How to Announce an Elopement: 11 Tips for Telling family & Friends
I see it all the time: a couple gets engaged and quickly decides to elope. Whether they’ve always dreamt of taking breathtaking photos in their wedding garb somewhere in the forest or mountains or they simply don’t want the stress and expense of planning a ceremony, reception, rehearsal dinner, and all the other things, they know without a doubt that a traditional wedding simply isn’t for them.
The decision to elope was an easy one. Now, though, the happy couple is faced with the not-so-easy task of deciding how to announce an elopement to all their family and friends.
Believe me, I know it can be a bit scary, but it’s not nearly as bad as you think! With a few suggestions and some thoughtful planning, announcing your elopement can actually be a lot of fun. Come on, I’ll show you what I mean!
Timing is Everything
So you know you’re going to announce your elopement, but when? This is extremely subjective, as every couple will have vastly different perspectives on when the “right” time is.
Some couples announce their elopement beforehand, usually because they want to include their loved ones in the planning or even the actual wedding day. For varying reasons, other couples choose to wait until after they’ve eloped. The great news here is that there really is no one right way to do it!
The Sooner, the Better
Whether you decide to announce your elopement before or after the fact, sooner really is better. It’s perfectly fine to wait until after you’re officially married, but tell everyone as soon as possible afterward. This will minimize hurt feelings and show people that you’re genuinely excited and happy with your decision.
Face to Face
To eliminate the potential for any miscommunication, misunderstanding, or wounded feelings, deliver your big news in a face-to-face conversation (or at the very least, over FaceTime). You can’t please everyone, and there will almost certainly be at least one person who’s less than thrilled, but you can smooth things over as much as possible by taking the time to tell your loved ones about your elopement face-to-face.
Speak From the Heart
You’re bound to have some skeptics in your inner circle, regardless of your reasons for eloping. Some people may disagree with your reasoning and others may flat-out tell you that eloping is selfish. By the way, it isn’t!
It often helps when you share your “why” with family and friends.
People can easily jump to conclusions about why you’re eloping, but they may not realize perhaps you two have your heart set on getting married on the trail where you first hiked together or that you’d rather put would-be wedding funds toward your first home. Sharing your personal reasons for eloping can help loved ones see things from a different perspective.
Lead With Excitement
Remember in Number 2 when I said that if you figure out how to announce an elopement sooner rather than later, it shows others you’re genuinely happy? Some people, unfortunately, have negative reactions when they learn a loved one is eloping. Being confident in your decision and announcing it with genuine excitement and happiness from the beginning can go a very long way in quashing that type of negativity or skepticism.
Send Announcements
Some couples send out really fun “Surprise, we eloped!” types of announcements like THESE, similar to save-the-date cards for traditional weddings. This is a great option, particularly for elopements where it’s just the couple with no guests in attendance. Once people see your breathtaking elopement photos, they’ll probably be a little more understanding about why you wanted to do it!
Share Planning Details
When you’re thinking about how to announce an elopement to loved ones, another great idea is to fill them in on some of your plans. Better yet, ask for people’s help deciding between two dresses or for feedback on things like what type of shoes you should wear. This works well whether you’re inviting guests or not. After all, everyone likes to feel included!
Keep Them Involved
Going hand in hand with Number 7 above, fill your family and friends in as you make decisions. Let everyone know which shoes you ultimately decided on and keep people in the loop about details like whether your ceremony photos will be at sunrise or sunset and where you decided to stay for your wedding night. This strategy helps even the most skeptical people warm up to the idea of eloping.
Share Your Photos
I may be a little biased, but this is one of my favorite aspects of how to announce an elopement! Regardless of whether or not you invite guests, sharing a few fave photos of your elopement is a wonderful way to announce the happy news to the world — that you’re officially a married couple!
Throw a Party
It’s a fairly common misconception that just because a couple bucks tradition to elope, means they don’t want to include any traditions in their wedding. That simply isn’t true! Whether you call it a reception or just a good ol’ fashioned party, celebrating a newly-eloped couple (or one who’s about to elope!) is one of the best ways to get everyone excited about it. You could even announce your elopement during the party for a huge surprise!
Stand Firm
Believe me, I know it can feel a bit intimidating to think about how to announce an elopement, especially if there are people in your circle you know won’t be over the moon about it. Take a deep breath and remember why you chose to elope in the first place: because you want to honor your love for one another in a unique, memorable, and true-to-you fashion. Keeping that in mind, give yourselves permission to shout your elopement news from the rooftops!
Whether you’ve already started telling people about your plans or you’re still deciding how to announce an elopement, I want to extend a personal congratulations — this is such an exciting time! I’d love to hear more about your vision for your wedding, so let’s schedule a time to chat soon!
