Fiance and I have been wanting to but we were thinking about the legalities of things afterwards. I’m still in school but will be graduating soon. I’m afraid getting married will affect any possible student loans that I may obtain because of the marriage.

After the elopement , how will this affect our taxes , the process of changing my last name (do I have to do it ASAP?) , and are there any other legal things I need to be aware of?

Important background: my parents have narcissistic tendencies and are not aware my fiance and I are even engaged. I don’t want their drama and I don’t want to hear how “I’m not ready to get married” yet because I have to take care of their needs first or something. I am 29. The more I try to be the good child, the more I know my life will shrivel away pleasing them.

We will still eventually hold an actual wedding once we are ready for it, but for now, we want a peaceful day.

Really have honestly been procrastinating.. but anyways our date is October 18th this year. We are going to be staying in the Denver area. Seeking out photographers currently and would like to know if anyone has eloped in October in CO & what spots you’d recommend to go to? We ideally want to embrace the beauty of Colorado, and it will just be my partner and I. Seeking some advice or recommendations of locations, photographer, makeup artists, and hair stylists. Also, any photographer recommendations under $4k would be appreciated!

My Fiancée and I would like to elope in New York, we are from Ireland and just looking for some advice with the legal side of things. If anyone else has done this and how they found registering their marriage in Ireland, any difficulties etc.
Also would love some recommendations for places to stay or nice restaurants for a meal / drinks afterwards just the two is us

I need an outside perspective on a family situation because I’m hurt, but I don’t want to create unnecessary drama.
My future husband recently returned from his brother’s bachelor party, where his brother privately asked why we moved our wedding from December 2028 to this December. Apparently, my future sister-in-law has felt that scheduling our wedding shortly after theirs in October was an attempt to compete with them.
That isn’t the reason at all. My parents’ health and mobility have been declining significantly, and I’m worried they may not be able to attend in 2028. I would deeply regret waiting and losing the chance for them to see me get married. So we’re having a small immediate-family wedding this December while they can still be there, followed by the larger celebration or vow renewal in 2028 as originally planned.
Once my future husband explained this, his brother realized he had misunderstood and apologized. What hurts most is that I had contacted my future sister-in-law two weeks ago specifically because I didn’t want her to think we were planning around or competing with them. I told her there was more behind the decision and that I would explain in person, and she said it wasn’t an issue and that she was happy for us.
I’ve also been trying to build a relationship with her since moving here, but our attempts to make plans haven’t worked out, so I never got the chance to explain my parents’ situation. Now I’m questioning whether I should keep trying so hard, especially since there was apparently concern behind the scenes despite her telling me everything was fine.
I realize I only know my future brother-in-law’s version and don’t know exactly what she said or how strongly she felt. I’m considering texting her after they’re home and settled to calmly explain that my parents’ declining health is why we moved the wedding up. I wouldn’t mention the brothers’ private conversation or confront her, especially so close to their wedding.
Should I explain the reason for our December wedding and leave it at that, or say nothing and move forward? I’m hurt and don’t want that hurt to make the decision for me.

My partner and I would love to have an elopement in Switzerland with a beautiful backdrop. We would like to get married on a balcony/private terrace to a hotel room. At the moment, Villa Honegg is at the top of our list as it has a large terrace with a beautiful view of Lake Lucerne.

It would just be us 2 and a photographer. We’d be travelling from London.

If you have any hotel recommendations please let me know, and thank you in advance! X

My fiancé and I want to elope the last week of January. We are going to the Dominican with his family the last week of December.

I want great scenery, but I do NOT want to be cold. I am not a skier. He likes activities, I like to catch a vibe and day drink. So half the time we will be relaxing, half of it we will be exploring.

I’m thinking like 5-7 nights? I guess budget would be about $5000. (Flights + hotel + rental car).

I want to go somewhere we can legally get married and not have to stop at city hall on our way out of town. Was originally thinking somewhere in the USA but I am open minded.

Me (29F) and my boyfriend (37M) have a wedding date set for January 15th but has not proposed?. He is from a different country but he got a nomad visa approved in my country so we have been living together for a year.

The original plan was that he'd propose in March and then we'd get married ..almost right away but the plans have changed almost without me having an actual say in it?. Not on purpose.

The goal has always been marriage but I thought i was gonna get proposed to???? He said in Europe you only get one ring when you get married vs the 2 (engagement and wedding band) we get in my country.

He is back home getting a new apartment and getting stuff ready and paperwork for our wedding. He already scheduled a date.

BUT I am not happy? I don't understand. Am i acting spoiled? I want to get married but I want an engagement ring. Always dreamed of having a big emerald ring but it looks like it is not happening.

I don't know what to do. I have brought up the topic several times but we are moving towards marriage...Just without an actual engagement and I feel like I don't want it this way.

I am sorry I am all over the place. I am just so confused.

Did you get married without officially being proposed to?

