I don’t think there is an individual who’s gone through the process of planning their wedding who hasn’t contemplated the question “should we have a local wedding with friends and family or should we elope?”
Today’s wedding can be complicated and overwhelming. The attraction towards simplifying is natural. Ironically as we evolve, the barriers that define these two types of wedding seem to dissolve.
Many people have decided to scale back on their local wedding while others have decided to throw a larger destination wedding. Both of these examples are combinations derived from Weddings and Elopements.
So here are the facts as I see them. There are many elements of both that will be the same. The amount of planning that needs to go into a 12 person wedding versus a 150 person wedding can be very similar. Both weddings will require means for a ceremony and some type of reception to follow. Therefore in both cases you will be dealing with things like officiant, flowers and food, to name a few.
The primary difference is in the overall feeling that the wedding will have by the sum of its components and how this can affect your budget. Keep in mind this is your wedding and therefore your emotional connection to it can affect your clarity. The best way for me to deal with my emotional decisions is to make a plan and look at the pros and cons. When I’m assembling the plans, I try to be as complete as possible so that I’m able to have a fair comparison. Think about the details such as invitations and menus. What would be the ideal food and beverage budget fitting your wedding? Try not to just find a location – get an estimate that suits all of your requirements. Don’t forget to factor in service fees, taxes and gratuity as it all can quickly add up.
For Elopements, look specifically at travel and lodging. With both plans in front of you. you will then be able to see how best to achieve your overall expectations. In some cases the cost involved for the travel and honeymoon outweigh the additional guests with a local wedding. Look at this portion as practically as possible – detach yourself from it. Remember it’s just a plan and nothing is set in stone. You are just trying to balance out the scales so that you have a true comparison.
With the scales balanced now comes the fun part. Envision your dream, practicality will be in your subconscious as your emotions run through the creating of your magical memory. Typically when I do this, there is a clear winner. With peace of mind of your decision you can proceed forward knowing you have evaluated your options thoroughly. As an extra effort, you can view some of the obstacles from the plan you chose and see if there is a way for them to be overcome. For example, one of the most common obstacles with an elopement is that friends and family will be left behind, so for this you might want to consider live casting your wedding. Live cast is technology that allows you to invite your community to share your wedding, by watching it live remotely through the web. This is one of many options to help overcome obstacles. Whether or not all obstacles are resolved is not important. What is most important is to stay true to who you are and work within parameters that are right for you and your fiancé. By following this, as the saying goes, we all can have our cake and eat it too!!
Love life and live it through the true beautiful you!!
Tom
