Photo Credit: Flora and Grace

Couples who are planning their wedding these days have been in a uniquely challenging situation. They’ve experienced far too many ‘change of plans’ than any couple has ever gone through in wedding planning. That’s all because of the global pandemic that we’re experiencing across the world right now.

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of pretty much everything – all industries, all businesses, and basically, all aspects of human life. However, just like what human beings have been able to do throughout history, we are learning to cope with the changes. We are adaptable creatures who can think of ways to overcome the challenges of our new environment. Couples who are planning their weddings are no exception. 

Photo Credit: Paolo Ceritano

There are brides- and grooms-to-be who decided to just elope without a single guest, so that they can get married without further delay. Some of them have chosen to elope to Europe and totally cancel their original plan for a big wedding while some just postponed the big wedding and went for an elopement in the meantime. 

Here are the reasons why an elopement seems to be the most logical option for every couple these days.

A small guest list is perfect for the pandemic

Photo Credit: [K] Photography

Elopement literally means running off to secretly get married. At least, that was what it meant back in the old times, but now, an elopement ceremony does not necessarily mean getting hitched in a faraway place to escape the public’s prying eyes. 

A 21st-century elopement is more of an intimate celebration with a very small guest list ranging from ten to none. It’s a small event with the main goal of having a stress-free celebration with only the couple’s favorite people present. Now that there are restrictions on the size of gatherings in almost all parts of the world, it makes sense to have an elopement celebration. The fewer the guests, the better!

You can do it now!

Earlier, we talked about couples having to postpone their original wedding plans because of the sudden ban in parties and mass gatherings. The beauty with elopements is that even with the current COVID-19 restrictions, you don’t have to delay your wedding. An elopement is not a mass gathering after all! It’s just an intimate celebration with a small number of guests. And in some cases, no guest at all. 

Photo Credit: [K] Photography

Even if you have to cancel your original plan for a big wedding, you can have an elopement ceremony right now without any guest and just celebrate with your friends and family when the restrictions are lifted.

In fact, you can even opt to get married in your dream destination like an elopement in Europe! You can use the money that you’ll save from the cancellation of your big wedding to flight tickets to a beautiful European destination! Let’s talk more about destination elopements below.

Photo Credit: In Love with a Wolf

It’s a chance to get married in your dream destination

Have you always dreamed of getting married along the French Riviera? Perhaps in one of the historic ruins in Ireland? In the middle of the lavender fields in Provence, France? Or in one of the venues that line up along the scenic coastline of Portugal? 

If your answer is “Yes!” then let us give you a different perspective. Now that huge gatherings are not permitted, you are most likely not expected to invite anyone for your wedding. Therefore, you can save a lot of money that was supposed to be spent on guest-related expenses like a big venue, reception food, transportation arrangements, and all those big-ticket expense items for a hundred guests or more. 

Now is the chance to focus on what you and your loved one really wants! Your hands are not tied to the usual wedding expenses of a traditional wedding or by the “obligation” to invite certain people. Finally, your wedding will truly be all about the two of you. Grab this opportunity and elope to a scenic destination that you’ve always dreamed of! Who knows? You may never get a chance like this again.

Photo Credit: Pawel Bebenca Photography

Last-minute changes are okay to make

One thing that we’ve all learned in the past couple of months is that things can change in a snap of a finger. No matter how long you’ve prepared for your wedding, there are just things that are out of your control. And they might require you to make major adjustments on your original plan. 

That’s the very reason why it makes sense to elope these days. With a small and intimate elopement ceremony, the only people who will be affected by any last-minute changes would be the two of you. If you’re planning to invite a handful of guests who are closest to you, it will be easy to explain to them if ever you need to make last-minute changes.

If you’re planning to have a destination elopement in Europe and there’s a sudden change in travel restrictions, you can postpone the wedding without creating too much hassle. In fact, because of the COVID-19 situation, there are wedding planning agencies that offer no-cost postponement options and other considerate terms and conditions for couples booking their services.

Bio: This blog post was contributed by the team at Peach Perfect Weddings, a boutique wedding planning agency that provides tailored packages for elopements, vow renewals and intimate weddings for couples who want to get married in Europe.