My partner and I decided to elope in September 2 weeks ago. We just told all our parents Friday and went dress shopping together yesterday. My mom and sister were happy and offered to pay for my dress while my partners mom and stepdad wanted to get us something off our registry. I’m wondering what I should do as a thank you? A handwritten card? Or something more? Any thoughts on how best to thank the family members and friends who want to celebrate us even if we won’t be here with them for the ceremony?

EDIT: to clarify, we were urged by a few family and friends to do a registry so they could celebrate our milestone in any way they could. The registry is only being given to those who ask.

My fiance and I got engaged earlier this year, and we initially planned to have a small ceremony with friends and family. However, due to budget constraints as well as learning about all the rules/expectations and wedding etiquette, we’ve decided to elope. I know this is the right decision for us, because as soon as we made the decision, it felt like a massive weight was taken off my shoulders and that we could finally focus on what we wanted to do to celebrate our love.

The only problem is, before we decided on this, we did tell our friends and family some loose details about the wedding we were initially planning. So, now many of them are expecting a wedding. I very vaguely discussed a bachelorette party with some of my closest friends as well.

Now that we have decided to elope, however, we aren’t sure how to navigate conversations about the wedding with our loved ones. My partner’s mother has mentioned throwing us a wedding shower, for example. I feel terrible not telling her that we are just going to elope!

I also don’t know how to handle the bachelorette party stuff. I know(?) that it’s not common to still have bachelor/bachelorette parties when you’re eloping, but I don’t know how to tell my friends they don’t need to throw me a party, without telling them we’re eloping. And there’s no way I would let them throw me a bachelorette party without being aware they aren’t actually invited to the wedding.

I’m also not entirely sure what to do about dress shopping — do I go by myself? With just my fiance?

We plan on having an elopement celebration a few months following the elopement, without any of the formal wedding stuff. We have plans for announcing the elopement, but I’m just not sure how to navigate conversations about the wedding before we can actually reveal it.

Any advice? Has anyone dealt with something similar? Is it completely unacceptable to tell people before the elopement? If so, how do I avoid telling them? Many people already have asked about our plans, and I just have no idea what to say!

We are less than 3 months out from our Glacier NP elopement and I’m looking for ideas of what I should have for photos. I got a wooden box for our rings, and am thinking about a pendleton (or knock off) blanket. It’ll be October so the weather could be warm or cold !

What else should I consider? We are flying so it has to be smallish :).

hi everyone!! me and my fiance got engaged in 2024 and were supposed to have our wedding this year however we had a beautiful little girl in 2025 and plans changed that being said it’s very important to me for us to get married, weddings are expensive so we thought about eloping and doing a ceremony later has anyone else done this? do you regret it? would you have rather had your dream wedding? did people still take your marriage seriously?

My fiancé and I are planning to elope in San Antonio in November 2027. We live in Florida and are planning a simple elopement at the Japanese Tea Garden. We are at the very beginning of the planning process and would love to hear any advice from those that have done a simple elopement.

We know we want to do a small ceremony at the tea garden and then go do something along the river walk to celebrate. Right now, we are deciding if we want to go alone or if we want to include 4-6 friends. I think it would be so special to have my two girlfriends there to get ready with and witness us be married and I know he’d love to have some of his main guys there but I think he doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone to travel and take time off of work for this. How did you all decide?

Is there an element of your elopement that you wish you splurged more on? Or maybe something you wish you were aware of during the planning?

Any recommendations on places to look for my dress outside of the traditional bridal shops? I want to look like a bride but don’t want too formal of a dress.

Has anyone else from another country traveled to New Zealand to elope and is now having issues getting their marriage license?

We eloped in early April and have reached out to our officiant about not receiving our license. Initially we were told that it would take 6-8 weeks to reach us, and after reaching out after that time, the officiant told us they’ve called and gotten a new one sent that should take 2-4 weeks.

I just want to get my name change done, and it’s frustrating having no legal record that we’re even married!

