Top Reasons to Elope in Monterey
Upon getting engaged, many couples dream about having a large wedding with all of their family and friends. An epic celebration for the ages that everyone will remember forever. But then, the planning begins. You have a budget in mind which should get you what you want until you start researching and finding there is more that goes into a wedding than meets the eye.
For most large weddings (defined here as weddings with 100 or more guests) you will need to budget for:
- Wedding attire (wedding day, rehearsal dinner, honeymoon)
- Wedding rings
- Officiant and wedding license
- Photographer (including for an engagement session) and Videographer (if desired)
- Site fee for your wedding venue (and if not included, rentals of chairs, tables and an arch)
- Flowers (rehearsal dinner, wedding site, bouquets and boutonnieres)
- Transportation (some sites will require shuttles; your wedding day limousine)
- Wedding planner/coordinator
- Music (DJ for the ceremony and reception)
- Reception venue site fee
- Reception food and beverage (and if not included, rentals of specific colored linens) including the cocktail reception
- Hair and Makeup (day of wedding)
- Wedding cake
- Wedding favors
- Invitations
- Wedding insurance
(And this is just a PARTIAL list)
In the end, sometimes it just feels right to have a much smaller, intimate wedding ceremony with your closest family and friends. Here are some reasons to consider going small:
1. Wedding planning takes a lot of time. If you are both employed in full-time jobs, wedding planning can feel like taking on a second job. You can hire a wedding planner (and there are a lot of great ones), but with a large wedding you will still have a lot of decisions to make. Having a small wedding (elopement), will trim your planning time by a ton of hours (and with a company like ours, we do the bulk of the planning at either no fee or just a couple of hundred dollars).
2. With a smaller wedding, you don't get lost on the reason for your special day -- getting married to the person you are head over heels in love with! Stress and tension that can hinder a relationship as it is entering this next chapter are minimalized.
3. Having an elopement ceremony or smaller wedding means that you can focus on the details that matter most (e.g. a wedding dress or venue selection or place to have an intimate dinner).
4. Since there won't be hundreds of guests, you will actually have the time to spend with each person invited. What about everyone else? Just let them know you decided to have a smaller wedding and the package you selected (or the venue) only allows for 10/20/25 guests (but that they are invited to a reception you will have at a later date back at home with all of your friends and family).
5. As a wedding officiant, I have witnessed a lot of nervous brides and grooms at large weddings. "I don't want to cry in front of all of these people," or "I don't want to say my personal vows in front of everyone -- I don't even know some of these guests." With a smaller more intimate wedding, you can truly be yourself, let your guard down, and have the ceremony (the actual ceremony, not the fanfare) you want.
6. Cost. Large weddings can cost $20,000 or more when all is said and done. Starting a marriage in debt is one of the biggest things to avoid. Have a smaller wedding, pay for all of it up front (or perhaps your family will help to chip in on the lower cost) and start your new lives together debt free.
7. Cost - part two. With a lower, overall cost invest the money you have budgeted into what matters most. Do you want to spend $2,000 on your wedding dress instead of $500? Do you have a Pinterest board with some amazing wedding cakes that are more affordable when feeding 10 people instead of 200? Do you want to have your reception at a high end restaurant with just the right ambiance with a party of 20 instead of inside of a banquet room with 300 with a choice of chicken breast or meatloaf?
8. Remember the day. I always get asked, "Based on your experience, what is the best advice you can give someone to consider on their wedding day?" It is simple -- live in the moment. Take it all in. When you are standing up there looking into your fiance's eyes, don't be thinking about if you ordered enough wine for the reception or if you picked the right DJ. Notice everything from the time you walk down the aisle until you say your final goodbyes. Your wedding day will go by quickly -- don't be someone that says weeks after the wedding, "I wish I remembered it better - it was all a blur."
Of course, we are partial to eloping on the Monterey Peninsula. With so many beautiful locations to choose from in the scenic, quaint cities of Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove, Carmel Valley and Big Sur, there truly is a location for everyone.
