Elopology

TravelMole says Destination Weddings are on the Rise

First of all, who doesn't crack up at the name "travel mole" for a website. You just have go click on when you see it. Also, they have done some research on the Destination Wedding industry and are finding that despite the recession, destination weddings are on the rise.

Click here to read the article.

Eloping in New York City

I think I missed the article below from the New York Daily News.  A few months back I wrote about Eloping in New York City. The article entitled Want to Save Money on Your Wedding? Why not Elope? talks about couples who decide to forgo the big wedding and to do something simple and romantic in New York.  You may also want to check out the website www.elopenewyork.com which shows people "How to plan an informal wedding ceremony or elope in New York." It's a very informative site and easy to navigate.

Critical Comments for a Happy Eloper: Great advice given

A few months ago I wrote about a comment I received from a stranger when I told her that I eloped. She was telling me about the planning of her daughter's wedding and how much it cost to have weddings and this and that and was obviously waiting for me to jump on her bandwagon and I said "Oh, I don't know about that, I eloped." And she said "I'm sorry."  I found this to be both annoying and funny.

I was reading the Dear Prudence column on Washingtonpost.com and found a question posed by a recent Eloper and a great response from Prudence, who herself eloped.

The segment from the column is below, dated May 11, 2009. Click here for the link to the entire column.

Maryland: I recently eloped and sent out wedding announcements. A lot of the congratulatory responses so far have included near the beginning of the conversation a question asking "Were your parents upset that you left them out?" or "How did your parents feel"? The questions have a critical feeling to them. Other comments have been made to me that I'll regret not having had a wedding. A few people have asked if I sent the announcements expecting gifts.

For the record, our parents were okay that we eloped. I do not regret it, and do not expect gifts. Announcements just seemed the nicest way to tell our friends about it.

Do you have any great comebacks or advice for how I should respond to these critical questions and comments? I just wish everyone would leave it at "congratulations."

Emily Yoffe: You've been giving good answers. "No, our parents weren't upset." "We don't want gifts -- we just wanted everyone to know our good news." "We had a great time eloping, so I don't think I'll regret it." By the way, I eloped 15 years ago and have never regretted it. But if, oh, 10 or 20 years down the road you do think, "Gee, I'd like to put on that wedding now that I never had then" DON'T!

further down in the column, more comments.....

Re: Maryland: Yes, Please DON'T re-wedding. In 10 or 15 years throw on your best threads and have a kick a-- anniversary party.

Emily Yoffe: Good idea on the anniversary party in case you ever feel deprived of a "real" wedding (which, again, 15 years later I don't).

Even the Wall Street Journal suggests Eloping as an option...

On April 8, in The Wallet, one of the Wall Street Journal Online blogs, there is an article entitled Keeping the Bill Small on Your Big Day.  It's a practical article with advice on how to cut corners on your wedding day.

After listing some cost-saving ideas for a wedding, the writer, Melissa Korn, offers fantastic advice, "If all else fails, invest in two plane tickets or a tank of gas and elope!"

Amen!