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The Magic of Elopements

Picture this… it’s 2020 and a Pandemic has hit, changing a wide variety of plans.. including your wedding plans.

St. George, Utah Elopement- One.Two.Three Photography
Wedding Coordinator: Jacqueline Grena (eventfullyjacqueline.com)

But let’s take a moment and think back to the beginning.. before the Pandemic.. and think about your vision of the most perfect wedding day for you and your partner.

Does your vision include a local venue, a guest list you have been checking over and over to make sure everything is correct, beautiful decorations, table settings, DJ booth, photo booth… or is your vision completely different?

To give you a little back story, I have been documenting weddings since 2014. I have had a passion for photography since around 2006, went to college to study design/photography in 2010, and booked my first wedding in 2013 and never looked back sense. Granted National Geographic has always been on my vision board… but I found that I THRIVE off capturing the magic in others stories for them to remember forever.

So don’t get me wrong, I have a special place in my heart for the traditional wedding layout. There are ways to be “non-traditional” and add in your own personality into bigger weddings.. but I truly have fallen in love with this beautiful thing called elopements.

A matter of fact, when I got engaged to my best friend last November.. I instantly said “I want to have an elopement.” But keep in mind… I didn’t mean, run off to Vegas to the Elvis Chapel without our friends and family..because that is not what eloping means to me.. it is SO MUCH MORE. Even though we have decided on a more traditional wedding.. I wanted to give you some insight as to why I think elopements are magical and why my heart was drawn to this:

  1. Allows you to focus on the true meaning of the day

I am someone who gets caught up in everyone else’s feelings. It’s something I try to avoid, but if I notice someone is upset, or if they seem agitated, I feed off of that, and think something I did went wrong. Call me a sensitive sally but a big thing that draws me to elopements and why they give me so much passion, is because I have noticed that couples let all those worries go.. and just focus on each other and what truly brought them together in the first place. During bigger weddings, I notice that my couples get caught up in all the chaos, and don’t get me wrong, there is some beauty to that chaos, but I then see those couples that forget to have fun, and forget what the day is truly about.

2. You can still include loved ones, no matter the location

Remember…it’s not about running away, and just not telling your family that you got married. If that is your jam, that is cool too.. but when I envisioned my dream elopement, my fiance’s along with my own close family were there, and my very close friends as well. It was around 30 people max. In my vision, we traveled somewhere accessible for everyone. I had a plan that we would do an adventure session as part of our honeymoon after the ceremony, but the ceremony would still be small, intimate and in a different location other than where we grew up. But to that point, YOU CAN ELOPE ANYWHERE! I know it is typical to see adventurous sessions for elopements, or the typical Vegas, but elopement is more than a pretty location in the mountains or the beach…it’s in a place where you both feel alive and where you feel the most connected.

Wedding Planner : Jacqueline Grena (eventfullyjacqueline.com)
Dress: Dreamers and Lovers

3. It can still be an all day thing

You can still have a full day of events planned during your elopement! But with just a little less people, and you can have it anywhere! Your backyard, a local brewery, your favorite hiking spot, a park, overseas, ANYWHERE, and ANYTIME! The ideas are endless. You can still start getting ready early.. you want to do a sunrise first look/ceremony? Heck yes let’s do it! Rather a sunset? Want to plan out an adventure before or after the ceremony, let’s go. Want a ton of time to hangout with the small group of guests you have, or if it’s just you two, let’s stop at your favorite restaurant, rent a airbnb, or a tiny home or a cabin. You guys, you can dream up your perfect wedding day.. and IT CAN HAPPEN. There are so many resources out there it’s beyond amazing.

4. It’s all about you

Let’s be a little selfish here. I know it’s hard, but how do you want to remember your love story? That is the magic of elopements. There is no huge guest list that you have to stress over about entertaining. Sometimes bigger weddings can become all about throwing a party for others.. and you guys that is fine, I’m not bashing this, but if that is not what you want… then don’t go that route. For me, on our wedding day, there are going to be so many emotions for me for a variety of reasons, and I believe that having a big wedding is going to heighten them. Will it still be fun, yes, but I was drawn to a smaller elopement style wedding because it would keep me on the calm side and reminding me that this love story started because my partner and I, and we are committing to each other for the rest of our lives and that is all that matters.

So what is holding you back? Trust me.. I know it’s hard to make a decision that you feel will upset a ton of people.. I worry about that ALL THE TIME.. but trust me when I say that you will truly want to do what makes you happy. At the end of the day, it’s how you want to remember your love story forever.

I have included some links to my all time favorite and biggest inspiration for elopements! I highly encourage you to also check out The Adventure Instead team’s blog for the top 10 reasons why to elope!

https://adventureinstead.com/blog/top-reasons-to-elope?fbclid=IwAR3TdL1QICLIXQE_9aBjgarPPoUTh6zlFA_UUqhvEAtsj3Ib64A2PVeHzsM

So to sum it up.. do what you truly want. Do what will make you and your partner happy, and do what will make you feel the most connected with one another. This day is a huge chapter in your lives. It is a special day that will be followed by many other special days and moments.. but it is the beginning of your life together. It matters what you truly want.. do what makes you happy!

Elopements, Uncategorized

CATEGORY

5/27/2020

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The Magic of Elopements

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