Her Wedding: Why are so many more people choosing to elope?

Kat O'Connor

More and more people are choosing to elope

If you’re recently engaged then the thought of eloping with your other half may have crossed your mind amid the chaos that is planning your guest list.

Trying to figure out who to invite, which cousins really need to be there, and whether or not you want your old school friends there is a headache.

The guest list will swiftly go from being a small gathering to a full-blown event with over 200 people set to be invited, but this ends up costing couples more than they can even begin to fathom.

You’re forking out so much money for just one day so it comes as no surprise to see a rise in the number of Irish couples eloping.

There’s something so romantic, and affordable, about eloping with your partner so we can’t blame couples for taking this route. Guests may miss out on dancing to an ABBA megamix and eating a mediocre chicken dinner but the couple still has a magical memory without all the fuss, feathers, and basket of flip-flops dumped in a hotel bathroom.

So why are so many couples choosing to elope?

According to wedding expert Sara Kennedy, Ireland has always been the place where American couples come to elope but things have flipped.

She explained that more and more Irish couples are heading away to tie the knot because of how romantic it is.

“Ireland has always been a world-renowned destination for elopements particularly with the US market looking to say ‘I do’ on the Irish coastline. However, there has been a strong expansion of this to Irish couples. Don’t get me wrong, Irish couples have been eloping for a long time but it’s at a much higher pace.

The trends started to change after the pandemic because so many couples let go of the assumption that every wedding had to follow a standard formula.

“During Covid, everything had to be stripped back to its raw form which is a legal ceremony and it made couples think differently.

“Couples also saw how lovely an elopement can be. It basically showed couples there is a different way you can do things,” Sara shared.

The idea of eloping isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it’s important to acknowledge it as an option.

Eloping can be just as romantic as a big wedding

Sara added, “This isn’t appealing to every couple, there are so many that couldn’t face the thought of the family and friends not being there but the flip side for couples eloping is that they have weighed up the trade-off and they feel it’s worth it.”

“It could be family dynamics that make the thought of a big wedding awful or quite simply, the couple are just not into the traditional format of a Big Day. That’s the beauty of weddings, to each their own,” she stressed.

Eloping is now easier than ever because of the Irish wedding industry offering bespoke elopement services to couples.

It’s also important to note that many couples simply cannot afford to have a big wedding, but that shouldn’t take away from their magical day.