Eloping

Welcome to the WeddingWire community, Julie

What kind of suggestions are you looking for? Locations, venues, etc?

There is a great article from the WeddingWire ideas section you may find helpful and get some suggestions from - So, You Want to Elope?

I am considering eloping. I don’t want to spend $20k on a wedding. I want a small intimate wedding/ ceremony

Hey Julie!

My fiancé and I have decided to elope as well! I’ve done a ton of research on it here in Colorado. I finally picked a ceremony site yesterday. I’d be more then happy to help you if you have questions.

Samantha! Thank you so much! I would love you input.

View Quoted Comment Are you looking for and indoor ceremony or outdoor?

My fiancé and I did not want our ceremony outside. I littered all the venues here in Colorado Springs and some in Denver with emails asking if they had special rates for elopements or intimate ceremonies. I also specified that I would only need the venue for appx 2 hours and appx 20 people including the Bride, Groom, Flower girl, officiant, photographer and guests. Some places were accommodating and others not so much. I was shocked that a major hotel chain was the most helpful. I was able to book their courtyard under my specification for $684. That includes the rental fee, service charge of 23% and taxes. I felt it was a bit pricy however it’s gorgeous! They will allow us to use one of there meeting rooms to get ready for FREE and for 6 hours. They are providing a floor mirror for FREE and water station for FREE at the ceremony site. There was no pressure to hold a reception, no food and beverage requirements and the events manager even suggested dinner at the adjoining hotel restaurant or another place downtown. They are going to do all the set up one hour before the ceremony. The hotel is also extremely accommodating for photos. There is NO time limit! As long as we are not impeding another meeting we can go anywhere in the hotel and take as long as we need. We decided to do a champagne toast ($160 for 4 bottles provided by the hotel) and cake after the ceremony. They will be proving all the necessities for that and do not charge a cake cutting fee. Although, I think we are going to do cupcakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Less mess! I think that will cost about $45. I felt like I was pretty lucky.

As for outdoor sites, some places require you to get a permit to hold the ceremony and others are on a first come first serve basis. I didn’t like this option because I wanted the ceremony to be private and didn’t want the general public observing. I’m pretty shy, however I’d you're not there are some absolutely breathing places. In addition, there usually are not time time limits so you can take as long as you need for photos.

We wanted to keep the tradition with flowers. I rented a bridal bouquet, boutonniere, and flower girl posy from somethingborrowedblossems.com for $102. That includes the shipping to receive the flowers and send them back. We will not be doing any other decorations.

Invitation will I’ll be done electronically by greenenvelops.com. $19 for up to 20 invitations. It even tracks the RSVPs for you. You will be paying that prices through vistaprint.com anyways plus more for postage.

For photography I have a friend that will be doing them. She did some sessions for me in the past and since she’s a friend it will be $350. Hadn’t I known her, photography is pretty expensive. So if you’re looking for memorable wedding photos (like us) you may be spending a pretty penny in this department.

Officiant is be a friend as well do $0 here. In Colorado you do not need be ordained to perform a ceremony so to keep the intimacy you can select someone special to the both of you. Just need a witness. I did price officiants out and the can be $200+ depending on if it a judge or someone who customizes ceremonies for a living.

Tux rental we are also doing online through the black tux.com appx cost $145. I just set up an at home trial to make sure everything fits before officially placing the reservation. That was FREE.

Wedding dress and accessories . I purchased my dress from Stillwhite.com. It was brand new with the tags still on it and not to mention Designer (Hayley Paige) for $500. Sash and earring $90 shoes $45 and no veil. I have not priced alterations yet.

Flower girl dress was purchased online as well $70 plus $3 sash. Shoes $20 Some people chose to not have a flower girl or ring bearer. Only reason I am is because I have a 5 year old daughter and I want her to feel special.

Hair and makeup I am terrible in this department. My extent of makeup is mascara and sometimes eyeliner and my hair is always in a ponytail. So I wanted to look and feel beautiful and plan on hiring someone. I’ve found pricing is $300+, however some venders are less. I’m determined to spend no more the $250 for this.

All in all, I’ll be spending about $2500 for everything.

Not sure if this was what you were were looking for, if not sorry for the info overload. I like to be detailed.

If you have questions about anything specifically I’d be happy to help. I have a ton more information from my personal research.