Today we are joined by guest Blogger and elopement expert Meghann Laine of MLaine Photography.
She has been helping couple plan their dream elopement in the Pacific Northwest for many years. As a way to combine her love of travel and outdoors with her love of wedding photography she is rocking out amazing adventure and hiking elopements like you’ve never seen.
Check out her advice on why eloping is the way to go (we agree) and some of her amazing photos from previous elopements as well. You’ll be ready to lace up your hiking boots and say I do in no time!
You Won’t Regret Eloping — Here’s Why
Planning your wedding day is anything but private, right!? As soon as your engagement is announced, everyone is excited for you, wants to hear about your plans, and, of course, offer their unsolicited wedding advice.
If you aren’t whole-heartedly sold on hosting a large wedding, this only adds to the pressure. You’re likely already questioning if planning a wedding is worth the cost and effort, but you’re also wondering if you’ll regret eloping.
Ready to hear this though? In a decade of photographing weddings and elopements, I’ve never heard of a couple who has regretted their decision to elope. The same cannot be said about planning a wedding.
Here’s why you won’t regret eloping.
You value experiences over things
It’s as simple as that. You’d rather spend your resources on an elopement and honeymoon to your dream destination than on flowers you’ll use once, right?
You’re interested in creating incredible memories, rather than rushing through your wedding day in a blur (seriously, most brides and grooms are so busy on their wedding they don’t remember most of the day). Elopements, on the other hand, allow you to slow down, enjoy yourself, and have an amazing time.
More options
Eloping is so versatile. Have a love for hiking? Elope at a fire lookout. Want to try something new? Fly a helicopter to your ceremony. Whatever your ideal elopement day looks like — be it wild, crazy, or simply beautiful — you can plan a day that excites you instead of making you anxious.
How is this possible? It’s all about the guest list. The fewer guests you have attending, the more options are at your disposal.
A typical wedding with 100 or more guests relies heavily on a venue to provide parking, seating, entertainment, and more. With less than 25 guests at your elopement, you can host a ceremony in non-traditional venues. Think national and state parks, a boat, your favorite hike, or at a waterfall. The fewer guests you have, the more ceremony locations you’ll have available.
Quality time
Speaking of guests, if you do choose to include loved ones in your day, you’ll be spending quality time with every person present. This is a stark contrast to hosting a receiving line or trying to make the rounds to every table to say a quick hello to each guest at a large wedding.
If you’d rather it just be the two of you, that’s fine too! You’ll get much better quality time spending your day eloping than you would hosting a traditional wedding.
Less stress
This is perhaps one of the best-selling points for elopements. Imagine that planning your travel, booking a photographer, officiant if need be, lodging, and choosing your attire is the extent of your plans. Really, that’s it. Compare that to planning a wedding, where you’d likely need to find, vet, and manage at least seven different vendors. That’s exhausting just thinking of it!
You can have it all
Best of all, you don’t have to choose between having an intimate elopement or celebration with your loved ones. You can have both! Host a send-off celebration before your elopement or reception after. They can be as casual — gather for brunch or a backyard BBQ — or as traditional as you like!
If you’re looking to have a meaningful wedding, a relaxing day, and an unforgettable experience you definitely won’t regret eloping!
