and more like “theirs.”
Eloping is the ultimate way to recenter the focus of your wedding day on you, your partner, and the love you two share.
5. Greater freedom
Don’t put your love on hold any longer. If you’ve already pushed back your wedding date due to COVID-19, or if you haven’t made any wedding plans at all due to the pandemic, eloping can be a wonderful way to take back the reins, honor your love, and get started on the next chapter of your life. Eloping is hardly a “step down” from having a traditional wedding. If anything, it’s a “step up.” Get married when, where, and how you want.
It’s your day, after all.
