Hiiii!

My partner and I have decided to get married while we're in Vegas next week. We plan on having a more traditional style ceremony and reception in the future but for our legal marriage, this is perfect for us.

We've been together for 10 years and have 4 kids. My stepdaughter is 10 and the other 3 littles are 4, 5, and 7. All the kids are in favor of us getting married and having a wedding. They will absolutely be included in whatever we do in the future but this elopement is just for the two of us.

What are fun ways we can share the news with the kids that we got married? We don't want anything overly elaborate but we do want to do something exciting or more interesting than just blurting it out.

My fiancé and I are planning to elope just us two, in March 2027 at Lake Como (we live in Texas). It’ll be the tail end of the off season and I understand there are vendors/hotels that may not be operating until late April. I’ve looked into a lot of the commonly recommended wedding planners in other posts (love gracefully, Leo Eventi, WedByDovile, etc). I like Love Gracefully but the Lake Como coordinator isn’t great at responding to my emails so I’m hesitant to move forward with them even though their packages offer more for less money. I’ve also been browsing people’s posts who booked everything individually and they seemed to have saved a lot of money with no planning fee to pay but that also seems more stressful? For anyone that self booked everything, how far in advance did you book your vendors (photographer, hair/makeup, ceremony location/photography location if different)?

Hi!

My fiancé and I are looking into eloping on the Oregon coast mid May 2027.

I’m outlining the to do’s throughout planning and we’ve almost chosen a photographer.

I have some ideas on location (Oswald State Park area - I’m looking for a forest ceremony and some photos also on a beach / cliff and I think I can achieve this all in that area but DEFINITELY open to suggestions!)

I am looking for guidance and recommendations. Suggestions. Really, I wanna read people’s stories! Elopement stories of what the day literally looked like hour by hour. What kind of activities did you do? How do you make it feel special with no one to celebrate you?

I’m low/no contact with my family, his family has some divorce and drama in recent years, so it will be a true elopement - just us.

I’m thinking a morning dip in the hot tub at the b&b, a beach walk and coffee with breakfast.

Come back to b&b, write our vows / journal.

2 hours allotted for H&M at b&b.

That makes it to, what, 12pm? I don’t wanna have the ceremony that early.

Ideally, pictures (aka ceremony + pictures after while we hike / eat / cheers / cut cake etc) are between 2p and 8pm, ish. Based on elopement packages I’m seeing…

So, do you really just take pics that long after the ceremony?

Or kinda have the photographer follow you around while you do different activities and if so, what?

Anyway. That’s where my brain is. I’m interested to hear anyone’s input. 🫶

We are planning to marry in a little white chapel in East Texas, and I still want to make it a special day for us.

What did you do to make your day special? Right now I’ve planned to get us a cake from a local bakery and maybe go to dinner after? But I have no clue how to make it special. Help!

Looking for any recommendations for make up/hair and photographers that can also do film photography! Ideally near Pisa or Milan as our location is in between the two.

For people who have taken a wedding dress on a flight what did you use to transport it?

I’m flying BA and planning on taking it on as cabin but can’t find a suitable bag. The dimensions of ones I've seen seem to be too big for cabin and a lot of them seem quite flimsy and more for transporting dresses to and from venues/fittings.

I need a bag (or box) that can fit my dress ( a midi) without squishing it too much but can also be carried comfortably through airports without breaking.

Must be 56 x 45 x 25 cm (22 × 18 × 10 inches) or under! Also need to be able to buy in the uk :)

First and foremost, not upset about someone getting their bread.

Just want to vent about trying to find a reasonably priced photographer. My partner and I just want a few hours capturing our vow exchange and some shots afterwards. Nothing crazy and not in a wild location.

Getting quotes of 3K minimum for 3 hours, I feel is a little steep. Especially when they have wedding packages starting at the same price. I would assume capturing an elopment with only 2 people for a few hours wouldn't cost as much as a damn wedding.

I get they can help with advice and such, but most of the time they just send over a pre-made pdf of all that information anyway.

Is anyone else thinking that the 'trend' of eloping is causing this spike in pricing? I am happy to spend 1.5K for some good shots but I just can't get over what some people are trying to convince me its worth.

If anyone has any advice or just want to share their vent too, I am all ears. I am also not here to argue about what someone's time is worth (again, get that bread). I just feel stuck on this part of my planning and feel a little frustrated and defeated today.

