Elopements are on the rise as more and more people are opting out of the traditional wedding and prioritising enriching honeymoon experiences instead. With the average cost of a UK wedding currently standing at £18,400 and the cost-of-living crisis on the rise, it comes as no surprise that couples are opting for an elopement wedding to reduce costs and make their money stretch further.
Since COVID-19, honeymoon costs have also been on the rise, currently standing at £3,800, up 23% from 2021, as fewer couples are choosing UK-based staycations now that travel restrictions have relaxed after an unprecedented few years.
As such, Go2Africa share some of their most luxurious African safari honeymoons that are worth the compromise on a traditional and pricy wedding day.
What is an elopement wedding?
To elope no longer has the same meaning as it once did many years ago. It was originally used to refer to a couple who would run away in order to secretly tie the knot with their forbidden lover. However, this term is now used to describe couples who wish to experience a more informal ceremony abroad, and not adhere to the grandeur of a traditional wedding. Many millennials are seeing the advantages of having an elopement wedding, either through saving money and/or putting more towards indulging in a luxury honeymoon experience of a lifetime or other financial goals such as buying their own property.
Eloping will save you money & keep your finances on track
Think about all the components that make up a traditional wedding – an extensive list of guests to cater for, an impressive venue, transportation, and everything in between. The key takeaway here is that traditional weddings are large celebrations that make a painful dent into your finances. However, the millennial era has given way to a new set of outlooks regarding the celebration of love and the importance of the ‘wedding day’.
Despite the wedding day being the official and legal union of the couple, the honeymoon on the other hand is gaining more recognition, since its importance in setting the tone for the couples married life and future together are now more greatly valued. Many feel that traditional weddings offer little intimacy, with friends and family constantly surrounding the pair and entertainment being one of the main focuses. Elopement weddings on the other hand are more intimate affairs, where the holy knot can be tied with a smaller scale audience as well as saving costs for more valuable time spent together on a luxury honeymoon.
Saving on the wedding means more money for the honeymoon
As millennials wish to focus more on experiences rather than one day long traditions, honeymoons are on the rise, with 75% of newlyweds in 2022 having a honeymoon compared to only 62% who said the same the year before. Saving money on a traditional wedding can not only mean the typical beach holiday, but can mean experiencing longer excursions abroad with a combination of various luxury experiences and accommodation styles.
As such, couples who choose to spend more on their honeymoon tend to opt for enriching experiences that last a life time. Whether this means visiting one of the seven natural wonders of the word or going on a luxury African safari, there is an increased focus of the bond that a travel experience can bring over the grandeur of a traditional wedding day.
Go2Africa assure that their types of guests are those who wish to combine the most romantic destinations with bucket list experiences. Go2Africa noted that beach holidays were once again the most in demand honeymoon type. Fortunately, this is a luxury vacation they offer, featuring some of the best beach destinations for an East African honeymoon and home to some of the world’s greatest wildlife reserves.
There are few adventures more unforgettable than a safari honeymoon – luxury accommodation in spell-binding locations; discreet service and sumptuous cuisine; total privacy and exclusivity – all wrapped in seamless, world class logistics. And all this being achievable due to prioritising your honeymoon as a greater financial goal than the wedding itself. It’s a no brainer when you think about it (pun intended).
Honeymoons are becoming one of the most important financial goals
With honeymoons creeping up to the top of people’s financial priority lists, it may come as no surprise that couples are also choosing to spend on honeymoons over house deposits and even family planning costs.
With the average property price now being 10x the national income, it puts an extreme financial strain on first time buyers. This, combined with a shift from younger people to focus more on experiences than assets has led to a huge shift in attitudes towards saving for a deposit on their first home. This may be yet another reason why eloped weddings are on the rise, as millennials are wanting to get the most out of their money and not waste income that could be allocated to more important things in the future, whether that be a honeymoon travel adventure, buying their first property or any other important financial goal.