Historically, eloping meant running away to get married in secret. These days, eloping can mean a lot of things, making it an attractive alternative to more traditional weddings. “For more people, it still looks like a wedding. Eloping is more about having the focus on the couple, on what the two of them want,” said Rev. Laura Cannon, owner of Pittsburgh Officiants.
In addition to owning several locations of Ceremony Officiants, Cannon has been a wedding officiant for 20 years and is president of the International Association of Professional Wedding Officiants, a role that provides the opportunity “to see wedding trends from a wide lens.”
Through her experience, Cannon provided her definition. “I consider an elopement to be something intimate where the couple and the ceremony is the focus. An elopement can be just the couple or the couple and a small group - typically less than 20 people,” she said.
During the pandemic, due to necessity, record numbers of couples eloped or had tiny weddings. While the popularity of eloping spiked at that time, more and more couples are choosing that route. “There are many advantages to eloping, most significantly, cost savings. When planning a big wedding, couples often start focusing more on the party and losing focus on the reason for the party - the marriage,” Cannon explained, “Eloping allows couples to concentrate on the commitment they are making while still making it memorable, intimate, and special. Elopements don’t require the same amount of time to plan, which can help limit the stress that often comes with planning for a traditional wedding.”
According to Cannon, Pittsburgh Officiants provide officiants to perform both legal marriages and commitment ceremonies. “We also have elopement packages that include additional services like photography, hair and makeup, and flowers,” she said. “Most couples who come to us already know that they want to elope, and they are either just looking for the officiant to craft and perform the ceremony or they want us to assist them in creating an entire elopement experience from start to finish.”
Katie Kubis specializes in assisting couples who want to elope at a destination spot. The romance specialist with Wonderland and Beyond Travel gave her definition of what makes elopement different from a more traditional wedding. “Elopement gives the bride and groom-to-be a chance to really focus on what they want in a wedding and tailor it to what they would like to experience. There’s so many different destinations around the world, and having the opportunity to travel to an exotic place and start the next chapter together is very romantic,” she said.
Kubis assists couples in planning their date and selecting a resort that is perfectly suited for them. “A popular choice for my guests are the Sandals Resorts. Last year I had guests elope to Sandals Barbados and Sandals Grenada. Each bride and groom-to-be will work with a Sandals wedding coordinator to help them plan their dream wedding ceremony,” she said, “I will be there every step of the way from quoting, to booking the room and also working hand in hand with the resort and wedding coordinator to make sure that everything goes smoothly.”
For Anna Marie Mindicino and her husband, Joe Trani, when they eloped, a big wedding never crossed their minds. “We had been planning on eloping for a few years. Our dating anniversary is March 21, and we decided to keep the same date to elope,” she said. The couple designed a custom-made ring for Mindicino and went to the local courthouse for the ceremony – just the two of them. “We hired a photographer for the day and she took photos of us. We love to play cards so we went and got hot dogs and played our favorite card game, Nickels, for wedding photos,” Mindicino said.
The couple sent out a selfie showing their wedding rings to announce their nuptials. “Everyone already thought we were married. We have owned our home for years,” she said, “Half of the comments on our social media posts were ‘Oh! I thought you were already married!’,” she said.
Both Cannon and Kubis offered tips for those thinking of elopement. “Make it an experience. You can still wear beautiful attire, have glam, carry beautiful flowers, get excellent photos, eat a delicious meal and have a memorable and deeply meaningful wedding experience without having 100 or more people there to experience it,” Cannon said, “Instead of spending the money on guest experience, you’re spending your money on your experience.”
Couples thinking of a destination elopement should choose the destination first and then go from there, Kubis said. “Narrow it down to what type of destination you’d like first. Would you want to go to the Caribbean? Europe? Florida? And think about where your budget would allow you to venture to as well. You can always plan extra days afterwards and stay in an amazing room location for your honeymoon and really soak in that one-on-one time as you begin this new chapter as a married couple.”
But romance or not, getting married at a foreign destination can be overwhelming. “I also assist with making sure they have all of the necessary documents that go along with getting married out of the country. And I can assist with engagements, honeymoons, and traditional weddings. I am the romance specialist—so you’re in good hands,” Kubis said.
Elopement was the perfect choice for Mindicino and Trani,“It was stress-free, and we had a blast. We spent the entire day enjoying our love and celebrating the start of a new chapter,” Mindicino said, “We didn’t have to worry about a guest list, venue, and all of the other parts of planning a wedding that stress couples out. “
For more information on Pittsburgh Officiants visit: https://pittsburghofficiants.com.
Visit https://wonderlandandbeyondtravel.com/katiekubis, 814-421-2111 or Katie@wonderlandandbeyond.com to reach Kubis.