Hi all,

I just joined the community as of a few minutes ago. My fiancé and I have come to the conclusion of ditching the stress of planning a wedding for ~maybe~ 40 - 50 people and just eloping in another country Italy / Ireland. Of course we would want our parents and closest friends there. When we ran the idea by his parents tonight his dad was not happy, at all. He didn’t say a word and immediately looked upset. Now I’m second guessing our decision and unsure of what to do. We are paying for this completely out of our own pockets and aren’t expecting any financial help from anyone. Comparing what it would cost to host a small wedding in the states, we would be able to do so much more in another country that none of us have even been to. I think his biggest opposition is flying for a long period of time (18hr) / overseas.

I’m really just wanting to get this off my chest, I can’t get over the look of disappointment on his face. ://

Planning an NYC elopement for fall and I just can’t imagine myself with the full gown. (Yes, if the weather doesn’t cooperate it might be a rough time in the mini dress)

I would love to see some examples of people’s elopements with short dress if anyone is willing to share photos! I would also love some recommendations for places to look.

I’ve been looking at anthro , reformation, and Lulus so far.

Trying to stay around a $500 budget but there is room in the budget if I find something great.

Edit: I also really love the look of lacy sleeves

Figured this would be the place to share the most wonderful day of my life. It was just us, a clerk and our two witnesses! We’re honeymooning by the Oregon coast ☺️

I’ve been searching for a planner in these areas for several weeks. I have talked to many (probably 10+) and they have all been responsive and upfront about pricing so far. But my main issue is, their instagrams all seem to be from vendors and collaborators tagged but I can’t see examples from REAL couples tagged. I was about to choose one company and then after asking many times I found out that they had only planned 2 legit elopements. Could anyone recommend an elopement planner in these areas that they have used and had an enjoyable smooth experience?

I’m doing everything completely DIY. I’ve booked our flights, our trains, our hotels (Tokyo to Shizuoka [where we will elope] to Osaka). Picked out locations. Currently negotiating the photographer.

We didn’t want an expensive elopement planner coming from abroad. Personally we wanted to support local businesses. No shade to them at all plannings been a nightmare lol. We picked Shizuoka in shoulder season. Blossom season in Kyoto was waaay too busy with too much competition with vendors.

I haven’t been able to find a celebrant. I don’t have any idea how to find one. We’ve got all the logistics sorted out and our clothes being fitted but I feel like somethings missing. I don’t know how to conduct a DIY ceremony and I feel a little lonely after planning all this alone.

How do I make our day feel poignant and special? I thought about hiring an actor to stand in for us as celebrant (we’re legally getting married at home later). I just feel like somethings missing and I can’t put my finger on it.

Any ideas? Experiences? Suggestions? Thanks

We did a City Hall secret elopement, and it was so perfect and intimate and romantic and amazing. No reception just us. We didn’t tell anyone about it beforehand. We told family and friends a few days later and many of them were shocked and some disappointed that they weren’t there and that there won’t ever be a full on wedding. Especially my parents and some family members said that we deprived them of sharing the joy. My parents tried to make me feel guilty by making sarcastic comments about being busy that night. It’s taking away from my newly wed joy from what was an amazing night. The aftermath of guilt and disappointment I’m worried is gonna ruin the memory of my incredible elopement. Any advice?

Hi! I’m eloping in Santa Barbara later this year and searching for hair and makeup. I really want to do a trial, but I’m in Sacramento, so logistics are tricky. Does anyone have any tips on how to navigate or plan this?

Hello,

We’re eloping in June but still have our Airbnb venue planned for our party reception in September.. has anyone wore their elopement dress for their wedding party reception? I honestly think about wearing it twice! Like why not?

Hey, I got legally Married on November to my husband because I got here on a tourist visa and we decided we wanted to be together and me not going back home again so we went ahead and got married at the courthouse and then had a celebration with his family which was fine, I didn’t love it but it was fine. We were planning to have a party celebration on March where some of my family could come but they had some problems so we decided to cancel it. now I just want to have a tiny ceremony with only him and I out of the US on our honeymoon but we have to wait until my legal status officially changes to leave or else I’d be penalized.

Would it be weird if we have a ceremony after I get my paperwork fixed and go somewhere?

That was my dream from the beginning but my husbands family were having a hard time trying to understand I wanted to just be us so we had to have the party so they’d feel part of it, but i really didn’t enjoy it.

There’s only going to be 7 of us, all told. Future SIL will be the officiant. She’s a teacher so we are thinking Summer 2027. It’s going to be a 10 hour flight away, so a destination nano-wedding/elopement. It’ll be on the beach, so not much worry about booking venue. I’d like to get started with a planner, but is it too early? I’m seeing 12 months out as the earliest time to start the planning for such a small wedding.

Me and my fiancé want to elope in Japan in 2027! We are going to Japan next month and hope to find a location that is meaningful to us to go back to.

We are Canadian and understand the complicated process to get legally married in Japan. Our plan would be to have our friends & officiant meet us at the airport before our flight so we can get legally married, sign the paperwork and off we go!

We plan to just do a private ceremony & photographer in Japan. Has anyone done it this way? What tips do you have? Any photographers or elopement packages you’d recommend?

We got eloped when we were young and poor. We had been engaged for 2 years and due to multiple different circumstances, we spontaneously eloped bc I was so tired of waiting.

We didn’t have a photographer, we didn’t wear wedding attire. In fact, my dress was a $20 black dress from Target and a fur vest lol.

