COVID Elopements

It's another great Wedding Wednesday, and this week, we are talking all about COVID elopements! There are many types of COVID weddings, including some newly invented ones. But elopements are probably the most familiar and straightforward option to everyone planning a wedding right now. We will talk about other types of small weddings next week, including all the differences between elopements and things like microweddings and minimonies. In the wake of 2020, weddings have been reinvented to comply with efforts to keep everyone safe and healthy. We have seen some new, exciting ways to elope, and we'd love to share some of our amazing successes from this past year. Let's dig in!

ELOPEMENTS

Elopements and various types of “small weddings” have both become super popular in Seattle during the past year. But elopements represent the smallest of small weddings: just you, your partner, an officiant, and perhaps a handful of close friends and family. An elopement typically involves fewer than 10 people, including the officiant. Traditionally, an elopement has had cultural connotations of “running away” to get married. Couples eloped to escape the pressure of a traditional wedding or familial expectations. In our popular culture, elopements almost always require some element of travel to accomplish this.

However, in COVID times, elopements are getting a much-needed makeover. Eloping has become a fresh, new way to wed with your closest loved ones in the most intimate settings. And an elopement is the perfect COVID wedding option for Seattle because you don’t have to go very far to find a gorgeous backdrop! You can elope in an amazing Seattle park, backyard, or right in front of the Pike Place Market sign if you want. The courthouse downtown has also been a popular, modern option lately. And some couples have chosen to make it an adventure, by eloping in the mountains. (You can see the stunning photos from one of our clients last summer above!) All of these COVID elopement options are wonderful ways to still get married during COVID!

Benefits of elopements

COVID elopements also have a ton of benefits because they are so small and nimble. Here are some of the biggest bonuses:

• Planning: Having a small group of people to wrangle means way less planning. You only need to figure out everything for 3-10 people!
• Location: Smaller groups allow more flexibility in location, from literal mountain tops around Seattle, to fields of autumnal grasses. And if the weather turns, as it often does, you can change your plans at the last moment.
  
• Safety: Elopements may be one of the safest options for reducing your exposure to COVID, simply due to their size. You and your small elopement wedding party may only have 2-3 households mixing at one time. And asking 5 people to quarantine prior to the wedding seems pretty reasonable, compared to “small” weddings with 30 people.
• Experience: Elopements allow you to do activities with your wedding party that you can’t do with other types of COVID weddings in Seattle. With only a few people, you can rent a house together, dine outside together, or go wine tasting together.
• Budget: Elopements can be an amazing way to make the most of your wedding budget. With only a handful of people to dress, flower, wine, and dine, you can spend way more on the extras to give your little group an amazing experience. In 2020 we’ve seen custom gifting, super luscious florals, and atmospheric décor that would be difficult to pull off otherwise! And we love it!

Elopements are awesome, but they may create more heartache if you or your family value having many folks present for the actual wedding ceremony. In that scenario, having a small wedding where everyone can attend the ceremony will be the less stressful option 🙂

If you have other questions about COVID elopements, or other ways we can help, let us know in the comments below! And we would love for you to share this free resource with others - we hope it helps!