Eloping To Romantic Wedding Destinations
Often, choosing to elope is as simple as wanting to avoid the fuss surrounding a big wedding. If your wedding seems to be more for your family than for you, it might be wiser to elope. If it’s your second wedding and family members are unhappy about it – elope. It’s easier than arguing with them.
Elopement is also a way to spend all your wedding money on yourselves, rather than on a big wedding, or to get married much more cheaply while still having a really romantic wedding. You can run away to get married in a romantic spot, and then just stay there for your honeymoon.
Most people who’ve heard of eloping think immediately of Las Vegas or of running away to Tijuana, Mexico. You can do that, but those are far from your only options. If you plan well, you can elope to just about any destination. The key is preparation: make sure you understand how to get a marriage license where you’re headed, and pre-arrange for an officiant to marry you in a place of your choosing. Otherwise, treat it like a very special vacation.
Hawaii is a fantastic destination. Don’t go to Oahu if you’re getting married; instead, opt for Maui or Kauai, both islands that are much more lightly populated and enjoyable for newlyweds (Kauai in particular). There are incredible beaches, wonderful waterfalls, and lush green jungle; you’ll also find a large number of bed-and-breakfasts, so you’re assured a relaxing, uncrowded honeymoon.
The Carolina coast is growing increasingly popular as a wedding destination, and that goes double for elopements. Convenient to a large percentage of America’s population, you may find that driving out to North or South Carolina and marrying on the beach of one of the barrier islands, or in front of one of the antebellum homes in Charleston, is your ideal wedding. In addition, you’ll find that prices are reasonable there, making for a very cost-effective yet romantic honeymoon.
Key West, Florida, is as far south as you can get on the U.S. mainland, and it is just beautiful. The Caribbean influences here have led to a very laid-back population, and your options include getting married on a boat, and then cruising around the keys for a while.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is anything but tropical, but it has a charm of its own. With sailing boats moving in and out, a choice of sandy or rocky beach, and convenient access to cities, historical locations, and charming bed-and breakfasts, you’ll find that this haven for the wealthy makes for a remarkable runaway wedding.
Cabo, in Baja California, is a perfect elopement location that is also close to the United States. You’ll find remarkable geography, great snorkeling and kayaking, and a friendly population who are used to working with American tourists. If you elope to Cabo, you may want to get married on paper at your local courthouse and just have the ceremony in Mexico, for legal reasons.
There are dozens of other great places to elope to: Niagara Falls, New Orleans, Vancouver, or overseas in Tahiti, Ireland, or Greece – it’s really up to your personal preferences. What do the two of you love? Think about that before choosing where to elope to.
By: Nicole Nicholas
About the Author:
I’ve been pondering how to write some pages about eloping for my Romantic Minnesota website. Minnesota is not necessarily a destination that would come to mind when a couple thinks of eloping, however your article contains some great thoughts about the topic in general and will certainly help as I think more about what I might write. Thank you!
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I have read that Essex is another top destination place, but that is overseas. There’s plenty of places here in the U.S. to hold your wedding reception. My advice is to hold a smaller wedding and save your money for the honeymoon.
Yea Vegas is so overdone. I think you have to think of somewhere original so you have fond memories later in life.
I agree that Vegas is a little too cliche for an elopement. It doesn’t sound very romantic to go down to Vegas to get married by an Elvis impersonator or someone similar. Going somewhere more romantic is a good idea. Good point about the need to look into getting officially married at home if you plan on eloping in a foreign country.
hmmm, some reaaly nice destinations, but i think i like ireland the best
Expensive weddings are great, but honestly most of the people who attend won’t be part of that core group that sustains you in the difficult times. The two most important people will always be the husband and wife, so who better to spoil!
Getting married in Vegas is very un-lucky. It’s kind of like saying, “I want to do as little as possible with this marriage right from the beginning”.
Funny I read this post awhile back but couldn’t relate. Then while hiking in the Bamboo forest of southern Maui I spoke with a man who did this very thing. For the average price of an American wedding the happy couple could live in Maui, Europe, or Asia for an entire year. Not that you have to, but definitely food for thought!
Eloping is something I’ve really wanted to do but I am still scared on how my parents would react if I do so. My long time boyfriends for 7 years since I was in college is inviting me for a secret marriage in Hawaii however I refused on it. I don’t want my family to get mad at me. Anyways, the places you’ve mention are really nice places to go for a vacation. Thanks a lot.
I got married about 6 years ago and I remembering wanting to elope during the planning phase of the wedding. It was so expensive and involved so much planning that eloping sounded so much easier. I can now relate to why people do it, especially in some of the destinations mentioned in this post.
…and where is Croatia in this article? That the most romantic place on the earth.
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I’m really filled with mixed feelings to see this information in a blog, I’ve alrways been having it on my mind of a crazy idea that when my wedding would be fixed, just 2-3 days before we’ll elope and surprise everyone and then return after a few days. It’ll be romantic and mischievous, both
There’s plenty of places to hold wedding reception. I’d like to have a small and intimate wedding and save money for a romantic honeymoon.
Interesting post. I usually think of eloping as a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. I guess if someone is planning it though, then this is a great suggestion!
A ruise at Greek islands would be great for a honeymoon! I see cruise bots embarking to the port of Mykonos island and see couples in love taking a walk on the island, and also having stops at Santorini which has breathtaking sunset views, Milos, Paros and other Greek islands..