An Intimate Wedding | How to Elope

The word 'elopement' has garnered a negative connotation over its years of existence. However, as times change and the climate of the world is threatened, the need to forget the dreams of a massive wedding with an extensive guest list (which includes your next door neighbour and their dog), has taken a beautiful turn to a place of appreciation for, with the lack of a better word, elopement.

Nowadays more and more couples are making that tough decision to cancel their big wedding plans to rather hold smaller intimate weddings, and although for some this choice may be the only option, for others, it is a delight and want. The trend of smaller weddings has come into light since 2020 with the shutdown of most things around the world - leaving brides with options for more creative and meaningful weddings where they get to be more hands-on and involved in the wedding prep as it is on a much smaller and manageable scale.

Now, don't get more wrong. If you are able to have a larger wedding, where you are not violating any restrictions, can have everyone and everything you want for your big day - then go for it! Quite frankly, I am so happy for you and wish you the best! But, if you are in a similar situation to me, and are forced to rethink and reshape your day, then get excited because there is nothing better than scaling things down and putting together a beautiful intimate day for you and your nearest and dearest.

Before we get too carried away, let me first give a brief overview of my wedding story - I had a big day with a ceremony and reception planned for May 2020. What made this process the most difficult was not only the continuous changing restrictions within the country, but also the fact that all of my immediate family members, as well as three out of my five bridesmaids live overseas, proving it impossible to set a date where they were actually allowed to fly in. And so, once the wedding date got postponed and shifted three times, and flights and plans got cancelled over and over again, we finally thought enough-is-enough, and thus a scramble to create a quick, easy and small ceremony began!

When deciding on a smaller wedding, the possibilities are actually endless. For me, everything was a bit rushed and tight with time, as we were so impatient and could not wait any longer to get married - we basically got to the point of thinking about what is most important at that moment, which inevitably was us as a couple, and celebrating the love we have in any way we could! But, if you can, a bit of time spent planning can do wonders for your special day. Luckily, a small wedding honestly does not need much planning, where at least a three week period of planning is a great amount! (Although, I stand testimony that something can be put together within about a week).

So, how do you elope? First of all, throw the stigma of this notion out. You want to go into this journey with you and your partner excited, happy and ready. Romanticise the topic - there is something beautiful about having a small wedding, stripping away the wedding gimmicks and making it all about yourself and your partner. Once you have made this decision, get yourself excited, then you are ready to go!

And don't worry, this post is just an intro post, and I am going to be posting a lot more tips, checklists and advise on all things wedding related in the next week or two. So, get your wedding journal/notebook out, grab a coffee, and let's get this dream day of yours as perfect as can be!

*This is the first post of my wedding series - Keep an eye out on my blog for more posts to come.

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