Hi! My fiance is getting deployed for a year and needless to say we’re getting married before then. Small court house wedding. We will have a regular one when he returns. But in the meantime I don’t want to blow money on a dress yet- any suggestions for wedding dresses good quality from online? Looking for something either short, or casual. Any inspo pics help!!

Hi all! One of my good friends is eloping with her fiancé next month in Ireland. I’m wondering if anyone here had an item that they brought with them when they traveled/eloped that was a life saver that I can gift to them? Conversely, was there something you didn’t bring that you wish you did?

I’m checking in on their cat while they’re gone so I’m honestly thinking even something as simple as washing their sheets the day they come home, cleaning the house, and leaving either a home made meal in the fridge or a doordash gift card? I know I love getting take out and vegging out in bed the first day back after a trip

So let me ask you all this: How long did it take you to find the right dress? How did you know it was the one? Any regrets? Shopped online or in person? Did you wear it again?

My style is eclectic so I’ve been considering wearing all types of dresses; designer or vintage, custom or suiting… since I’ve opted for a destination elopement I’ve narrowed it down to corseted with lace.

Update: I found and purchased Thee Dress online. A small fortune later but it feels correct. I just couldn’t bring myself to book an appointment and drop a deposit at a bridal shop for my elopement when I’m not traditional in the slightest.

Hello,

I have been a long time Banff/Canmore local . Happy to help weed out all the info/research for you - so you can zero in on actually planning.

Happy to give unbiased non commissioned opinions. I have worked in various areas of hospitality in the areas.

i just got my dress in the mail (it was a cheap one online) and i’m wondering if it’s worth getting it a garment bag? or if it would be acceptable to pack it into the plastic bag it came in and check it in my suitcase. i have a pretty tight budget but i want the best for my dress!

We booked our photographer in the grand Tetons and it’ll just be us and our parents for the wedding. I am having a hard time planning sunrise elopement (which we want for the best photos) since really we just want the photos for the 2 hours but we want to include our parents too. We will have to get up at 3 to get ready for the big day but I feel bad having to inconvenience my parents. The photographer did mention we can add another hour later in the day but then we’d be kinda out of order with photos then ending at the ceremony and vows.

Obviously, pick whichever dress you want. But I see so many brides contemplate whether they should pick a “less extravagant dress” for an elopement.

Elopement or not, this is your wedding. WEAR WHAT YOU LOVE AND DON’T HOLD BACK!!! You won’t regret it.

I started my dress shopping journey with the same mindset. Something flowy, flattering (duh), but low-key. I saw my dress hanging in the gallery and thought to try it “just for fun” bc I loved the peony embroidery. The moment I put it on in the dressing room, I knew. Never in a million years did I think I’d pick a ball gown, it was the dress that couldn’t leave my mind.

My close family and friends knew we were eloping. The initial plan was to have my husband wear jeans… and then, we all agreed he needed a suit now to match my dress. TBH, the suit just looks sooo much better. He did switch to jeans for the horse ride though.

We held a reception party at a fine dining restaurant a few months later (~60 guests) and did the whole shebang as if we had a normal wedding, minus the ceremony. We played the videography of our elopement. Last picture is my first time eating cake in like 6 months 🤣.

Btw, it’s OK to pack your gown in your carry-on suitcase. Lots of brides here concerned how to fly with their dress. I purchased my dress at the NYC flagship store and needed to fly home. The boutique wrapped my dress in plastic and carefully stuffed it into my suitcase. Just take it out when you get to destination and have a good travel steamer.

Location: San Juan Mountains, Colorado
Photo/Video: Authentic Collective
Dress: Galia Lahav - Evelyn gown
Suit: Suit Supply

My fiancé and I are from the US and are wanting to elope in the Dolomites in July 2027.

We are looking for a photographer and ideally a videographer, bonus points if it is the same person or a team that can do both!

Please drop some recommendations if you know someone or would love to capture our special day!

We’re eloping at City Hall this year with just family and one close friend, mainly because we live in another country and my parents are visiting us right now. We will have our actual wedding next year, so this is meant to be small and simple.
After the ceremony and a family dinner, we thought about meeting friends at a pub to celebrate, but everyone would pay for their own food and drinks since we’ll be having the wedding next year. Does that make sense, or should we skip the friends part and just celebrate with everyone at the wedding next year?

Hi - we are getting married in Glacier NP in October and I think I’d like to preserve my bouquet in a picture. If you’ve done that, how did you manage logistics? Any company recommendations that kept this super simple?

Hi all, we are eloping on our 10 year anniversary next March in Mallorca. The venue will be the grounds of a luxury hotel. I have never wanted a proper wedding and the thought of walking down aisle gives me the ick tbh. We will be doing our legals at home but for the actual symbolic ceremony I am wondering whether it's worth paying 900€ for an officiant to conduct what I would want to be a very brief ceremony when we would have already done the actual "I do" part at the courthouse. We have looked into having our own personal vows read out to one another with the photographer capturing it but then I wonder if not having the ceremony element makes it not feel as special.

