I want to cancel and elope!!!

We did just that! It was wonderful. We are going to have a marriage celebration in November since we already put down deposits on catering and paid for the venue. We cut the guest list in half, and will only be inviting about 25 people. All immediate family. I loved the intimacy of having our parents and son with us - nobody else. To have been able to sit down and connect with them at dinner without any distraction truly made the day memorable and special.

I wish we did now! I'm sure my wedding will be great but I just hate that we spent so much money on a one day event.

We also built our home last year so money just isn't available like that. I say do what u want, whether it's go forward with the wedding and keep it within YOUR STANDARDS or elope, either way as long as your happy, that's what matters!

Having the perfect magazine spread wedding for me was like having one of those swanky Wolf of Wall Street jobs - lots of glamour and money thrown around in public and a lot of anxiety and drinking in private

My brother eloped. Him and my SIL were very happy with their choice. Sometimes it's the best thing for the couple.

We eloped and it was the best decision we could have made. I love the traditional wedding but it just didn't work for us. Finances were also tight and we had lots of guest list issues (because of my family) so it just became super stressful. Our elopement was perfect and I would do it again 82751 times over.

My parents eloped and are wonderfully happy after 25 years. It's really the sentiment; the wedding is nothing more than a party to celebrate.

Our plan is to have a very small ceremony (less than 20; just immediate family but his parents are divorced so that doubles things) and take those people out to dinner as the reception to thank them for coming. We're in the same boat as you, with trying to move out of my parents' house and get on our feet, so we decided to have a housewarming/we-got-married celebration cookout thing a few months later where hopefully we can invite more people. (FYI the wedding won't happen until after we move out--I don't want to be married and living at home.)

Don't worry about stressing about it. I had the same thought a few times during planning. Like so much so that I literally almost booked a trip to a sandals resort to get the free wedding... it gets better, I promise! Don't just do an elopement if that's not what the two of you want, after all it is your wedding!

I think you need to decide what you want the day to be about. If you are okay with just you, FH and two kids, and it just being about your family, go for it! Elope! But, if you're going to have feelings about what your family and friends think or leaving anyone out, then eloping might not be a good option! Try to relax, and good luck in your decision!

I also want to cancel and elope but then I speak to newly married friends and they say that they all felt that way but the day of is so incredibly amazing that you have no regrets. So that's what keeps me from actually cancelling and eloping. And all the money I'd lose. Lol

When my husband and I started planning, we scheduled our wedding for May 19, 2017 with 120 guests at a historical mansion. We were meeting with all kinds of vendors including a quartet, a jazz band, a DJ, the cigar and whiskey bar vendor and the live cigar roller, a live painter... LOL! At some point, we realized that our wedding was becoming ridiculously extra and ditched it. We started from scratch- we changed our date from May 19, 2017 to December 23, 2016. We went from having 120 guests to 35 guests. We changed our venue (we dropped the mansion and went for The Foundry, an industrial raw space). We had to let go of most of our vendors- we did keep our photographer and florist. We have 0 regrets about that decision. It was such relief when we agreed to do it.

I'm having an actual wedding ceremony and reception. However, I have said since day one I would scrap it all and get married at the courthouse, just us, and be just as happy!

Yes, I love the idea of eloping. Just quitting and enjoying marriage with all that extra cash. But, realistically, weddings... my wedding at least, is more for my family than it is for my FH and me. Even though they're not paying for it, our families would be devastated if we didn't have a wedding. It's one day where everyone who loves us individually gets to come together to love us as a couple, with a lifetime of memories for everyone.

I elope with first husband and never really regretted it. I did regret not following up with a reception though, because it is a great way for all friends and family to meet. So that is what I am doing this time - elope, followed by home receptions in both of our home towns. That said, despite not doing formal weddings, the receptions are still requiring a ton of planning. Really the only thing I won't have to deal with are flowers, dj, and favors (still have to do catering, venue, and bar). I am not saving any money doing it this way but we get to keep the wedding private (just us), and lessen the travel problems for both sets of friends/families (spread out all over the country).

Do consider eloping, but if you do, and still have a parties later, you will still have most of the costs. Alternatively you can be more strict with your guest list and draw some hard lines (no is a full sentence). Unless you have sent STDs, then you can still vastly reduce your costs and headaches by doing something super intimate followed by dinner at a nice restaurant.

Honestly, based on your post, it sounds like the latter would be your preference - albeit you will have to have some prickly conversations to get what you want.

Best way to do that is to simply be straight with people, "FH and I have decided to have a small intimate wedding." end of statement.

I don't think you'll regret it. If you end up wanting a party sometime down the road when finances are better, you can always throw an awesome vow renewal party.

You can always do something in between. Cut your guest list. Simplify. We are having a ceremony in a pretty outdoor location with our closest family (like 25 people tops) followed by a teeny reception. We want to buy a house and start a family, and a big wedding would delay those quite a bit, but we aren't actually eloping because we know we would regret it forever if our grandmas couldn't see us get married. Find out what you absolutely can't do without on your wedding day and go from there.

I'm getting married this weekend so it's too late for me to elope, but i thought about it every day! No joke. I've talked to alot of brides that have eloped and they were so happy with their choice. Especially after they see how stressed I am.lol

I, personally, would regret it. That's just me though. I have many friends that are happy with their decision!

I eloped the first time. Didn't even have my parents there. My dad will be walking this "mature" bride down the aisle and I'm so looking forward to him having the opportunity to do so.

I vocalize quite often that deciding to have a wedding was a huge mistake. You have enough time, and hopefully have not put down much in deposits. "Fly, you fools".