With everything going on in the world right now we wanted to share some of our reasons behind why we think eloping is the way to go!

Whether this was your plan all along, you’re just looking into options or the Coronavirus is forcing you to cancel the bigger celebration until later, we are here to help! Although our suggestions are geared towards Chicago they are really valid for anywhere.

Elopements are no longer what they were in your grandparents or parents day. They aren’t running off in the middle of night because someone doesn’t approve. They are a conscious choice that couples are making to celebrate in a way that fits them.

** Send any and all questions to me at info@elopetochicago.com or fill out the contact form in the menu **

Flexibility

In these uncertain times the flexibility of an elopement makes it very very appealing. Moving a 2 person ceremony, or even 10, is much easier than moving a 200 person wedding. Most of our Spring elopements are postponing, but because it’s so much easier to do with us and a small group on a weekday we don’t need a ton of notice (but maybe don’t wait until the day before!). Which means you don’t have to make a decision right away for a wedding that is still a few months away because no one knows what it will look like at that point.

The majority of the time our elopements are held outdoors or in a hotel room in the colder months. So you don’t have to worry about loosing at deposit on a venue or caterer etc. if plans have to change. We’ve adapted our policy in this time to allow couples to postpone or reschedule up to a year from their original date as long as we are available for the new date!

We are hopeful that we will still be able to do summer elopements at some point, but we’re waiting and watching with everyone to see when they will lift the stay at home, what the new guidelines for gatherings will be and when the office with reopen to get a license. And we have no idea when City Hall will reopen. If you follow us on Instagram I’m sharing any new info there as I have it! @elopetochicago

Budget

You could take 20 people to a 7 course tasting meal at Alinea, pay for their hotel rooms and pick up a day after brunch and bar tab and you still wouldn’t spend as much as you would on a big traditional wedding. When you scale down the size, by default you scale down the budget. Now this doesn’t mean that you don’t still need to have a budget in mind and plan for what you want to spend. What is important for you to have? Photography? Flowers? Hair & Makeup? An officiant? (no word on when city hall will reopen).

Do you want to splurge on a hotel? Do you want a fancy dinner or some deep dish pizza? Do you want to run off to an amazing honeymoon after? Depending on your numbers and the time of year you may still need to look into an indoor option for the ceremony or as a back up for rain etc. That requires some planning, a venue and/or hotel room and possibly photography permits depending on the locations you choose.

And with the COVID-19 situation many people’s jobs have been effected. So eloping can be a more budget friendly option to move forward with your wedding day instead of waiting a year or two to say I do, but still have an amazing wedding day!

Locations

Eloping opens up sooooo many options when it comes to locations. Yes there are a lot of places in Chicago that require a permit. But getting that $150 park permit  is still way cheaper than renting a venue would ever be. And you don’t have to do anything but show up!

We don’t want to give away all our secrets but there are a few places in the city that don’t require permits when you have tiny groups and/or it’s just the two of you or just photos vs. a ceremony as long as you aren’t doing any set up of chairs or bringing in sound to set up etc. And when City Hall reopens it’s only $10 to have a judge preform a ceremony there!

If you’ve always wanted to get married with the Chicago Skyline behind you, but don’t want to spend 40k to book that venue with the view, we can help!

Elopements also open up offbeat ideas. When you just need to do a quick 15 minute ceremony you can do it almost anywhere (key word being almost). So check out your neighborhoods for your favorite places. Whether that’s a park, a record store, an art gallery, a book store, a cool mural or something really cool we don’t even know about yet! These places will often allow or charge a low fee to use the space for a pop up ceremony!

** Bonus note – Many of our couples come to Chicago get married then hop a flight overseas (well they did when things were normal). With 2 airports and a huge international terminal at O’Hare we can basically get you anywhere you want to be and often times you’d have to do a layover in Chicago anyway. Some couples use that option to spend a few days here, and get married. We once had a couple who got married in the morning and by 4pm was on a flight to Paris! How amazing is that?!

Less Stress

If the idea of planning a big wedding and being the center of attention is something that makes you want to run and hide, an elopement may be for you. It eliminates so much stress from the day. Your wedding day should be about you. No rules. If you want to get married on a Tuesday and have tacos after we support that. If you don’t want to wear the “traditional” wedding attire we support that too. The bottom line is when you make your wedding day about you and not everyone else the decisions are much easier, you will enjoy the day more and you’ll have less stress and no regrets!

Personalize it!

Yes you can personalize a big wedding as well. But can you take 200 people to a Blackhawks game as your “reception” ….. maybe I guess. But it’s a lot easier with 20!

Smaller groups allow for fun ideas and activities on the wedding day that can really set your day apart and make it memorable. Do you want to take everyone on cruise down the Chicago River and watch the fireworks at Navy Pier from the middle of Lake Michigan?  Do you want to hit up one of the many local breweries in town for some beer tasting and pizza. Do you want to throw on your matching Cubs jerseys and head to Wrigley Field for the game that evening? All of these things and so many more are possible for elopements and tiny weddings.

So don’t be afraid to make the day your own! And chances are if you walk into a brewery in Chicago in a wedding dress someone is going to buy you a beer!

If you’re someone who is considering an elopement because of COVID 19 right now, remember you can always plan an amazing elopement day and still have a big party or celebration at a later date if that’s something you want.

(BONUS) Not an elopement, but a intimate wedding

Maybe you’ve read through this and still think an elopement just isn’t for you. You want your family and your closest friends there and you don’t want to get married without them. We get it. We also do many intimate weddings of 50 people or less. It’s scaled down, but it’s the perfect compromise between a big bash and no guests at all. There are a lot of great venues and restaurants in the city for something of this size. And depending on the limits on gatherings for the rest of the year, this may be the only way for a little while, but it’s a great option! If you need any help with venue ideas let us know. We’re working on a blog post with some of our favorites as well.

Ambassador Chicago Hotel RooftopLondonHouse

Little Goat Diner – Private Event Space and Rooftop

Chicago’s First Lady Cruises

Lily Pool in Lincoln Park

If you have any questions that we can be of help with please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@elopetochicago.com. Or fill out the contact form in the link above if you’re interested in using our services as that asking for more info on dates, etc. which will let us provide you with the proper info!

Hope everyone is staying home and staying safe!