What’s it mean to elope? Jonathan and I have noticed that when we talk about elopements, there’s some confusion. Some people immediately thought of “running away and getting married alone.”
This isn’t necessarily how eloping is defined today. This brings us to question what does elope mean and has the definition changed?
In case you wondered, the Vallosios like to define words. When we do so, it allows us to better understand each other in conversations. If people throw around the same word, but define it differently, miscommunication happens. That’s what inspired this blog post.
Definition of Elope
When I was thinking about this, I naturally googled “define elope”.
Merriam-Webster had a few definitions; two of them said this: “to run away secretly with the intention of getting married usually without parental consent; to slip away: ESCAPE.”
After I read this, I thought, “Okay, that tracks with how many people think about it. However, that doesn’t seem like the conversations we’re hearing amongst wedding professionals right now.”
So, I kept looking. I then saw that Merriam-Webster wrote a helpful article that I wanted to share as well. They said, “Elope appears to have become shorthand for ‘small destination wedding,’ ‘wedding that is not financially insane,’ or ‘wedding that allows us to not invite all the people we would rather not invite.’”
I would agree that there’s a lot of truth to this as this is how I’ve started to use the word “elope” and how many other wedding professionals are currently using it.
They conclude the article by saying, “It’s true, the meaning of elope may be as fickle as an inconstant lover’s whim, but that is as it should be. It is part of the ever-changing tapestry of our breathing and living language. Can you accept that? We do.”
Words are always changing, and we do need to define our words to make sure we know what is being said. This is the whole reason why we chose to write an entire blog on how to define a single word.
How We Define Elope
At Vallosio Photo + Film, Jonathan and I would say that eloping is the freedom to escape the pressures of society to celebrate your wedding day how you want.
This means, if you want a private courthouse wedding, you can do that. You can also have a private elopement in the mountains or on the beach or anywhere that’s special to you. It can be local, or it can be a destination elopement.
Elopements don’t have to be private either. You can celebrate your elopement with your favorite people. If you want to elope somewhere, skip the traditional wedding, and have 10-30 of your favorite people present, do it.
Eloping isn’t running away in shame to get married. Eloping is deciding to do what makes you and your partner happy on your wedding day so you can enjoy the start of your marriage.
This does differ very clearly from the large traditional wedding ceremony followed with a reception afterwards. These events can range anywhere from 100-250 people, include traditional wedding attire, and all the attached expectations.
Then, if you still want a traditional wedding vibe without the large size, there’s micro weddings. Picture this as a small-scale wedding from 10-75 people with a quick ceremony and small reception. It’s intimate and intentional. Micro-weddings have become very popular in the past few years (especially with COVID-19 restrictions).
In our blog post, “Should I elope?”, we talked a bit about this topic as well.
“An elopement is when two people decide to get married and instead of a larger celebration, they decide to have a smaller celebration. It can take place anywhere that is important to the couple and they can bring along as many of their closest people to celebrate with them.”
What Makes A Wedding An Elopement:
- eloping shifts the focus onto what is important to the couple
- guests are optional for elopements (2-30 people)
- elopements can happen anywhere (usually locations that are important to the couple)
- eloping tends to ditch tradition for intentionality
- couples can choose fun activities to do during their elopement day
Like we said, this is how we define these words. Other wedding professionals might define them differently and that’s okay. The important thing is to talk about how we are defining them so that there is no confusion.
We hope this was helpful and that it allows for those hearing the word “elope” being used. The most important thing we will continue to emphasize is no matter what kind of wedding you choose to have, make sure it brings you and your partner joy. That is what matters most.
If you have any questions about eloping or your wedding, reach out to us! We would love to help you figure out what best fits you and assist with any photo and video needs you have.
If you liked this post, then we think you would enjoy looking through these as well:
