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Once upon a time when a man and woman wanted to get married, they made an appointment and they did it. The fanfare was minimal. Sometimes they didn't even pick each other, but had their parents do it for them. How easy!
Fast forward to now: weddings are out of control. Every little girl has been planning every detail of her wedding since she was five. That in itself wouldn't be so terrible, except that her mother and future mother-in-law have been doing the same thing. What happens when you try and roll three weddings into one? A lot of hurt feelings, crossed boundaries, and way too many wedding books.
The enchanting alternative: eloping. Imagine you and your honey making a romantic, somewhat sporadic, getaway where the day really is about the two of you and your love for each other. It could be walking on the beach, the middle of New York (or Vegas for that matter), or tucked away in a mountain resort. Eloping, yes that is the way to go.
Being a savvy super hostess myself, I was excited to get engaged to the man of my dreams and plan a huge, fabulous wedding. WE TV's "Bridezillas" didn't faze me- surely those basket cases would have nothing to do with how my big day came together. But little did I know then that while most single women are perfectly capable of throwing A wedding, once it's their OWN, all bets are off.
I blame the parents. Not just for my therapy bills, but for buying in to the madness that is a modern American wedding. Both my mother and mother-in-law own at least 50 Bridal magazines and books a piece! My mother-in-law's manual, "Mother of the Groom" by Sharon Naylor lists bullet points on the back, one intriguingly enough "how to share the spotlight with the mother-of-the-bride." As if this was their big debut!
It's stressful enough taking your relationship with your fiance to the permanent level, you don't need the financial, familial, and cultural stress of a wedding. Elope while you still have a shard of sanity to call your own!

Learn more about this author, Katharine Jones.
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