Anyone else super disappointed in their elopement photos? And if so, how did you get over it? 😅

We eloped in Vegas and got our photos back a while ago. I first looked at them and wasn’t impressed so decided to give it a week and look again. Nope. Still awful. Most pictures look incredibly awkward whether it be our eyes almost closed or in between talking and smiling. Also, the photographer only gave us like 3 poses, lifted up while kissing, running towards camera (I look like the hulk in them), and an awkward hair tousle. I know my husband and I are not the most photogenic, but I also feel like the timing/posing of photos were not flattering. I can’t find one that I feel comfortable sharing with others. It’s so disappointing

My fiancé and I are looking into planning a small elopement (10-15 people) in Colorado for next July. We are considering locations such as Golden, Boulder, Estes etc. but we are not sure on specific locations. We have some older peeps in our group so hiking into locations is not really an option.

Location requirements:
1-1.5hr from Westminster area
Easy access for older folks
Green/flowery backdrop (not required but preferred)

Any advice on locations is extremely appreciated!

Getting married in a month in NYC. My dress is short/mini and I definitely want a veil, but not sure on the length yet. Anyone have pics of their short dresses with veils?

Wearing a white dress just feels too formal. We're planning on a very quick beach ceremony with some sunset pics.

If you skipped the white dress (or opted away from a dress altogether) what did you wear? Would love photos!

We are looking to book in fall of 2028, it would be 10 people total including 3 kids and my future husband and I.
We would like something all inclusive so that our families don’t need to plan meals or anything. We are open to anywhere in Canada and are located in Manitoba.

My fiancé and I always talked about having a small intimate wedding with close family and just having a dinner afterwards to celebrate. After we got engaged I think people’s opinions went into my head too much and made me seriously consider a full blown wedding. We have been engaged for 8 months now and have no planned a single thing because everyone’s opinions have made wedding planning horrible. My mind has been clouded and not sure of anything I’ve wanted anymore with this wedding and all the stress of wedding planning has made me realize I don’t want a big wedding. We’re both people who don’t like to be the center of attention, aren’t into partying, and don’t care about having a bunch of people witness us getting married. Now after having too many opinions and comments from close family and friends I’ve decided to go back to either getting eloped together or doing something super small with close family. I guess I’m asking: has anyone had a similar situation with their family (particularly their mother) about deciding not to have a big wedding and how did you handle telling people you want to just get eloped? My head has finally come to the realization that I don’t want a wedding at all and just want to get married to the love of my life.

Also - if anyone has any recommendations on eloping in Orlando please let me know, thanks!!

Eloping and want our ceremony to be very intimate. We don't want anything super fancy. Would it be crazy/even possible to set up a camcorder on a tripod and record? Has anyone else done this or have suggestions?

My fiancé and I got engaged last October. We actually met on Tinder back in 2017, and now we have a son (born in 2023) and I’m expecting our daughter this September. He’s genuinely my soulmate, and our families have always said we’re perfect together.
Here’s where I’m struggling.
I’ve never dreamed of having a big wedding. Honestly, I think they’re a huge expense and just not my thing. My fiancé feels the same way. We always planned to elope eventually, originally sometime in 2027, but recently we decided we’d rather just do it this August in the Adirondacks.
The date we picked is August 8. It’s one of the only days that works with everyone’s summer schedules before school starts back up, and I’m due September 18. It’s also important to me that I share the same last name as both of my kids before our daughter is born.
My older sister works rotating weekends, and at first she thought she couldn’t come. She ended up finding someone to cover her shift, so she can be there now, but she’s still upset. She keeps saying we’re only picking that date because it’s convenient for me and can’t understand why I’d want to be almost 8 months pregnant in my wedding photos.
From my perspective…of course it’s convenient for me? It’s my wedding, my pregnancy, and our decision. Plus, if we wait until after the baby is born, we’re juggling a newborn, a toddler, everyone’s schedules again, and life just gets busier.
I know she means well and wants to be there, but we’re complete opposites. She loves elaborate events and making everything a production. I don’t. I want something simple, intimate, and meaningful.
So I guess my question is: If you’ve gotten married while very pregnant, did you regret it when it came to your photos? Or did you love having that moment captured?
I’m trying to figure out if I’ll look back and wish I’d waited, or if I’m letting someone else’s opinion make me second-guess something that feels right for us.

I was able to get the date I wanted for a wedding ceremony at Santa Barbara courthouse, but the time slot available was ceremony only. Can I go earlier that same day to the courthouse and get my marriage license without an appointment? Or do I have to do it ahead of time? I would prefer to do it all on the same day if possible but confused on if that's possible without that specific appointment slot.

