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How To Decide To Elope
Congratulations! You're engaged! Now you have to plan the wedding. Or do you? Maybe you're thinking about eloping instead. But how can you decide what to do? It's easy. You just have to make a few simple decisions….
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Step 1:
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Decide Who You Want There
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Who do you want with you when you get married? Do both of you want your immediate families? Your entire families? Kids or no kids? Some of your friends? All of your friends? Or do you want to get married with just each other? Do you want a priest? A minister? A rabbi? A judge? Do you want a crowd or a gathering? Your reactions to these questions will start helping you make a decision about whether eloping is right for you.
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Step 2:
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Decide Where You Want To Spend Money
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Weddings are expensive. The average wedding is now nearly $30,000, more in bigger cities. Eloping is much less expensive. Eloping can even be almost free. The more people you have at a wedding, the more expensive it will be. The simpler your elopement, the less it will cost. Some parents offer their children a choice between a down payment on a house or a big wedding. You have to take all your options into account and decide, together, where you want to spend your money. It's all about what's important to you.
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Step 3:
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Decide What Kind Of Stress You Want
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The average planning time for a traditional wedding is 12-18 months. Some couples spend two years planning their wedding. There are a lot of details, a lot of decisions to make, and a lot of checks to write. The process of planning a wedding can also create tension among families and friends and cause disagreements that lead to hurt and resentment. Some brides and grooms may feel shy about being the center of attention. Eloping can be stressful as well. Friends and families may be hurt and feel shut out of the process. Keeping plans to elope secret can be difficult. The best solution for you may be not be either/or, but a compromise. Increasingly, couples are not having big, traditional weddings, but they are telling family and friends that they're going to run off and get married, or even bringing key family members or friends along. There are no rules anymore; it's up to you. Once you've made it through these three steps, though, the decision about whether eloping is right for you should be much clearer.
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