What is an elopement? What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of eloping?
Picture this: you wake up on your wedding day and you feel excited, calm, and freaking ready to get married to your partner. There’s no stress, no pressure, and no rushing. You start your day grounding & connecting with your person. Maybe you choose to have a handful of the people you love most with you, maybe you don’t! Either way, you both are ready to spend the day celebrating each other in a way that feels totally you.
THIS is eloping!! It’s a wedding day built on intention, adventure, connection outside in nature. It’s blending all the things that make you, well, you!
What Is The Meaning of Eloping?
For a long time, eloping was seen as running away to secretly get married, often in a courthouse or Vegas chapel. But today, eloping isn’t about secrecy. It’s about freedom. Freedom from expectations, guest lists, and traditions that don’t feel like you. It’s about choosing a wedding day that feels like home, where the focus is on your love and the experience you want to create together!
What It Means to Get Eloped in 2025
An elopement is an intimate wedding experience with your partner, where your wedding day is all about your love story. The pressure of making sure every little detail is gone, there is no spotlight, and you get to share this intimate moment with your soulmate. There’s no expectations or limitations to what your wedding day can entail.
It literally doesn’t matter where you elope, what you wear, or who is there. What matters is that you create an elopement experience that makes you and your partner happy and that focuses on the two of you. It can be as big and grand as you wish, or it can be as small and low-key as you wish. There’s no rules when it comes to planning your experience.
The only that matters is that you and your soulmate are making a promise to love each other and that your wedding day is all about the two of you. There’s no getting caught up in the latest wedding trends you saw in a bridal magazine, or focusing on what your family members want you to do.
Even the Merriam-Webster dictionary has put a little “what to know” about the word elope:
“Elope’s meaning is shifting towards “a small destination wedding” whereas it used to mean “to run away and secretly get married,” and before that “for a married woman to run away with a new lover,” and even before that it just meant “to escape or run away” without the romantic context.Elope’s meaning is shifting towards “a small destination wedding” whereas it used to mean “to run away and secretly get married,” and before that “for a married woman to run away with a new lover,” and even before that it just meant “to escape or run away” without the romantic context.”
What Does an Elopement Look like?
Every elopement experience is unique because it’s crafted for you, by you. There’s no rulebook, no one-size-fits-all plan. Your day might look like:
- Getting ready together in the morning
- Wandering hand-in-hand through a mossy Icelandic canyon
- Renting a cozy Airbnb with epic views and celebrating with your closest people
- Taking a canoe or kayaks out at sunset
- Celebrating with your loved ones over a bonfire
- Chasing the northern lights
Whether it’s just the two of you or a small circle of loved ones, an elopement is about connection to each other, to nature, and to the meaning behind your wedding day.
Looking for more elopement inspiration and wondering what your elopement could look like? Check out these elopement stories:
- Laura & Hugo’s Kvernufoss Iceland Elopement
- Melissa & Seth’s Two Harbors MN Elopement
- Gretchen and Dan’s Interstate State Park WI Elopement
- Kayla & Bennett’s Tofte MN Elopement
- Ariel & Ben’s Bayfield WI Elopement
Elopement vs. Intimate Wedding vs. Micro Wedding
You might be wondering how is an elopement different from an intimate wedding or a micro wedding? While all three are smaller, more personal celebrations, there are some differences:
- Elopement – Focused solely on the couple, often in an outdoor or adventurous setting, with little to no guests.
- Intimate Wedding – A small wedding with a select group of guests, often incorporating more traditional elements while keeping the focus on connection. (10-20 guests or so)
- Micro Wedding – A tiny wedding with fewer than 50 guests, blending elements of both traditional weddings and elopements, but still centered on a more intimate experience.
It ultimately comes down to what resonates most with you.
You deserve to celebrate your love story in any way that you desire.
I believe with all my heart that couples should have the freedom to express and celebrate their love story, exactly the way they want! It doesn’t matter if that means you want to take a trip to Italy and elope in Positano or if you want to take a weekend trip to Madeline Island and elope there with your closest friends and family members then kayak at sunset.
The beautiful thing about eloping is that you and your partner are the only ones that can decide what your day will look like. Are you going to get ready together or will you do a first look? What kind of activities do you both love to do together? What scenery speaks to your soul?
Why Couples Choose to Elope
Eloping isn’t about skipping the “big wedding” just for the sake of it. It’s about intentionally choosing a day that feels meaningful. Couples who elope often do so because they:
- Want a stress-free, no-rush, deeply personal wedding day experience
- Value experiences over material things
- Feel more connected in nature than in a traditional wedding venue
- Want to focus on each other, rather than planning a big party for everyone else
Why Eloping Is The Ultimate Luxury
A luxury wedding experience isn’t about the biggest venue or most extravagant guest list – it’s about how your day feels.
A luxury elopement experience is:
- Having the space to be fully present with each other, without a packed timeline or a hundred guests pulling you in different directions.
- Ditching expectations and traditions that don’t feel right and replacing them with moments & experiences that do.
- Investing in experiences over things because memories last longer than table centerpieces.
Luxury doesn’t have to mean fancy dinner plates and big floral design pieces! It means richness in experience. Instead of a venue, you get to be outside where you feel most grounded and at home. Instead of a tight schedule, you get a full day (or multiple days!) of adventure and spontaneity! Instead of orchestrating a wedding for others, you’re designing one for you.
Is Eloping Right for You?
If you’re dreaming of a wedding day that feels natural, deeply you, and full of meaningful moments, eloping might be exactly what you’re looking for. Whether it’s an adventurous trek or a peaceful lakeside ceremony, your elopement should feel like a love letter to your relationship filled with intention, connection, and joy.
How Do We Tell People We’re Eloping?
One of the biggest questions couples have is “How do we tell our family and friends?” Whether you’re worried about hurt feelings or just want to share the news in the most meaningful way, there are plenty of ways to do it with love and excitement.
- Tell them in person (or on a video call!) – Sharing your decision face-to-face allows you to explain why eloping is the perfect choice for you.
- Write a heartfelt letter or email – If you’re struggling with the words, putting your thoughts on paper can be a great way to express your excitement and intentions.
- Throw a post-elopement celebration – Just because you’re eloping doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with loved ones later!
- Make an announcement after your elopement – Surprise! You’re married! Whether it’s a heartfelt social media post or a custom announcement card, you can share the joy your way.
Want more ideas on how to tell your loved ones you’re eloping? Check out my full guide on How to Tell Your Family You’re Eloping!
Ready To Start Planning Your Elopement but Feeling Overwhelmed?
That’s where I come in!! I’ve been an elopement photographer for 7+ years and have helped plan & document 55+ elopements which means I have expert knowledge in all things eloping! I specialize in helping couples plan their dream elopement experience (I help with basically everything when it comes to planning!) while documenting their adventure in the most authentic, true to life way possible.
Want to learn more about what it’s like working with me as your elopement planner and photographer?
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your elopement photographer
HEYY HEYY!! I'm Sam, your elopement photographer and experience creator based out of Minnesota!! You can also find me on a flight somewhere, swimming in the ocean pretending I'm a siren, screaming my heart out at concerts, or reading some smutty enemiesy to lovers romance books!!