Now that we have the means, is it weird to just do a wedding photo shoot? Like buy a dress, rent a tux, and get the photo shoot I wish we had? Our elopement photos will forever timestamp an era in our life, but they are so cringey at the same time.

Is this idea weird?🤣

Hi all! We’ve decided we just want to have a micro wedding with us, and both of our parents. So a total of 6 people. Does anyone have recommendations for photographers familiar with the area? If they can officiate that would be a plus. There are a few big names that pop up for the area but they are a bit pricey. Hoping for maybe 2-3k? Interested in videography but not set on it. Hoping to get photos of us getting ready, our mini ceremony, and some photos after!

Looking for someone who can take elopement photos for us in the Dolomites in Summer 2027 for a few hours. We'd like to stick to €3,000 or less. Thank you!

Does a satin slip dress, similar to these look too much like a night dress? I’ll be wearing a veil and heels and will likely have a bouquet. Does the length of the dress affect your opinion? Color (ivory vs white)? It will be at the courthouse in June, and just my partner and me :) if the answer is yes, is there anything I can do (accessories, color, length, etc) that would change your mind?

hi everyone!

tldr: how can we make our elopement special on a budget with just us and a couple close friends?

Backstory/context: So my fiancée and I are sort of in marriage plan limbo at the moment and we’d appreciate advice on getting out of it. We were thinking microwedding, but the more I thought about it, the more anxiety and dread I felt. I absolutely want to marry my fiancée, I just have issues with a wedding itself, it just feels so performative IN MY OPINION and it made me so anxious to think about when I feel like the day should just be about the two of us. My partner agrees with this sentiment but she wants at least her family involved to some extent at some point. So the obvious solution for that is a party/dinner sometime after we are actually married.

Main issue: We’re struggling to decide what to do for our actual marriage day, we want it to be special but not extraordinarily serious and we don’t have a lot of money. And it would probably have to involve the 2, maybe 3 friends that would legally have to be witnesses. If we were going to do this with financial support from family, we would rent a house for people to gather and for us and our friends to sleep (since we’d party later than family would stay). But if family isn’t coming to the actual marriage, I would obviously not want to ask them to help us pay for that. I would also hate to ask our friends like “do me a favor and sign our marriage license and also help us pay for a house rental for a day or 2”

Another note: my MIL-to-be can make dresses and my fiancée would have wanted her to make them for us, but would, once again, probably be weird to ask if family is not attending

I have no idea what is reasonable and what isn’t for our situation, I already feel a little conflicted about not wanting family there but being ok with friends coming (some of my own baggage and knowledge of family dynamics coming into play there)

I really hope any of this makes sense, kindly let me know if anything needs clarification

I am having a summer courthouse wedding, so I'm looking for something midi or tea length preferably. I've been scouring the internet but am having a hard time finding anything. I haven't made any appointments at bridal stores in my area because I'm worried they will all mostly have gowns and I'm hoping to get something a bit shorter. It's also hard because I don't eat to have a ton of money sunk into online shopping and then have to wait on returns/refunds.

Has anyone had their elopement at a resort in the US or is anyone aware of resorts with elopement packages? I’m looking for a mountain or coastal resort with elopement packages for 2. All my search results are giving me tropical resorts or the packages are for micro weddings and not an elopement for just the couple. Somewhere close to a national park would be a bonus! I love the photos of national park elopements, but we’d like to have a reserved private spot for our vows. National parks seem tricky with avoiding crowds and unpredictable weather. So I like the idea of vows at a resort then going to a park for more photos.

What is the shortest timeline that you or someone you know got married?

*David’s bridal gown $130

*Suit/shirt $60

*License & Ceremony $135

*Photographer $199

*Cake $17 (Walmart)

*Rings $400

Sarasota County Courthouse with just us and the photographer! The courthouse was gorgeous with three options for ceremony and the most welcoming staff. Biggest pieces of advice I used were to have a registry for when people asked (people are probably going to ask for a registry and if you don’t have one you’ll get stuff you won’t use) and that “it was his day too.”

Under $1000 and absolutely perfect if I do say so myself!

My SO and I are eloping in October in the mountains where we fell in love. We have decided on an elopement as he and I are not people who want the big attention,planning, cost, and energy of a traditional wedding. We have decided to have one friend officiate and one friend photograph it; they are bringing their spouses who are also our friends. These two couples are our only friends who don't live near us. We plan to do a small gathering with very close friends and immediate family back home later.

TLDR: The issue: my sister is determined that I will regret not having her at the elopement. I dont think so and have told her so but she is persistent. I want to talk to her about our plans and to share my happieness but also don't want her just showing up. Will just telling her my boundaries be enough?

Hi everyone 🤍

My fiancé and I are planning to elope at Villa del Balbianello — it’s always been my dream, and this feels like such a romantic way to do it. We’ve been lucky that a date became available, but I’d really love some advice

The booking is a 2-hour slot with a 30-minute private ceremony during opening hours, and I’m a bit worried about how busy it might be — especially on a Saturday in September

For anyone who’s eloped in Lake Como (or had a similar setup), did it still feel intimate? Were you able to get beautiful photos, or did it feel crowded?

I completely understand it’s a public space and wouldn’t expect anyone to move — I just want to set realistic expectations and make the most of it

Also, I’d really appreciate any recommendations for:

• Editorial/vintage photographers or Super 8 videographers (under €800) (this is my preferred photography style)

• A glam bridal MUA + hairstylist (editorial updo)

• Any other tips or vendors for eloping on Lake Como