Step 1: Fall in Love

Step 2: Get Engaged

Step 3: Get Married!

…insert step 2.5: stress about planning the perfect wedding

Planning a wedding can seem like a daunting, overwhelming task but it really doesn’t have to be! Movies, tv shows and social media like to make it seem like you’re supposed spend 10’s of thousands of dollars putting together this big, extravagant, amazing white wedding and invite literally every single person you’ve ever met. But what if I told you it doesn’t have to be that way? What if i told you that it’s not the wedding that matters but the marriage. I like to say that there are really only 2 things from your wedding day that you will keep forever.. number 1 is the marriage and number 2 is the photos. Memories will fade, your dress will get hung up and left in the closet, the guests will come and go, and the decorations will get stored away or sold but the marriage and photos will last a lifetime.

Prioritize the marriage. Focus on the person you said yes to when they got down on one knee. Throw out this idea that you have to have a huge, expensive wedding and.. elope!! Make it intimate and memorable and one hundred percent focused on you and your future spouse. Of course, if you want that big white wedding and that’s been your dream for as long as you can remember, then have at it! Go nuts! However, if you want something a little more private and personal, eloping is definitely the way to go. But what exactly is eloping?

Eloping.. and the benefits!

By definition (according to google) eloping is to “run away secretly in order to get married, especially without parental consent.” I personally think that this definition is a little out of date but it still gets the main point across. Eloping is small, intimate, and private. It’s the opposite of the ever so fantasized “big white wedding.” Eloping is personal. A day one hundred percent focused on the marriage to come rather than on the decorations, the colors, the food and the guests. And it can be done in so many different ways!

Go to the court house. Easy peasy! Go get a marriage license, get it signed by all the right people and bam! you’re married!
Make it an adventure! Go somewhere you’ve always wanted to go and make a whole trip out of it. Instead of spending $10,000 – $20,000 (or more!) on one day, spend a fraction of that traveling and getting hitched to your forever best friend!
Use it as a chance to reminisce on a favorite memory. Go to the place where you first met or had your first date. Find a spot that means something to you and include it in one of the best days of your life.
Get creative! Do something no one else has ever done. Get married somewhere no one else would think to get married. Have FUN with it instead of stressing out about it!

Planning an elopement instead of a wedding means you get to..

Ditch that step 2.5 – your wedding isn’t something you should stress about because you’re trying so hard to make it perfect and make sure nobody feels left out. You should be excited to plan the day you get to say “I DO!” to the love of your life!
Make it intimate – this is up for interpretation. To some, this means just the bride and groom while others want to include their closest friends and family. The point is, you don’t need to invite every single person you’ve ever met and if you want it to just be you and your future husband or wife, that’s 100% okay!
Save money – an elopement can literally just cost the price of the marriage license. In Montana, that’s $53! That’s it!
and most importantly.. you get to make your wedding day all about you and your fiance!