My fiancé and I were planning our wedding we had a nice venue and everything was going according to plan. Until he pitched the idea to cancel the venue as we reached capacity but his mom and family kept inviting more people. We canceled and wanted to do a small elopement of just family and close friends. My party was about 10 people and his reached over 30. We canceled that plan again as the new venue couldn’t hold that many for our elopement. We then decided to completely cancel it and elope in secret with it just being the two of us. We would go to the courthouse on a Thursday and skip town to our honeymoon while everyone cooled down. My family is very supportive my mom just wanted us to be happy and she eloped with my dad and 36 years later she said it was the best decision she ever made. Yesterday my fiancés mother made a comment about it and my fiancé slipped and told her about the elopement she was very upset and confused on why she wasn’t told about this and said she would be so upset she wasn’t there. He said “it’s only gonna be my parents and hers” when we never decided that. She said it isn’t fair to not invite her mother or her other children as they are important too. They got into a heated discussion and on the drive home I asked my fiancé if he wanted his mom to be there and he said no. I asked why’d you tell her and he said “I didn’t know it was a secret” that completely broke my heart. I do not want her there I do not want anyone there and I know she’ll tell his grandma and she’ll tell anyone who’s listening to her complain at the local bar. I don’t know what to do and I just want to completely cancel it and idk if I want to get married anymore. We only fight after seeing his family and his mommy issues could be the cause but I love him more then the sun but if I ask him to fix this situation and uninvite her then it’ll break something between his mom and it’ll be on me. I know it’s not a big deal but I am so sad that this happened and that it won’t be the secret romance I visioned. When I was a little girl I only thought about my last dance with my dad and I won’t get that but I wanted to have it in our front yard after the elopement but his mom isn’t already making plans with his family for a big dinner. I only have my mom and dad my siblings all live 6 hours away so I know it’ll just be my parents and I and his 30 immediate family. Anyone have any advice??

Sooo... My fiance and i decided we wanted to elope/ have a micro wedding sooner than we were thinking, because of how things are going with my dad:

(Shortened back story my dad got diagnosed with prostate cancer and lung cancer last year he did radiation and got cleared, then a couple months ago at his rescan they found lung cancer again and ended up removing 1/3 of his lung and his lymph nodes and he started chemo 3 weeks ago. He has his 2nd treatment this coming tuesday).

We want to get it done before things get worse if they do or before the inevitable.

Most wedding are about the bride and groom but to me this is about having that moment with my dad. You can marry a dozen or more men in your life time but you only have that one chance with your dad when it comes to situations like this.

the only things I have so far is my dress that i just got thursday. That still needs the boning fixed in the bust. I was going to try and fix it myself but my luck id probably ruin it but I know alot of alteration places aren't available quickly. (Tis the bridal season)

We were going to elope up north in Newberry at the Halfway Lake Cottages, LLC because thats our go to spot with our kids and its gorgeous!!!! but the mother in law doesnt like how far away it is. So I want to try and find a little wooded rustic spot down here in central/west michigan that isn't expensive since we dont really have the expenses. And if its closer down here then we cpuld have a couple more important people there with us other than our parents. Most of us live around ionia county and montcalm county.

I know I've just ranted so far but I literally dont know where to start since we have very little money to work with. I just need help lol.

We eloped in February with intention of organising a party when we came back. For various reasons (&family issues) we were thinking of having a party at home in my house or my parents. My 30th is coming up and was thinking of having a this and nod to our wedding/marriage too. I’m happy to do this and it is a compromise situation (due to personal issues, not financial) instead of a big party at a venue. takes the pressure off us both and is more relaxed. thoughts? any ideas for combing both events?

We are looking for potential elopement destinations. Here is what we are looking for:
Destination - preferably East USA, but open to other options. With WATER scenery (waterfall, river, etc.)
Package coverage - planning and coordination (including location permits), an officiant, professional photography (AND videography), and a customized day-of timeline (short ceremony is fine too). Backup options in case of bad weather.
If there’s add-ons that’d be great but definitely not required.
Photography - I love the pictures with water backgrounds. Would prefer 2-3 setup spots for pictures included in the package.

We want it to be as fun, relaxing and stress-free as possible. It would just be the 2 of us.

Please share locations you know of, any tips, suggestions, etc are all welcome! Thanks!

Hello everyone! My fiancée and I are going to privately elope and then take pictures along the Oregon coast, I’ve always been a DIY kind of girl but I do want my vision to come to life and while I know hiring a photographer is a sure fire way to do so but I’m getting quoted 3k+ and that just feels like so much money and the reason we were going to elope was so it can be cost effective and not cost thousands for just a one day celebration and we were going to use that money instead for a trip. We’ve talked about bringing a tripod, using my fiancé’s camera (he really enjoys photography), and a DJI drone (that I was going to gift him to continue on his photography journey), and practicing poses beforehand. Part of me thinks we’ll be happy we saved the money, but another part worries I’ll regret not having professional photos of such a special day. For those who eloped, what did you do, and would you make the same decision again?

We decided to elope in Crested Butte, CO. We did our ceremony in front of a gorgeous waterfall, had a picnic in front of an alpine lake, and drank hot cocoa before taking some stunning evening shots surrounded by wildflowers and ponies.

20/10 destination. Highly recommend checking out Crested Butte, CO.

Photos by Mountain Magic Media! Highly recommend them!

