Why Now is the Best Time for An Adventure Elopement
Let’s face it, 2020 weddings are having a tough moment.
Much like everything else in the world, weddings too have been canceled and rescheduled as a result of the Coronavirus global pandemic.
Of course, weddings will be back. The human will to prioritize love above all else is perhaps the most powerful tool in our arsenal toward recovery. But, how quickly can we all gather together to celebrate nuptials is an open-ended question. It may still be a little too soon to schedule large group events for a specific date in the future.
This doesn’t have to mean weddings get the whole year off. In fact, people have been wonderfully creative during the quarantine in order to celebrate matrimony, sans guests.
But, perhaps you and your partner are tired of the monotonous backdrop of your house. It hardly seems fitting for the most important day of your life. Fortunately, there is an alternative wedding option that will give your special day the epic feel it deserves—Adventure Elopements.
Maybe eloping was never even a thought in your mind, and your heart has been set on a huge ballroom wedding since you began scribbling about in your journal years ago. But, I encourage you to give eloping another thought. The concept may have a new allure to it now that a large wedding party is not an immediately viable option.
If having a small ceremony is the new norm, for now, consider commemorating that moment atop a windswept mountain, in a verdant valley, or amid the peaceful desert. There are a lot of reasons why an adventure elopement may be a great alternative to a canceled COVID-19 wedding.
Take a second look at your wedding day and ask yourself what is really important about the experience, and whether eloping may fulfill those needs? Feel free to reach out to me with any questions about whether an adventure elopement is right for you.
Why now might be the perfect time to elope:
Public lands and outdoor spaces are the first places to open back up
As the country slowly inches toward functioning in a new normal, its public outdoor spaces are some of the first locations to open back up to visitors. Though state and national park access differ from state to state, it is clear that governors are prioritizing opening up outdoor recreation first.
Not only do parks, forests, and public lands provide a necessary mental health respite from cabin fever, they also allow people to be outdoors while maintaining a safe distance from each other.
For adventurous elopers, this means your wedding venue is opening up for business!* Consider taking a hike through a nearby state or national park and scouting for lesser-visited trails or hikes. This will ensure your wedding maintains that intimacy and private appeal that adventure elopements can provide.
For now, try to stay local when visiting state and national parks. Explore the beauty in your home state for the time being.
*Always check a park’s regulations on holding ceremonies or photographing on property. Ask me about wedding friendly locales.
Elopements can happen now, while the main event remains scheduled for later
Eloping may never have been in your dream journal, but I hope you see it for all the beauty, fun, and awe it can offer to a wedding day. Still, if you can’t get your mind off an epic party, simply put a pin in that plan. Consider celebrating now with a small and meaningful ceremony (or simply an adventure photoshoot) while still keeping the big celebration on the calendar for the future.
Elopements can be low anxiety
Big weddings with multiple components (catering, flowers, the band!) are notorious for turning a beautiful bride into “Bridezilla.” With so many moving parts, the anxiety creeps up and sometimes ruins your day. Take away that stress by eloping. Submit to going with the flow of the day, rain or shine. After all, it’s one big adventure!
Let your elopement photographer guide the day by offering up ideas for games or photo ops that will make lasting memories and amazing photos you’ll want to share with friends and family.
Adventure elopements are cheaper than traditional weddings
Now is not the time to go into debt for a pricey wedding. Instead, sock away some of your wedding funds and spend a modest portion on an awesome elopement photographer.
Photographers can usually be booked at a flat rate for the entire day. Utilize that time by capturing you and your partner exploring epic landscapes together. After all, you don’t want to look back on this quarantine and think you had no fun. Amidst it all, you had your partner, and that’s something worth celebrating and remembering.
Adventure elopements are a way to celebrate without high contamination risk
There is still a lot that is uncertain about coronavirus, but scientists are confident in a few facts:
- It is difficult to spread the virus when people are six feet apart.
- It is difficult to contract the virus outdoors, as opposed to an indoor environment with recycled or shared air.
Adventure elopements, when done right, can be safe. Even with a few friends in attendance, the six feet rule is easier to abide by when outside. Additionally, gathering in wide-open spaces with fresh, circulating air is safer than holding ceremonies indoors, where breathing air is shared.
As always, consult with the CDC for the most up to date and accurate science on safe protocols for hindering the spread of the virus.
The heartbreak of having a canceled wedding due to COVID-19 is real. But remember, your partner is still there for you, forever and always amongst life’s ups and downs. That’s one hell of a thing to celebrate — the health of your partner and your relationship.
Even if the wedding has been put on the back burner, consider celebrating a love that has lived through a pandemic with an adventure photoshoot. Laugh, play, and make memories outside that you’ll show the family with pride for years to come.
