Has anyone just said forget it and eloped?

We did and this past Sunday at church we (FH) decided to skip the destination wedding and have a little do it yourself small ceremony. So 6 week from now we're walking down the aisle in our very small church with just our family and a few friends. Saving thousands

Yup pretty much planned my whole wedding out that was set for this September I'm talking venue deposits, vendor deposits.. etc but it just all became too much and we decided to hold off on the whole big wedding things and semi-elope on 8/8/18. We're having a small ceremony at City Hall here in NYC with about 25 family and friends and hosting an early dinner at a restaurant not to far away. To be honest ever since I've made this decision I've been much happier. I'm even dressing up in a gown and everything but I feel this decision is really based on if you feel you're going to have any regrets. It's definitely a personal decision.

View Quoted Comment Upon first reading this I thought I wrote it myself. We did the exact same thing and for the same reasons. Our wedding was planned for October. This past March we decided that enough was enough. We were planning a party that we couldn't picture ourselves at. Without telling anyone other than the guests who attended we cancelled our plans for October and planned to go to city hall in New York. On June 20, 13 family and friends went with us to New York City Hall and we had an early lunch reception at a restaurant. When I say the day couldn't have been more perfect would be am understatement. I remember looking around at lunch and thinking that we pulled off exactly the day that I had always dreamed off. After the wedding we sent out announcements to everyone who was invited to the original wedding telling them about what we did. It is definitely a personal decision, but if you feel it in your heart I say go for it. We saved so much and didn't compromise on a single thing.

Haven’t gone far enough as deposits, but booked tours of venues and canceled last minute. We wanted a small wedding, 40 people max, and it just wasn’t working. And everyone is coming from out of town making the actual number lower. No venue fit a small wedding.

It just wasn’t worth the time and investment to do a full wedding when we know we just want immediate family.

Now finding a date to elope! With just our parents and siblings to witness. With a “reception” at a restaurant.

Also price went from $9k to $2k.
And im excited about getting married, not stressed out. 🙌🏼

We started out planning a traditional wedding but I quickly found myself in tears so early in the planning process. I felt like I had to make too many sacrifices to stay within a realistic budget and I just wasn’t happy with our options. We could afford to spend more but it just seemed silly to us considering our situation.
My FH told me to take a step back and think about what was most important to us. We landed with an absolute must list of a unique outside ceremony location, kick a** photography, our VIP’s in attendance, and ideally less than 15K... anything else was a bonus. This led us to an intimate destination wedding/honeymoon where we only invited our parents, two best friends, and obviously our son will be there. We haven’t regretted the decision once and our family has been very supportive!
You may be able to keep some of your vendors such as a photographer, officiant, and florist and just edit the package! Eloping can be as simple or extravagant as you want it to be! I’ve seen courthouse weddings to couples hiking to the top of a mountain, getting changed in the woods, and having a ceremony with epic scenery to eloping on the beach and having a Pinterest worthy picnic on the beach for just the two of them after to celebrate. Seriously check out elopement hashtags on IG and you’ll be amazed!
Good luck on your decision! You should be happy and excited planning your big day!!

We did. We were supposed to get married in March, and planned the entire thing- caterer, venue, decor and all. After several panic attacks, bouts of anxiety and realizing that the 'big wedding' was never something we really wanted, we decided on New Years Eve to get married at the end of the month with just our parents, grandparents and siblings. We explained to our families, and they understood and were very supportive.

Honestly, I don't regret a thing. We changed venues and lost out on our venue deposit (about $100), and our caterer was accommodating enough to move the date and venue for us without charging us any extra. We saved several thousand dollars on catering and venue fees- and still used everything we would have at the old venue.

Our wedding was everything we wanted it to be- small, intimate, simple and beautiful. There was no compromising, and my anxiety completely went away.

I wish I could. I would prefer to, but my partner and his family are adamant about a traditional wedding. I am close with a woman who had an elopement of sorts. She invited only her parents and sisters, and her husband's parents and sisters. A few of the family members had kids who attended as well. They had a barbecue for the Memorial Day holiday and told their family they were getting married in the morning. No formal invitations or expensive venues. They just had a brunch and enjoyed everybody's company. Whatever you and your partner decide will be right for you! Congratulations on your engagement! Happy planning!

We didn’t elope exactly but after hitting financial walls trying to plan a DW for 40-50 guests, we planned a DW for 15 (mostly family) then a local reception later. Both were DIY on steroids though so unless you REALLY want a wedding, the time/cost/stress isn’t worth it. So many amazing venues offer “elopement packages” at a fraction of the cost and include some services/vendors you won’t have to manage! Do it. ❤️

View Quoted Comment Reading yours was like I wrote it also lol. I've been having a little anxiety about the day but looking at ur pics and hearing how ur day went was very reassuring. Thank you. What day and time did you go to the courthouse and how long were you there . That's the hardest part about planning the day is making it run smoothly. and if u don't mind me asking what restaurant did you guys end up choosing. And congrats my love you did it your way and it turned out beautiful.

Thank you so much everyone! I'm happy that it worked out for all of you. Shows me that it's okay and can work. I'm not sure what we'll end up doing, but now this doesn't seem like such a bad idea!

View Quoted Comment The scheduling was the most hectic part! Just because city hall is so unpredictable. You can email me if it's easier. I can send you more pics, prices and info on everything! *************@*****.***

We went to city hall at 10:30 on a Wednesday and we were there for about an hour. We took pictures across the street at the "wedding garden" and made it to our 12 reservation maybe twenty minutes late. We had our lunch at a restaurant called the Wren. They were absolutely fantastic and accommodating. Everyone was super sweet and the food was out of this world. We ended up taking a lot home too because there was so much. We had a private room downstairs to ourselves. I also spoke with a restaurant called the Smith before booking with the wren. They also had a private room and their prices were quite similar. We chose the wren because it fit more with our vision for the day.

I used sweethaus in Brooklyn for our cake and cupcakes. They delivered it to the restaurant so it made things super easy. They were the nicest people to work with and everyone said the cake was the best they've had.

Email me and I'll give ya our full timeline, pricelists and menus!

Yes, doing it now. Was too stressed out planning a wedding.