Congratulations your Engaged!  And you’ve starting planning your Wedding Day.  It’s a really exciting time. There are so many things to decide on and of course, you want to get everything just right.  After all, you only get one shot at this – right?

Alternative Wedding Ideas

The first thing you have to decide is what type of Wedding Day you want. And it isn’t easy because there are SO MANY possibilities. Well, sit back and relax, I’m going to give you some great alternative wedding ideas which are just perfect for fun loving, boho couples like you.

Boho Wedding

Now, I’m assuming that as you’ve found your way here, you’re a pretty open-minded boho couple who’re looking for some original wedding ideas.  Am I right in thinking that a non traditional wedding really appeals to you?  Perhaps you’d love to have a Bohemian Wedding with an outside ceremony.  Something very special with no rules and regulations to stick to.

Romantic Elopement

You’ve probably heard about Romantic Elopement Weddings and  seen lots of pretty amazing images of eloping couples.  And now you’re asking yourselves is an Elopement Wedding right for us?  I can tell you that there are lots of different reasons that couples like you choose to have an elopement instead of a traditional wedding.⁠  You’re all individuals and you’ll have your own special reasons for wanting to elope. ⁠

Let’s take a closer look at those reasons.

Life’s an adventure

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Are you an outdoorsy couple who are always looking for new adventures?  Do you love to have new experiences,  explore new places and  always open to new ideas?  Maybe you’re hikers. cyclers, hill-walkers, wild swimmers, paddle boarders, explorers, a couple who don’t like to spend all their weekends in the local pub.

Epic Adventure Wedding⁠

Elopement Wedding Ceremonies are just perfect for couples like you. ⁠Couples who love to get their feet wet or dirty, and want to feel the wind in their hair.⁠ Would you  love to have an Adventure Wedding with an Outdoor Ceremony in one of your favourite outdoor locations?

Personal Wedding Vows⁠

⁠Where would the best places to Elope be for you?  Just picture yourselves there right now. .Are you saying your wedding vows on a hilltop watching the sunset as it glows over the landscape in front of you, casting a beautiful golden light all around?  Or maybe you’ll choose a waterfall as your backdrop, the rushing water plummeting down the rocks as you tell each other your Personal Wedding Vows.

Beach Wedding

Is a forest more your thing, with ancient trees all around you and the sound of the birds and insects quietly going about their business in the background.  Or are you drawn to your favourite coastal scene at sunrise? Your toes sinking in the sand as the waves gently cover your ankles.  Maybe you prefer a rocky outcrop with dramatic cliffs and loudly crashing waves?  It’s really all down to you.  There are no rules.

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If dirty feet, messy hair and sparkling eyes are your proof of a perfect day.  Then an Adventure Elopement is absolutely right for you.

Intimate Elopement

We’re beginning to realise our Wedding Day would be very unbalanced.  My partner is an only child and he only has 2 cousins.  I’m part of a very large family and I have 5 brothers and sisters, lots of cousins and nieces and nephews. Although I’d love to have them all with me on our special day, I’m beginning to realise that my partner and his parents could feel overwhelmed and outnumbered by my large family.  We just don’t know what to do.

Small Elopement Wedding

A small Elopement Wedding with just the two of you and both sets of parents might be the answer in this situation and similar ones.  An Intimate Wedding is very romantic and special.  You could even have a Secret Elopement which makes it even more exciting for you and avoids the problem of disappointed family members trying to change your mind or guilt-trip you.

Including Parents

This way both families will be treated equally and both sets of parents will really enjoy being a big part of your day.  You can even include them in the Ceremony in some way too by asking them to choose a special poem or reading which they can read themselves.  It’s not so nerve-wracking when there are only six of you present.  And you could also choose from a Sand Ceremony, a Wine Ceremony, or a Handtying too.

Help with Wedding Vows

And I always help my couples to write their own Wedding Vows.  There’s nothing more beautiful and emotional than hearing your partner tell you why they want to spend the rest of their life with you.

Wedding Planning is so much work

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Do any of these comments resonate with you?

‘’We’re just realising how much work it is to arrange a wedding⁠’’

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‘’The thought of arranging a large wedding just stresses me out. There are so many decisions to make and we feel under a lot of pressure to get it just right’’

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‘’We’re beginning to realise that we really don’t want to have a traditional wedding”

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‘’We really do feel like running away together to get away from it all’’

Busy Schedules

I totally understand.  Wedding Planning is a lot of work.  Especially when you’re trying to fit it in around your busy work schedules.  Trying to get to Wedding Shows and meet lots of wedding professionals is very time consuming and perhaps not as much fun as you’d thought it would be.