Brian Borgia, Owner, Weddings in Monterey, Elope in Monterey and Monterey Bay Wedding Officiants
For most large weddings (defined here as weddings with 100 or more guests) you will need to budget for:
- Wedding attire (wedding day, rehearsal dinner, honeymoon)
- Wedding rings
- Officiant and wedding license
- Photographer (including for an engagement session) and Videographer (if desired)
- Site fee for your wedding venue (and if not included, rentals of chairs, tables and an arch)
- Flowers (rehearsal dinner, wedding site, bouquets and boutonnieres)
- Transportation (some sites will require shuttles; your wedding day limousine)
- Wedding planner/coordinator
- Music (DJ for the ceremony and reception)
- Reception venue site fee
- Reception food and beverage (and if not included, rentals of specific colored linens) including the cocktail reception
- Hair and Makeup (day of wedding)
- Wedding cake
- Wedding favors
- Invitations
- Wedding insurance
(And this is just a PARTIAL list)
In the end, sometimes it just feels right to have a much smaller, intimate wedding ceremony with your closest family and friends. Here are some reasons to consider going small:
1. Wedding planning takes a lot of time. If you are both employed in full-time jobs, wedding planning can feel like taking on a second job. You can hire a wedding planner (and there are a lot of great ones), but with a large wedding you will still have a lot of decisions to make. Having a small wedding (elopement), will trim your planning time by a ton of hours (and with a company like ours, we do the bulk of the planning at either no fee or just a couple of hundred dollars).
2. With a smaller wedding, you don't get lost on the reason for your special day -- getting married to the person you are head over heels in love with! Stress and tension that can hinder a relationship as it is entering this next chapter are minimalized.
3. Having an elopement ceremony or smaller wedding means that you can focus on the details that matter most (e.g. a wedding dress or venue selection or place to have an intimate dinner).
4. Since there won't be hundreds of guests, you will actually have the time to spend with each person invited. What about everyone else? Just let them know you decided to have a smaller wedding and the package you selected (or the venue) only allows for 10/20/25 guests (but that they are invited to a reception you will have at a later date back at home with all of your friends and family).
5. As a wedding officiant, I have witnessed a lot of nervous brides and grooms at large weddings. "I don't want to cry in front of all of these people," or "I don't want to say my personal vows in front of everyone -- I don't even know some of these guests." With a smaller more intimate wedding, you can truly be yourself, let your guard down, and have the ceremony (the actual ceremony, not the fanfare) you want.
6. Cost. Large weddings can cost $20,000 or more when all is said and done. Starting a marriage in debt is one of the biggest things to avoid. Have a smaller wedding, pay for all of it up front (or perhaps your family will help to chip in on the lower cost) and start your new lives together debt free.
7. Cost - part two. With a lower, overall cost invest the money you have budgeted into what matters most. Do you want to spend $2,000 on your wedding dress instead of $500? Do you have a Pinterest board with some amazing wedding cakes that are more affordable when feeding 10 people instead of 200? Do you want to have your reception at a high end restaurant with just the right ambiance with a party of 20 instead of inside of a banquet room with 300 with a choice of chicken breast or meatloaf?
8. Remember the day. I always get asked, "Based on your experience, what is the best advice you can give someone to consider on their wedding day?" It is simple -- live in the moment. Take it all in. When you are standing up there looking into your fiance's eyes, don't be thinking about if you ordered enough wine for the reception or if you picked the right DJ. Notice everything from the time you walk down the aisle until you say your final goodbyes. Your wedding day will go by quickly -- don't be someone that says weeks after the wedding, "I wish I remembered it better - it was all a blur."
Of course, we are partial to eloping on the Monterey Peninsula. With so many beautiful locations to choose from in the scenic, quaint cities of Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove, Carmel Valley and Big Sur, there truly is a location for everyone.
Brian Borgia, Owner, Weddings in Monterey, Elope in Monterey and Monterey Bay Wedding Officiants