5 reasons why you should get an elopement registry

So you're planning to elope? Congratulations!

That means booking the venue or photographer, buying flowers, or choosing a caterer, right? All you have to do is show up at city hall or wherever you're saying “I do” and make sure the officiant is there.

Not so much.

Though elopements take far less work than a wedding, there are still some details that need to be worked out and some expenses to be covered (here's our favorite elopement checklist). What do you plan to wear? Will you get married locally or go abroad (safely)? What will you do if people ask what you'd like for a gift?

That's where the elopement registry comes in. This handy tool allows you to announce your plans and include a few gift ideas for friends and family members who might want to surprise you. Many couples use their registry to help pay for their elopement trip or save up for their future.

If you think registries are just for big weddings, guess again. If you're eloping, here are five reasons why you're going to be glad you built that elopement registry.

1. Your elopement should be a celebrated experience

Whether you have a wedding at a church, a fancy hotel, or city hall, your marriage deserves to be celebrated. It's a personal decision to get married, and the fact that you and your partner love each other so much to commit to one another is a triumph. No matter if you're having a big wedding or eloping, you and your partner deserve the opportunity to get excited about spending the rest of your lives together.

Elopements today are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Just as you would create a wedding registry if you were inviting 100 people to your wedding, you should create an elopement registry to celebrate your union. You're entitled to it just as much as any other couple.

Remember, you're still getting married, and that's all the reason you need.

2. Your friends and family want to toast your marriage

Some couples fear having an elopement registry looks tacky to their friends and family members. After all, they won't be attending the ceremony, and if you're not planning to hold a reception, you might wonder if it's okay to ask for gifts.

The truth is that your friends and family members want to toast your union, and the easiest way to do that is with a gift. Your married friends and older family members know how helpful gifts can be to a newly married couple as they start building their home together or paying for their honeymoon. Giving a gift is a fun way to wish the couple well and help them with expensive purchases along the way.

It's also no secret that weddings, be they big or small, can get pretty expensive. For couples trying to buy their first home or planning to start a family soon, spending money on all the costs of a wedding might seem superfluous. Your friends and family can certainly understand your desire for eloping so you can focus on some big-picture expenses, and they'll likely want to help with some of those expenses.

Having an elopement registry on Hitchd takes all the guesswork out of giving a gift for friends and family, and it also allows you and your partner to thank them in advance. Many couples use the registry to thank everyone for their love and support as well as assure them that gifts are not at all necessary, but nevertheless appreciated.

To think of it another way, you've likely given gifts to others who have gotten married. Surely, those happy couples would like to repay your kindness and wish you well, even if you're eloping.

3. Even eloping can get expensive

There's more than one way to elope. You can always go down to the local city hall, but many couples choose a destination elopement to make their experience a little more special.

Couples using Simply Eloped, our favorite elopement package platform that helps couples plan their perfect elopement, have been planning beautiful destination elopements that let them celebrate their milestone in style. This amazing service ensures no detail slips through the cracks, so with a little help from the elopement planners, all the couple has to do is show up and say "I do."

But even doing a destination elopement can build up expenses quickly. Couples need to pay for airfare, accommodations, meals, and any activities they plan to do while they're away. Though you won't spend nearly as much money on an elopement as you would a wedding, the expenses can still add up.

That's where an elopement registry comes in. These elopement registries allow friends and family members to contribute to those expenses as gifts for the big day. You already know that your loved ones want to celebrate your big achievement. An elopement registry lets them choose which expenses they'd like to help with as a gift. Your friends might want to pay for a romantic dinner, and your aunt and uncle might send you two to the day spa for a little pampering.

4. Your home is need of some upgrades

For couples that are choosing local honeymoons and staycations, the home may be a bigger priority in terms of spending. Maybe you and your partner haven't lived together yet, or maybe the last of your joint college furniture is finally falling apart. Now that you're getting married, it's time to replace some of those goods.

With an elopement registry, you can ask well-wishers to contribute to your home by listing either individual items you'd like, such as a new coffee maker or a set of sheets o (typically used for larger gifts).

House cash funds have become popular among couples because they allow friends and family members to contribute whatever amount they would like, and the money goes directly to you to help pay for house-related expenses. Some couples use cash funds to put towards a down payment, while others specify that the money will be used to buy furniture or other household goods.

5. It's vital to keep everyone updated

An elopement registry does more for you than just list gifts. It's also a helpful tool to help friends and family members stay on top of your plans.

Even the best-laid plans change. Maybe you were planning a destination elopement, but now you've decided to stay close to home. Or perhaps you wanted to elope, but now you and your partner are considering having a wedding and reception instead. All of those options are okay. Couples change their minds all the time.

So how do you communicate that with your family and friends? The elopement registry is a great tool to keep everyone updated on what's going on. With Hitchd, you can update your introduction at the top of your registry so any visitors know what's changed. You share the link on social media or email it out so that everyone knows that plans have changed.

All weddings, even elopements, deserve to be celebrated and having an elopement registry ensures that your big day won't be overlooked or covered up. If anything, an elopement registry gets more people involved in your big day, so that everyone feels connected to the happy couple.

Ready to start your elopement registry? Get started and build your perfect registry today!