Wedding for two, or the word «elopement», is been increasingly seen on pages of bridal magazines and fashion wedding blogs. Due to the situation with 2020 events worldwide, an intimate wedding for only two may become a trend for the next few years. More and more couples after cancellation of their classic wedding or after the date has been rescheduled (and some have already had their celebration postponed several times!) are beginning to think about a less stressful and more easier wedding for two organised and surrounded by only their closest relatives (usually parents). Afterall this type of wedding has many advantages, which exactly will be discussed below.
First of all, let’s remember what this — elopement — word means, from which the modern tradition of celebrating a wedding without guests has started. «Elopement» according to the Oxford dictionary means «Runaway secretly to get married.» Imagination immediately draws pictures of forbidden marriages, not receiving parental blessings, an adventure with a romantic tint. This is essentially how it was, starting from the 14th century, to which the first mention of elopement dates back. Couples, who were faced with all sorts of obstacles, ran away from their parents’ house as far as possible, has been married in secret, and then presented their families with this fact. Also in the distant past, elopement could wear a shade of adultery, when a wife ran away from her husband with her lover, then people talked about her like «she eloped with a paramour». During the Great Depression, the number of weddings for two increased in the United States simply because newlyweds did not have enough money for a classic celebration with a large number of guests. Getting married in Las Vegas at one time was fashionable, cool and rebellious.
Sicily has its own historical term of «weddings for two» or «elopement»:
La fuitina d’amore — the couple does not receive blessings from the parents for the wedding, afterwards they secretly escape together, after certain time is passed the families of the newlyweds understand that the relationship between them has taken place and there is no way back. Families have no choice but to allow the so-called «compromise marriage».
Nowadays, a wedding for two certainly has a different meaning and carries completely different values. Often this type of wedding is chosen primarily because of the convenience and the impossibility or unwillingness to organize a large-scale and expensive celebration. Sometimes conflicts between the families of bride and groom push this choice, then choosing a wedding without guests is the optimal and least stressful decision. A wedding for two in some countries is synonymous with a wedding abroad or destination wedding.
A wedding for two is chosen by couples who want to combine their honeymoon with a beautiful ceremony in an exotic country or in a dream location, where for some reason all guests cannot come. Then a classic reception is organized at homeland, and in Sicily, for example, a dream wedding day is being prepared for a couple.
A wedding for two can be chosen by couples who, more than anyone else, appreciate the opportunity to exchange vows without prying eyes and in the most intimate atmosphere.
A separate category of couples — extreme and nature lovers — choosing locations that are simply physically inaccessible to most guests. For example a ceremony in the mountains, on volcanoes, where you need to do trekking to the place of ceremony, on wild beaches with complicated logistics. Well, what can I say? Any dream has its right to come true! And wedding planners like no one else can help with this.
So what are the main advantages of a wedding for two, especially during covid times (and this is all the 2021 year for sure):
1. Simplified organization — minimum stress. No need to think up seating options for guests, no need to keep in mind thousands of details from the banquet menu to the disco playlist.
2. Transparent and fast budget. As a rule, this is the only type of wedding where a package offer is appropriate because there is no most difficult component of the budget — guests and reception. There are tons of ready-made packages online that can be easily customized, such as our package offers for a wedding for two in Sicily.
3. The huge advantage of this type of wedding is that it can be organized in just a couple of weeks. And in the context of a global pandemic, unstable flights and constantly changing conditions of border crossing, this is the only type of wedding that can be organized with the most minimal risks. For Sicily, the frequency of changes on entry and exit from the country due to the situation with the coronavirus is approximately 14-30 days. During this time, it is quite possible to organize an intimate ceremony for only two. And in case of cancellation financial risks are also minimal.
4. More flexible wedding day program. The couple does not depend on the guest’s arrival, on their movements and waiting at reception. The couple can afford more options for filming, the result will be a richer video and photo album.
5. A wedding for two with a symbolic ceremony is a long-awaited celebration for those couples who, for whatever reason, did not have it, but they have been living together already for many years.
6. And finally, the most important thing is, of course, intimacy and unique moments that a couple lives only together, without looking back at anyone else.
7. The possibility of a ceremony in locations where access for all guests is simply impossible, but where the couple can get on their own, for example, mountains overlooking the fjords in Norway, the slope of Mount Etna or a wild beach in a nature reserve.
When choosing a location for an elopement, be guided by the type of ceremony you are planning: if you want to hold a symbolic wedding for two, any locations and beaches are suitable for this, but if you want a civil wedding, then only authorized locations are suitable for this, where it is allowed to bring out the ceremony register. A list of such authorised locations in Sicily can be obtained by applying for a first free consultation.
Streaming video capabilities allow you to share your wedding ceremony online with relatives who were unable to attend. Many couples prefer to show the finished wedding video as a surprise to their loved ones. How to do it in a better way is up to you, and in case of doubt, a wedding planner with experience in planning such weddings can help with the decision.
