Traditional, Intimate, or Elopement? Choosing The Type of Wedding That Fits Your Love Story

You’re engaged! Congratulations! Now the real work starts, and the first decision you’ll have to make is what type of wedding you want to plan. The three most common types of weddings are a traditional wedding, an intimate wedding, or an elopement. Deciding which one to go with will change the planning process, the feel of the day, and the entire experience. The good part: you can’t really go wrong. You just have to choose what feels truest to you and your love story.  

Do you dream of wearing a pristine ivory gown, planning elaborate decor, and being surrounded by the many faces that have been involved in your life? If so, a traditional wedding may be the perfect match for you. 

Traditional weddings tend to include the things that first pop into your head when you think about a wedding. The full bridal parties. The formal venues. The beautiful florals. The dancing at the end of the night. They’re intended to be celebrations centered around structure, tradition, and community. 

When planning a traditional wedding, it’s important to think about the scale and extravagance you want to execute. You may want a formal wedding that takes place in the ballroom of a hotel with hundreds of guests and modern decorations. You may want a hundred guests all gathered for a church ceremony before traveling to a reception hall for dinner. You may want an outdoor ceremony where your smaller guest count can transition seamlessly to your barn reception. There are lots of ways to host a traditional wedding, and it’s still very easy to personalize it to fit your tastes. 

Do you picture your wedding day involving traditional elements but on a smaller scale with more flexibility? If a big white wedding isn’t your style, but you can’t quite let go of some of the traditional aspects, then an intimate wedding might be exactly what you’re looking for. 

Intimate weddings involve many things that traditional weddings do: catering, cake, florals, bridal parties, and more. However, intimate weddings are intended to be more flexible with locations, times, and structures. They’re meant to allow for quality time spent with a smaller amount of guests that have impacted you and your spouse in some way. 

Planning an intimate wedding doesn’t need to involve too much stress or deep structure. It could be a lodge wedding at the place your family vacations every year. It could be a church wedding with a reception at your favorite restaurant. It could even be a gathering of your closest family and friends in your own backyard. There are so many ways to make your big day personal, intimate, and authentic to your community. 

Are you over the large crowds, high bills, and traditions? Are you wishing for an adventure completely personalized and spent entirely with your significant other? If your answer is ‘yes’, then an elopement is the ideal way to say ‘I do.” 

Elopements are meant to be intentional, private, and unique. While they can sometimes include traditional things like white wedding dresses, bouquets, and sometimes a small bridal party, their focus is often on less structure and more time. 

While there is a different level of planning that goes into an elopement, the personalized aspects are hard to beat. You could host your wedding on a mountaintop looking out on a national park. You could meet at the courthouse and spend the entire day with just your spouse. You could travel somewhere you’ve always dreamed of going and create a day full of adventure. The ideas are limitless, and it’s all based on what means the most to you. 

The wedding scene is evolving. There’s no longer one way to have a wedding. Your choices are truly endless, and while that may seem daunting, the first step is knowing what type of wedding feels right for you. All three wedding types can be personalized and intentional.  The choice comes down to what’s important to you, how you want to spend the time, and what feels the most authentic to your love story.