r/Eloping

my partner and i got engaged in october 2025. we are only just now thinking of moving forward with plans. we both are extremely indecisive on whether to just elope or have a wedding with our friends and family. both of our families have said they would help financially, but after doing some cost estimates it winds up being over $12,000. i know that is ‘cheap’ to some people but i just can’t imagine spending that on ONE day. we both are leaning towards an elopement but we also want it to be special. any suggestions or thoughts would be helpful <3

We are eloping without friends or family in another state. We’ll have the photographer and dogs with us. We want to do a “first look” thing but we’re both worried that we aren’t capable of getting photo-ready ourselves! Is there someone we can or should hire to help us both out? We’re worried about the details of something being crooked or folded… easy fixes to at we can’t see ourselves. I’m also on the fence about have a hair and makeup person

I'd like to know if anybody has eloped to Italy with zero guests ? We're gonna be in arriving in amalfi on the Friday and leaving on the Monday. We're hoping to plan to be wed with no guests and no fuss. Just us, an officiant and a photographer, then head about our business on our trip (no planned dinner etc). Has anybody done similar and how easy was it ? Thanks in advance.

My fiancée and I are planning an intimate LGBTQ+ beach elopement in San Juan/Carolina, Puerto Rico on 8/17/26.

There will only be four people total—the two of us and two friends as witnesses.

We're looking for a package or individual vendors that include:
Ceremony coordination
Assistance with any ceremony logistics
An officiant
Assistance in legal paperwork
60–90 minutes of photography
A simple white arch with minimal tropical flowers or something similar to stand under if possible

We are open to anywhere in the San Juan area. We’d love a beach wedding, but open to elsewhere.

Our budget for ceremony and photography services is $1,100 USD at an absolute maximum.

Does anyone have recommendations for this? Is this an impossible ask?

Thank you for your time!

Hello all, just trying to weigh my options and see if anyone has any advice or has faced a similar dilemma.
I just had my bridal shower with 35 guests this past weekend which I did not really want but my family pressured me to have. I hate being the center of attention and was so nervous beforehand that I barely enjoyed it. Also my future MIL and mother told me they would help plan but in the end all the planning landed on me. I’m grateful I got to share that moment with my loved ones and everyone seemed to have had a good time but I kept telling myself I don’t know if I can do an event like that again.
My fiance and I already booked our wedding venue for next year but this recent event really is making me rethink what I want. Right now we have a small wedding booked (50-60 people) and our families have offered to help with costs (10k which will cover everything). We discussed elopement before booking the venue but my fiancé has been the one unsure if he wants to elope. He at least wants his parents and siblings there, but his mom WOULD NOT be happy were having a small wedding and I think would do something to ruin the day.
If we elope I would want a photographer, dress, and probably have dinner/stay overnight somewhere with my fiance. None of that would be covered financially. My family might chip in a little, but it wouldn’t be anywhere near what they would offer if I had the wedding and his family likely would not contribute.
Anyone who eloped did you regret not having the wedding or vice versa?

I don’t know if you still call it an elopement, but we’re leaning on just doing a wedding ceremony now with just our parents. Somewhere in europe. Any recommendations? Thank you!!

Shy and/or introverted ladies, it never occurred to me that this wouldn’t wear off before I got engaged lol. Our elopement is 6 days away and I’m literally nervous and shy about being the main character in front of 8 people, 3 of which have known me their whole lives and 1 I’m marrying 😂 it’s the most ridiculous thing but still!

My fiancé (34M) and I (31F) are eloping in California this fall we wanted to keep everything simple so I never imagined one of the biggest parts of preparing for marriage would end up being a prenup.

When he first brought it up I didn't react well I thought it meant he was planning for the marriage to fail and I took it way more personally than I should have. Once we started the process everything changed so instead of just talking about assets so we ended up having conversations we'd somehow never had before we talked about our careers, what we'd do if one of us wanted to stay home with future kids and what we wanted our life to look like 10 or 20 years from now.

By the time we were ready to meet with lawyers most of the difficult conversations were already behind us so the prenup itself almost felt like the easy part because we'd already taken the time to understand each other.

Looking back I don't think the prenup made our relationship stronger on its own it was everything the process encouraged us to talk about that did.

Did anyone else come away from the prenup process feeling closer to their partner than before?

Hi everyone!

My fiancé and I are in the early stages of planning our dream elopement for June 2028, and we'd love to hear from anyone who has gotten married in the Dolomites or has traveled there extensively.

Our plan is to have a symbolic ceremony in the Italian Dolomites with our immediate family (11 people total, including us). We're having a larger reception back home later, so we want our actual wedding day to be simple, intimate, and focused on the scenery and spending time together.

Here's what we're envisioning:

11 people total (us + 9 family members)

Symbolic ceremony (my brother will officiate)

No hair and makeup services

Just 2–3 hours of photography and 2–3 hours of videography

Family photos after the ceremony

Couple portraits

Dinner with our family afterward

We don't want an elaborate setup—just a beautiful location with amazing mountain views.

Has anyone worked with photographers or videographers in the Dolomites that they absolutely loved?

We're looking for:

Natural, candid style

Bright and true-to-color editing (not overly dark or orange)

Drone footage would be a bonus

Someone local who knows the best locations and timing

I'd also love to know approximately what you paid.

Did anyone have a private dinner after their ceremony?

I'd love recommendations for restaurants, mountain huts, or hotels that are great for a group of 11.