Simple Wedding Planning

Many couples like you who want to have a beautifully romantic wedding with the minimum of effort and fuss are choosing to Elope.  Your Elopement Ceremony can be held wherever you want it – indoors or outdoors.  You only have yourselves to please so the wedding planning is very simple. (no worries about who will sit next to who and trying to remember distant cousins’ addresses for the invites)

Your Love Story

It’s the simplicity and pared-back nature of an Elopement that appeals to many couples.  It means that your Wedding Day really will be all about you and your love.  Because it’s all about your Wedding Ceremony, which will be written just for you and will tell your love story.  You’ll be able to write your own Wedding Vows (with help if you need it).  It’s very intimate, very romantic and very emotional..

We hate being the focus of attention

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I know that many couples hate the thought of a whole day where the focus of attention is on the two of them.⁠  And that’s fine.

Simple Wedding⁠

If you’re an introvert who prefers to spend time on your own, with your partner or just a few close friends the thought of having a BIG wedding will really stress and intimidate you.⁠ You really want a simple wedding, an intimate and romantic ceremony.

Dream Wedding

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An elopement wedding ceremony is usually just the two of you (you can include a few very special guests).  It’s very easy to organise and there’s no stress involved.⁠  You can totally relax and enjoy your dream wedding in any location you choose.  It can be indoor or outdoor – there are NO RULES.  I always recommend you choose an outdoor space or a venue that has a special meaning to you.

Secret Elopement

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You only have yourselves to please and you can have fun planning it all together without any family or friends trying to influence you.  In fact you could choose to have a very romantic SECRET ELOPEMENT which is really exciting and allows you both to focus on what YOU want and DO IT YOUR WAY.⁠

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We want a green wedding

It’s really important for us that our Wedding is eco-conscious.  We live a sustainable lifestyle and try to keep our carbon footprint as low as we can.  It’s a big concern for us that a traditional wedding would be very wasteful and not eco-friendly.

Eco Friendly

It’s true that weddings have traditionally been big users of energy and not good with recycling etc.  A traditional wedding dress can be one of the worst offenders in this sense.

However, there are lots of ways to make your wedding more sustainable and many wedding suppliers are finding ways to make your day more eco-conscious and reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding day.  I’ll be talking about this in another article.

Small Elopement Wedding

It has to be said that an Elopement is probably THE MOST GREEN of all Weddings.  Unless you decide to fly to a far-away destination for your Wedding.  The main reason is that an Intimate Elopement usually has NO GUESTS.  (This is not set in stone).  Therefore the TRAVEL MILES ARE MUCH REDUCED.  Also there won’t be a large venue to support.  There won’t be lots of food being cooked and there won’t be Wedding Favours for over a hundred guests which can end up in the bin and I which think can be one of the most wasteful elements.

For couples like you who want to make your Wedding Day as GREEN as possible, a small elopement wedding really is a great option.

Traditional Weddings can be so expensive

Large traditional weddings can be very expensive and you might not want to spend a lot of money on a big party for other people.  Do you need to save your money for a deposit on your new home or would you like to go on a great extended honeymoon?

Low Cost Wedding

There’s no denying that your Wedding Day will probably be the most expensive day of your life.  There are many different ways to cut the costs of your Wedding and I’ll be talking about that in another article.  But it has to be said that the most cost-effective way to have a romantic, intimate, very special and emotional Wedding Ceremony is to Elope.

There are no other extraneous costs, it’s only what you decide spend on yourselves and your Ceremony. Reducing your costs means you can treat yourselves to a 5 Star Luxury Wedding Night if that’s what appeals to you.  Or spend the money you’ve saved on setting up your new home.

Best Wedding Day

An Elopement Ceremony is very special indeed.  And the fact that you’ve saved a lot of money, doesn’t mean that you won’t have the absolute BEST experience on your special day.  Take time to consider where you’d like to have your Ceremony.  Perhaps somewhere that means something special to you both.  And ask a Celebrant to create a unique and personal Wedding Ceremony for you, where you can exchange the Wedding Vows that you’ve written yourselves.

Creating Memories

You only get one shot at this – so put your own personal stamp on it and create something that you’ll look back on in years to come and remember with love.

We want to savour every moment

Many couples say that they hardly saw each other on their Wedding Day.  The first part of it was spent getting ready separately.  And once the Wedding Ceremony had taken place they were dragged off separately by relatives who they hadn’t seen in ages.

Intimate Elopement

One of the BEST THINGS about an Elopement Ceremony is that you only have each other to think about.  You won’t be on different sides of your Wedding Venue greeting and chatting to your wedding guests, when you’d really rather be together.  You’ll have time to enjoy every moment of your day together.

If you want to spend the whole of your Wedding Day with your partner with no interruptions, really enjoying the whole experience as your day together unfolds then I’d recommend an Intimate Elopement Wedding.

If you’ve found yourself nodding as you’ve been reading, and you recognise parts of yourselves in this article then maybe an elopement wedding is the way for you to go.  If you’re not sure where to start get in touch for an informal chat.  I love to create unique and personalised wedding ceremonies in any outdoor location.  I’d love to hear from you.

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