Can You Elope and Have A Wedding Later?
Here’s the thing about elopements…one of the major “rules” is that there are actually no rules! You get to decide how to announce your elopement (or if you announce it at all!), what to do after eloping, and whether or not you want to have a bachelorette or bachelor party.
A huge part of the reason you decided to elope (or are considering eloping) is probably because you wanted to do things your way and buck tradition, right? With that in mind, the short and sweet answer is YES, you can absolutely elope and then have a more formal or traditional “wedding” later — whatever that may look like to you!
Reasons to elope now and have a reception later
Maybe you’ve already decided to elope. Perhaps you’re still on the fence, and one of the biggest things keeping you from making the final decision is that you’ve always dreamed of a festive post-wedding reception. Well good news: you can 100% have both. And again, there are no hard-and-fast rules, so you can elope as soon as you’re ready, then have your reception down the road — whether that be a month or a year (or more!).
Here are just a handful of the reasons you may want to elope now and have a wedding reception later.
1. You get an intimate and authentic day with your partner
In my personal opinion, after shooting so many elopements, all extremely different, this is one of the most meaningful reasons to elope and then have a wedding at a future date. There are, of course, exceptions, but many couples look back on their traditional wedding day and describe it as “a blur.” There’s so much going on and so many people to talk to (including, often, people they hardly know!) that the newlyweds hardly find a spare moment to connect.
Eloping solves that problem completely, giving you a 100% authentic, just-the-two-of-you wedding day that you’ll remember forever. The “wedding” later? You’ll look back on that as more of a celebration or party, but the important date will always be just for the two of you, exactly how you envisioned it.
2. No waiting
While plenty of people spend months planning their elopement, you certainly don’t have to (remember the whole no rules thing?). In fact, I’ve shot more than one elopement within a week of signing the contract! The only things truly needed for it to count as an elopement are the two of you, a great photographer (that’s me!), an epic location, and a sense of adventure.
3. No pressure & no drama
One of the benefits of having a true elopement for just the two of you is that you get to eliminate all the “noise” of pressure and other people’s opinions. You don’t have to worry about inviting your parents’ friends, where to seat those two cousins who had a still-unresolved conflict years ago, or whether your guests will like the venue you picked. Including family and friends in your elopement is tricky!
I’m not saying you won’t still have to navigate that for your reception later on, but at least that’s more of a party and not your actual wedding!
4. Spread out the cost
Finances tend to be somewhat of a hush-hush topic of conversation, but let’s be honest: weddings, elopements or otherwise, are expensive. This is true whether you’re eloping in the desert somewhere with nothing but your partner and photographer or you’re hosting a lavish affair for 100 guests.
If you choose to elope sooner rather than later and have a wedding reception at some future date, you can stagger those expenses and make both events a lot more manageable.
5. A reason to wear your wedding attire a second time!
I’ve always thought it’s a bit tragic that we don’t have more occasions to wear wedding attire, especially dresses. Of course, you technically could, but the reality is that most people don’t (and won’t) for sentimental reasons. Eloping and later having a wedding reception allows you to don those fancy clothes at least twice, though!
6. Extend your wedding celebrations
Whoever said that a wedding should only be celebrated once? Since you’re already going the non-traditional route by eloping, why not throw a reception later and celebrate twice?! This also allows people to celebrate you as a true newlywed couple, rather than as an engaged couple.
7. You still get to party with the people you love
As I said a bit earlier, this is one of the biggest reasons I see people worried about fully committing to eloping. They (understandably!) want to celebrate with friends and family, but also don’t want all the stress that comes along with that, or feel drawn to the idea of their wedding day being just them and their about-to-be spouse. Eloping and having a wedding allows you to have the best of both worlds, making memories both with one another and with loved ones!
How to plan an elopement
Okay, so you’ve decided to elope. You’re doing the damn thing! Or…you think so, anyway. The next big question is, how do you actually go about planning an elopement, with or without loved ones involved? You’re in luck; this is my specialty!
5 stages of elopement planning
DREAM + BRAINSTORM
The first step of planning your elopement is to dream up the most epic day — thinking only about what the two of you want. Do you want to travel? What type of landscape do you have in mind, and how about the time of year? What is the overall feel you want?
RESEARCH + LOGISTICS
Start making your elopement dreams come true by doing research and determining what's realistic and possible. Contacting an experienced elopement photographer at this stage can be really helpful. They can help immensely in the planning process, with everything from permit requirements to location advice and even what to wear.
MAKE CHOICES + START BOOKING
Start contacting and securing all of the vendors you want to be a part of your elopement day. Book your lodging and arrange any necessary transportation. You might be surprised at how far in advance some of these logistics book up, especially in small towns or remote areas, so check these bigger items off the list as soon as possible!
FINALIZE DETAILS + GET READY
Finalize details with all of your vendors, create a timeline with the help of your photographer, plan your activities based on how you want to spend your day, and purchase your wedding attire if you haven’t already.
BE PRESENT + ENJOY!
Allow the outside world to fall away and immerse yourself in each other and your elopement day. This day is solely for the two of you — enjoy it fully!
Tips on how to plan a reception after eloping
You know how to go about planning your elopement, but what about the wedding reception later? Like anything else, breaking it down into actionable steps is super helpful!
Set a budget for your reception before booking anything. It is extremely easy to go (waaaay) over budget when you’re planning a larger event like this, so have a very black-and-white idea of what your budget is before committing to anything.
Talk to your guests who matter most to determine a date that will work for them. Since you’re already having an elopement for yourselves, it’s a good idea to make sure your most important inner circle will be able to attend your reception.
Decide on your guest list. Whether you want a big blow-out party with every single one of your friends and family members or you want to keep it small, this is something you should decide on from the outset.
Book your venue. The venue, regardless of size or type, will likely be one of the largest portions of your budget. It will also set the mood for your reception, so book it first to secure your desired date and then start planning other details.
Pick the activities you absolutely want to include in your reception. Do you want traditional bride and groom activities like cutting cake together or doing a bouquet toss? Or do you prefer a casual hangout with cornhole and giant Jenga?
Decide on your menu. Food will be another large portion of your budget, so decide how you’ll serve your guests. A three-course meal served by waitstaff? A fun pizza buffet? Or maybe Uncle Joe is a master on the grill and you just want to have a classic backyard BBQ!
Get your invitations and RSVPs out no later than one month ahead of the event so guests can plan accordingly. You can opt to send these through the mail or via email or text, or you could even create a Facebook event!
Decide what kind of decorations, if any, you want at your venue. Do you need to hire other vendors (i.e.; a florist or furniture rental company)? Do you want to display photos from your elopement at the venue to show your guests?
Finally (and most importantly!), make sure to truly enjoy your celebration! Use this time to show your guests how much eloping meant to the two of you and how grateful you are to celebrate with them now!
Regardless of where you are in the elopement planning stage, and whatever type of elopement you have in mind, I’d love the opportunity to chat with you! Contact me today and we’ll set up a time to talk, when I can answer all your questions and offer my perspective and expertise. Reception or not, congratulations and I look forward to chatting soon!
