Elopements are just that. It is me, the Officiant and the couple. Usually I will allow up to 5 guests but a true elopement is just the three of us.
First things first — you need to know what a civil ceremony is before you can start planning one, right?
Contrary to what you might think, a civil ceremony doesn’t mean common law, a civil union or even a drive-through, Vegas-style affair. A civil ceremony is simply a nonreligious, legal marriage ceremony presided over by a legal official instead of a religious one.
Why have a civil ceremony?
Couples who opt for civil ceremonies usually fall into one of the following groups:
- Neither person is religious or subscribes to an organized religion, or they feel uncomfortable with the idea of a religious ceremony.
- Both partners come from different religious backgrounds, so they choose the civil route to avoid potential problems with interfaith ceremonies (but know that interfaith marriages are increasingly common and not the headache they once were).
- Your ideal ceremony is more creative than clergy will allow (for example, you want to include readings from your favorite poems or books, pop songs for your processional and recessional, or performance art or Buddhist rituals).
- An officiant at your place of worship won’t preside over an outside ceremony, but you can’t imagine saying “I do” anywhere other than that hillside location overlooking the ocean.