Is eloping a sin?

Honestly, we’re crushed that this is even a question, but I understand the stigma that eloping has.  Eloping is not a sin when you really consider the creativity that comes along with it.  It wouldn’t be a great Christian wedding idea to dishonor your father and mother to elope, ditch your church family, or have your ceremony ungodly, right?  But these are all myths that come along with eloping.  You see, eloping can honor your parents, include your church family, and have your ceremony in a place that honors Christ (maybe in one of these Best Places to Elope in the US) and the covenant you’re making.  Eloping is one of the best Christian wedding ideas to keep the focus on what marriage truly is.

A great Christian wedding idea for an elopement would be to bring parents along (or facetime them if that’s more your jam), have someone from your church family officiate, and have a meaningful ceremony somewhere that showcases God’s creation.  

Check out some other Christian wedding photographers’ perspectives on it too!

“Eloping models the very first marriage – just two people alone with their God. Throughout the Bible, weddings looked different as traditions were built, but God does not mandate those traditions. He simply wants to be a witness to the wedding of two people who love Him and each other. Eloping empowers couples to take back what is good and special about the day that marks the start of their marriage.” (Alyssa Swedick at Alyssa Swedick Photography)

How can eloping as a Christian wedding option honor God?

Since we’ve discovered that eloping is not a sin, let’s check out how to take yours and consider how it can best honor God with these awesome Christian wedding ideas!

“In my personal opinion I think eloping outside in nature is a great way to honor God. The Lord created all of this beautiful land and I think getting married and sharing this sacred moment in an untouched place is so special and honors the beauty he created. You can also honor the Lord when eloping by keeping some of those traditions in your ceremony like prayer, scripture, etc! Also, just because you are eloping doesn’t mean that you can’t have your minister from your church merry you! I had a couple from Texas that brought their pastor they’ve been connected with since youth all the way to Sedona for a two mile hike to marry them! If your pastor doesn’t want to hike you can still do the ceremony somewhere that doesn’t require hiking and then do photos elsewhere if you wish!” (Traci Edwards at Adventure and Vow)

Is eloping selfish?

Eloping is not selfish when you consider the motives of your heart.  As Christians we often have a different understanding of what marriage is than others.  We believe the wedding is about the marriage and not so much about frills.  Thus, eloping places emphasis on what actually matters on that day–your covenant with one another and with God.  It’s a pretty baller Christian wedding idea if you ask me!

“Is planning a day around a sacred union between you, your future spouse and God, selfish? Eloping gives you the freedom to center your wedding day around your ceremony, your experience. Traditional weddings focus on event planning. Knowing that, what would you say, friend? We believe that it’s the furthest thing from selfish, because it just relieves pressure to focus on what is really important to you – getting married.” (Emmy Ga at Celebrate Again)

What Christian wedding traditions can you incorporate into your Christian elopement?

Christian Wedding Ideas: Unity Symbols

“The beauty of elopements is getting to keep the traditions you want and ditching the ones that feel outdated or not fitting for you.  You see, true elopements aren’t about running away together, they are about taking the focus of a wedding day off event planning and back around the sacred union between a couple. In the end isn’t that what a Christian wedding could be? Elopement or not. In our decade of experience we’ve had couples include everything from a rope tying ceremony, sand pouring, take communion and even create an ebenezer or stack of stones to honor God’s help in their marriage. You can keep whatever traditions you want!” (Emmy Ga at Celebrate Again)

Christian Wedding Ideas: Prayer and Scripture

“We often also officiate for our couples! I love when couples still include prayers and scriptures in their ceremony. We have had couples have their parents send us scripture to include as a surprise which is a nice touch for keeping tradition but also including family. We will open and close ceremonies with prayer often. I have also had couples do a private prayer together during their first look prior to the ceremony starting. This is part of one of our couples ceremony recently that included scripture:

‘As the Bible tells us in the book of Matthew, “Everyone therefore who hears these my words and acts upon them shall be likened to a wise man who built his house on a rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew against that house, but it did not fall because it was founded on a Rock.’

This verse not only represents the value and power in living a life of faith and love, but draws a beautiful parallel in choosing this location to begin your journey in marriage. As all canyon walls once were connected by earth, the pressures of wind, water, and the shifts of the planet wear down the space in between, leaving the strong and solid rock behind. Here where you will take your vows, the ground you stand on has withstood the powerful pressures of time. What better place could there be to make promises that will last a lifetime. I know that we have prepared personal vows for each other, who would like to share theirs first?'” (Traci Edwards at Adventure and Vow)

“You can pray and meditate on your elopement day.  We are called to be in constant communication with God & to meditate on the Word. Therefore reading scripture on your wedding day or having a moment of worship and praying in tongues are all things His children are called to do. So why not do it on the day that two hearts become one.

‘Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.'” (Krystal Shuhyta at Fly Free Photos)

Here’s some extra help:

As believers, we know the pressure that can come with making big decisions like who and how you marry!  There’s a lot of pressure from the world and even our sweet church families to do what’s already been done before and choose a traditional wedding day.  However–we love helping couples make that decision prayerfully for themselves, because isn’t honoring God with your marriage the best Christian wedding idea of all time?  We think so!

Here some additional resources to help with your decision:

Should I Elope | Listing 10 reasons couples typically choose to elope

How to Elope | Because you will definitely need a checklist to get the elopement process started

Glacier National Park Elopement Guide | As photographers, we believe this is one of the most gorgeous and God-glorifying places to get married in the US!