Elopement by definition means: to run away from one's husband with a lover; To run away secretly with the intention of getting married usually without parental consent. You might be surprised to learn that almost half the questions I receive are about eloping. I'd first like to point out that one does not "get eloped" to someone. One "elopes" with them. With that said, let me clear up any other confusion by explaining that we use "to elope" to mean nothing more than to get married in a secretive way. This usually means that the bride and groom go off to secure a marriage license from a county clerk's office. The couple can then be married in a civil ceremony by a presiding official of the state. (To determine where to obtain a marriage license, I recommend using online Yellow Pages. Just enter your zip code, go to the Government section and enter "marriage license" into the search field.") Once the marriage has taken place, the couple usually sends some sort of announcement out to family and friends. Two points to mention: 1. Sometimes it is in a family's best interest for their children to elope, and parents may encourage it so to avoid the financial burden of a formal ceremony and reception. 2. The legal age for obtaining a marriage license is not effected by the decision to elope. See the information above on obtaining a marriage license to ask about the minimum age requirement for marriage without parental consent for your state. Eloping Do's and Don'ts Can the bride register for gifts? And just whom do you expect would give an eloping couple gifts, when no one is being invited to the wedding? Furthermore, it would seem inconsistent to order engraved announcements and to visit a wedding registry while making the wedding ceremony itself a clandestine one. It is not an elopement if people know about it ahead of time. |  Let's Elope: The Definitive Guide to Eloping, Destination Weddings, and Othercreative Wedding Options  Hartmann: 20 in. Carry-on  Standard Issue -- Expandable 2-Zip Overnighter |
Does the couple send out wedding announcements after the elopement?
On the other hand, a celebration for a secret marriage can certainly be put together after the fact, when all is made public (with personal notes, we suggest, not formal announcements). An ideal way to do this would be to have the parents of either the bride or groom (perhaps both, if the families are in different cities) give a reception in honor of the newlyweds. The invitations could specify something like "in honor of their daughter, Augusta Georgina Carter/and Mr. Eliot Maxwell Carter." Guests would then get the idea that they should send presents. If neither set of parents offers to do this (and let us repeat: it is not an elopement if people know about it ahead of time, so there is no way for the couple to approach their parents as potential hosts), the bride and groom may do it themselves --"to commemorate their marriage," the invitations might say.
On the other hand, a celebration for a secret marriage can certainly be put together after the fact, when all is made public (with personal notes, we suggest, not formal announcements). An ideal way to do this would be to have the parents of either the bride or groom (perhaps both, if the families are in different cities) give a reception in honor of the newlyweds. The invitations could specify something like "in honor of their daughter, Augusta Georgina Carter/and Mr. Eliot Maxwell Carter." Guests would then get the idea that they should send presents. If neither set of parents offers to do this (and let us repeat: it is not an elopement if people know about it ahead of time, so there is no way for the couple to approach their parents as potential hosts), the bride and groom may do it themselves --"to commemorate their marriage," the invitations might say.