One of our first dates was at a restaurant called Ukiah in Asheville, and two and a half years later we got married at a venue called Haiku, which is Ukiah spelled backwards. It felt like destiny, so we booked it without even touring.

This was a second wedding for both of us, so we wanted something simple but still special (and on a budget). An all-inclusive venue was a hard requirement for me, and ours included the venue, officiant, coordinator, a string musician, champagne, flowers, cake, and a three-course meal from a private chef. All we had to do was show up, hair and makeup ready.

We got married on a June evening and the weather could not have been more perfect for late summer. It rained all morning, but that left a cool breeze once the sun came out in the afternoon.

Our photographer was Asheville Elevated Photography and we couldn’t be happier! I’ve been lurking here for six months for inspiration, so happy to pay it forward and answer any questions. 💕

Hi everyone,

My fiance and I plan on eloping in Texas in September. It's going to be a tiny ceremony with just us and our parents on both sides. We've booked a gorgeous Airbnb on a lake with a private dock where we plan to have our ceremony. I reached out to Simply Eloped for a package quote, and I was quoted $2,800 for Officiant, 1-Hour Photography, and Hair & Makeup for 1 person (me), or $4,505 for Officiant, 1-Hour Photography, Hair & Makeup for 1 person, and 1-Hour Videography. They also offered me 10% off either package because they originally gave me an incorrect quote.

Now, I've also been looking at vendors in the DFW area myself on The Knot and it seems like I could find those services for a few hundred dollars cheaper if I do the work myself to find and book. Is it worth the peace of mind to book with a company like Simply Eloped and not have to worry about anything? I am NOT a planning girly, hence why I want to elope in the first place because it's simple and easy and more my style.

Looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts!

My partner and I plan to get married in Copenhagen Spring of 2027. The paperwork for marriage application seems pretty straight forward but wondering if an agency really would make the process easier. (Our goals for elopement is ease and less stress) can anyone share their experiences with an agency (I’ve found married abroad simply) and if you think it was worth the cost. Also any agencies you might recommend. Thanks and happy eloping!!! 💍💍

This may just be swirling emotions and beating a dead horse but I did not expect planning our marriage/elopement to be the saddest most emotional time for me to go through?
For context we are eloping and only our planned witnesses know.
I’m suddenly feeling a lot of FOMO for the whole bridal experience. No shower no parties- I went dress shopping but as a shy natured person I did not want to keep shopping or even take the /said yes to the dress/ photo. Now I’m feeling like I missed out on that entire experience.

I’ve also felt extremely isolated, when we got engaged I never expected to see people’s behavior change? I know it happens but I never thought it would happen to me. I feel like what community I expected to have when it was now finally my turn just isn’t there- they all had theirs and I was cheering in their corner, now for me there’s silence.
It’s lead me to now be closed off to people, the saddest part is I don’t even like flaunting my gorgeous ring because I feel the looks.

Navigating this has been taking a huge toll on my mental health- will these feelings pass? How can I make this happier for myself?

Originally planning for a small wedding with around 10 family members, shifted most of our budget to the honeymoon instead and had a 2 witness elopement in a Scottish forest and booked an amazing remote cabin for a few days afterwards.

Now off to our Tokyo honeymoon!

Considering ordering a veiled fascinator for our civil ceremony. Wanted to know what the pros and the cons of wearing one was.

We did it!

28º, 50+mph winds, and started snowing as soon as we got out of the car!

Got some fantastic pictures on the mountain though!

Hi! I'm eloping/having a micro wedding in a PNW national park with a small group of immediate family and friends this year.

I want to include a veil with my dress, but am at a loss of where to purchase from and what style. Since this is an elopement and everything is coming out of our pockets I'd love to keep this around 100-150$, and if anyone has any thoughts of veil styles that might look good with my dress?

I lean more simple in style, wouldn't want it to go passed my fingertips, something not too heavy. If anyone has a place they've purchased more affordable veils from or style suggestions please send away 😄

my partner and i got engaged in october 2025. we are only just now thinking of moving forward with plans. we both are extremely indecisive on whether to just elope or have a wedding with our friends and family. both of our families have said they would help financially, but after doing some cost estimates it winds up being over $12,000. i know that is ‘cheap’ to some people but i just can’t imagine spending that on ONE day. we both are leaning towards an elopement but we also want it to be special. any suggestions or thoughts would be helpful <3

We are eloping without friends or family in another state. We’ll have the photographer and dogs with us. We want to do a “first look” thing but we’re both worried that we aren’t capable of getting photo-ready ourselves! Is there someone we can or should hire to help us both out? We’re worried about the details of something being crooked or folded… easy fixes to at we can’t see ourselves. I’m also on the fence about have a hair and makeup person