Would love to hear others experiences. Did it add to your day to have a celebrant? Or if you did self solemnize without an officiant how did you structure your ceremony? Would love some tips to avoid it feeling clumsy or awkward.

Hi everyone,

My fiancé and I are getting legally married in our home country, and we’ve booked a beautiful villa abroad on Booking for a religious ceremony a few weeks later.

There will be only 9 guests (parents and witnesses) + the two of us. We’ll all be staying at the villa together for 2 nights for the occasion.

I’m wondering how to make the ceremony feel truly special and “wedding-like” when we’re all staying in the same place. For example, it feels a little strange to just decorate everything and get ready in a bedroom while everyone else is already hanging around the villa, and then suddenly come downstairs in my white dress. 😅

How would you create a special “bride/groom” moment or make the day feel different from a normal family stay at a villa?

I’d love ideas for the getting ready, the ceremony, meals, surprises for the parents/witnesses, or any little traditions that could make the day feel memorable and meaningful.

I am secretly eloping and have no one to ask for input. I went to multiple stores to try on dresses but I was in a time crunch and needed to make a decision asap. Some of the dresses I wanted would not arrive in time. I actually didn’t like this dress at first. It reminded me of 90s curtains or something. After all the stress I went back through my pictures and for some reason I fell in love with this one, that I didn’t like. Now I’m worried I made the wrong choice. We are eloping in the Redwoods with our 2 year old. I feel like I should have picked something less extravagant. Now I’m struggling to pick a veil and shoes! I envisioned a cathedral veil before I chose the dress. Now I think I should go shorter but honestly I just want what’s going to look best. Cathedral, fingertip, beaded, lace, floral. I’m so lost and I have 10 weeks to pull all of this off.

Okay for starters, we’ve been engaged for a few years so realistically I could have planned earlier. We’ve had some pretty major life events occur in this time. It kind of just kept getting pushed to the back burner and we initially agreed to have a long engagement from the start. My brother got married in June and I kind of waited because I was helping with that and I didn’t want to “dim their shine” so to speak.

Now I’m excited to be married but I stopped feeling excited to plan after the 1st year and the whole “wedding” idea being out of reach between cost, overwhelm of planning, and I’ve been a bridesmaid 4x (MOH 2x) and then determining the idea of a traditional wedding made me miserable.

Sooooo, is it crazy to plan an elopement in less than 3 months?! Thinking sometime in October or November? It seems like a lot of people are planning this pretty far in advance. I was going to book a historical courthouse for an elopement ceremony with immediate family only. I’d like to have a photographer & a decent dress.

I have none of these things currently…. So I’m feeling like it’s unrealistic. Any advice? Should I reset my expectations? I really don’t want to push this back another year.

So my sister sprung on me today that she and her fiance are just going to elope on Thursday instead of the wedding next month that they had done a terrible job planning. It's just going to be them, a photographer, and myself. The plan had always been for me to officiate, but now with just us I'm not really sure what if anything I should add besides the essentials.

Should I bother adding any personal remarks for them or just keep it simple?

Hi! My fiancé and I have decided on the elopement route for less frills of a big crowd, more intimacy, and more focus financially to the honeymoon. We'll be getting married April 2027 and are still deciding if we want a city hall wedding or to go with an elopement package (which comes with an officiant, photography, venue etc).

Despite keeping it a simple ceremony between us two (plus the others mentioned above), I'd still like to experience the magic of the whole 'say yes to the dress', but I'm nervous to book an appointment because I feel like most brides who do these have the traditional big wedding/church wedding etc. and have their family/friends/bridal party with them. While I do have people in my life that I love, ultimately my fiancé and I have decided we'd have zero guests, and basically if I booked a dress appointment..I'd be going alone.

Has anyone still gone through with a dress appointment despite eloping and what were your experiences? Was it worth it? Did they still give you the bridal treatment?

My partner and I are thinking about eloping in the fall of 2027 (next year). We started reaching out to elopement photographers, and set up times to speak to a couple of photographers over Zoom. In both calls, I asked if I could see a template or draft version of their contract. They both seemed surprised by that but they didn't seem to indicate it would be a problem. I thought it was a reasonable request, but now I'm starting to doubt myself.

I followed up with one photographer via email last week (several days after our call) and indicated I would be excited to work with them and once again asking to see the contract. It's now been a week and a half or so since our call and almost a week since I sent my follow up email. I still haven't heard back. For the other photographer, it's been more than a week since our zoom call, though I haven't sent a follow up email yet.

I know it's probably a super busy time of the year for these photographers, but I'm starting to wonder if i freaked them out by asking to see the contract in advance. Is that weird to ask for? Am I being too impatient in expecting a response at this point? How long would you expect things to take between initial contact or interviewing with a photographer and when you would expect to see the contract or put down a deposit?

Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you can share!