There are three main reasons why you are probably reading this blog post today: 1) You've been hearing about this 'eloping' or 'elopement' term and you want to know more. 2) You've been planning a big wedding and it's overwhelming and everyone in the family is bombarding you with ideas for your day and what you should or shouldn't have included. 3) Or you've been dreaming of a simple, easy, stress-free way to marry your best friend that truly authentically reflects your relationship and why you're getting married in the first place.
A little about me: Hi, I'm Chaznel, local North Canterbury based Elopement Photographer. I love dogs, plants, caramel lattes, turkish delight, and making memories with my camera that people can enjoy for generations to come. I have been photographing Elopements specifically since April 2022 and I have loved every single adventure I have been on so far. When it comes to elopements I absolutely love the intimacy, stress-free and total adventure it offers to couples. I love that each and every elopement looks different but portrays the couples getting married perfectly.
I wanted to write this blog to explain a few reasons as to why I would recommend Eloping and hopefully this gives you a clearer idea as to whether this is the right option for you and the love of your life!
My top 5 reasons as to why you should elope:
An Intimate Day - Eloping gives you so much freedom in how you plan it, and it's so easy to keep and elopement feeling intimate, cosy, and authentic to who you are as a couple. Whether you choose to elope on your own or have a couple of friends and family there... the choice is yours.
Budget Friendly - Now I'm not going to say that eloping is 100% budget friendly because if you're dreaming of a fun adventure that lasts a few hours and travels around then it's going to start adding up, but eloping offers a much larger range of budget friendly options. Whether you decide to keep it short and sweet with an hour in and out, or whether you plan it to be a 10 hour or day filled with activities and sight seeing, you can keep an elopement to a budget that works for you as a couple without having to break the bank and feed uncle Bob and auntie Sally with their five kids and grandkids. The day is planned around YOU as a COUPLE... not around budgeting to keep everyone else happy.
You Want Adventure - Eloping is an adventure in itself by breaking the traditions of norm and marrying your best friend how, when, and where you want. You have the freedom to then add on a few activities or sights to see during your day making it an EXPERIENCE you'll never forget... think outside the box, jump in a gondola and go up the Port Hills or, drive down to Mt. Cook and enjoy the views, or slide into a local Pizzeria and have a romantic lunch with a Margherita Pizza or two - skies the limit when it comes to what you can plan for your elopement day, because reality is, you don't have a reception full of guests waiting for you to rush back to (unless you want that then you can plan that too). What I'm getting at is that the day is planned around what makes YOU happy, not everyone else.
Valid Reason to Say No to Uncle Bob and Auntie Sally - This is probably by far one of the TOP final nails in the coffin when it comes to choosing between Eloping and a Big Wedding... Guest numbers these days for big weddings can get out of hand so quickly when you start to go off in a trial of family. You start to notice that by inviting this auntie you have to invite that cousin and then that other uncle that you saw last when you were ten and then the list grows and grows and before you know it you have 200 guests on your list and that's just on the bride's side... no thank you. Eloping is the BEST excuse to use to say no to all those uncle Bob's and auntie Sally's because standard guest numbers for eloping is under 20 - really limiting you to choose carefully who you really want to have as part of your special day. But it also gives you a very valid reason if you want the day just to be you and your love, to then not invite anyone at all. It's not selfish, it's choosing YOUR RELATIONSHIP and YOUR DREAM DAY over what other's want for you.
Plan The Day How You Want It - I know I've touched on this reason a couple of times now but I really can't stress this enough. I see so many brides regret their wedding day years afterwards when they realise that nothing on their day was how they wanted it, they gave in to the mother-in-laws or the older sisters who knew best. They didn't get to choose the vendors because mum and dad were paying or they had to invite 300 guests so no one was offended for not being invited. We live in a society that tells us that we have to plan a big wedding or did it really happen? We have to have the biggest and the best. But it's not true. It's YOUR day, not theirs... they've probably either already had their day and it wasn't how they wanted it or they are still waiting for their day in which case they need to wait longer and leave you be! Plan the DAY HOW YOU WANT IT - NOT HOW EVERYONE ELSE WANTS IT. Because remember - YOU are the one getting married, not them. This is supposed to be the BEST DAY of YOUR LIFE, not theirs.
And because I always have lot's to say I have a bonus fun reason as to why eloping could be just right for you:
REASON 6. Get Married Anywhere in NZ - We are lucky in New Zealand that we don't often have to pay for permits to get married in beautiful spots and New Zealand really does have the most beautiful landscapes open to us. So make use of that. If you want to get married next to a waterfall, do it, if you want to get married in a field of sunflowers, do it, if you want to get married next to a light house, do it. Plan it how you want - and if you're not sure if your chosen location is open to free use for eloping then jump onto the local council websites which will tell you if it is or not!
Seriously if you've been thinking of eloping and you've read this feeling more excited about going ahead then I encourage you to jump and plan your elopement. And if you're looking for a FUN, BUBBLY, and FRIENDLY elopement photographer then pop me message - I love helping plan elopements and getting creative with activities!
LET THE FUN BEGIN!
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