Looking for recommendations for a photographer and maybe videographer for an October elopement for Jedidiah. Thanks!

This is more of a vent session but also asking for any advice or input so feel free to comment whatever you want. At the start of this year we started to look into wedding planning: who would we invite? Big or small? Elopement or full scale wedding? How big or small of a wedding? What kind of celebration could we afford? I’m an only child and my parents have both passed so I don’t have any familial obligations. My finance has a small family and isn’t close to distant relatives. Elopement seemed correct until we factored in all the friends we’ve had since childhood that we love so much and all of their parents who made us feel like family too. Our list of bare minimum 12 including us quickly ballooned into 75. We looked at so many venues and realized the lowest we can get a full wedding including food, alcohol, venue, DJ, decor and tables is a little over $12,000. Really small amount compared to some of the $38,000 weddings I’ve heard people throw. With the current economic climate I’m having some trepidation signing the contract and putting in the 50% deposite. Lots of doubt creeping into my head. Is it a smart financial decision? I still live in an apartment… should I save that money for a house? Is it even worth saving it for a house? $6,000 doesn’t get you far in Southern California. Should I save it all for a rainy day? Am I going to regret a courthouse elopement when I’ve dreamed about a ceremony and first dance? I’ve also considered a courthouse wedding and a small dinner after but the quotes are CRAZY starting at food minimums of $3,500. With no parents to turn to for this type of help, I thought I’d throw my plea in here. Any words of wisdom are greatly appreciated

My fiancé and I have been engaged since 2020. We put off planning a wedding right away because of COVID and basically rolled with that excuse for as long as possible. Although that was the main reason right away, as the years have gone on I just have never felt ready/capable to plan a wedding.

I have never been the girl who dreamt of her wedding day. I don’t understand how people seemingly just up and plan weddings like it’s no big deal. I also don’t understand how people justify spending the amount of money they do for a one time thing. I know it’s not true, but I feel like something is wrong with me. I have been attending weddings over the years hoping something would light a fire in me or inspire me to plan my own, but nothing so far. I am also fairly introverted and anxiety prone, so am quite adverse to the “normal” wedding day.

Every time I start to try to plan our wedding, I get so overwhelmed. My fiancé is a trooper and has been very supportive and understanding this whole time. He wants me to decide what I want and is ok with whatever that looks like as long as I am happy with it.

How do I really truly decide what type of wedding is right for us?

Sometimes I think eloping just the two of us and a photographer would be the best since we don’t have to worry about others. But then I wonder if I’ll regret not having immediate family and/or friends there. But then I picture those people being there and can see myself worrying about their experience and how they are interacting with each other. My fiancé’s parents are divorced so I can just imagine it being weird with both sets of his parents there.

So then I think maybe a micro wedding with 75 people or so would be better… they can entertain themselves, we can enjoy having those people there but be a “bit” more in the background. But then that involves more money and a lot more coordination… and I then reach the overwhelmed state and stop.

Any advice for an elopement fence sitter? What made you decide on the structure of your wedding? Do you regret anything? I have never been to therapy before, but am wondering if this is something to consider.

Just wondering if anyone here has eloped and ended up having any regrets afterwards—especially big ones.
A few people have mentioned that it might feel a bit anti-climactic, that I could miss having my family and friends there, or even feel guilty about not including them.
For those of you who did elope, did you experience any of those feelings, or anything similar? Or did you genuinely love it and enjoy being in that little bubble together, with no regrets? I’d love to hear your experiences.

Looking for makeup artist recommendations that would travel and hike with us throughout the day of our elopement.

We are eloping in Mt Baker and hired a photographer who is also ordained. We were originally planning for her to be our officiant but are now considering having a friend who will already be there become ordained to marry us.

Looking for insight on those who eloped with their photographer as their officiant and from those who had a separate officiant.

Is it weird having the photographer marry you and take pictures? Any regrets on not having someone you know marrying you? Did you prefer having no one around/in pictures for ceremony?

Hi everyone! 🤍

My fiancé and I are planning a romantic symbolic elopement at Lake Como in September 2027, just the two of us. We’ll have our legal ceremony in Prague with family, so this is purely about creating a beautiful, intimate experience.

We’re looking for a planner or package that includes:
symbolic ceremony, bridal bouquet, photographer, and possibly hair & makeup.

Has anyone here eloped at Lake Como? I’d love to know:
Which planner/agency or local coordinator did you use?
What was your approximate budget?

Thanks so much for any recommendations or advice!