Symbolic vs Civil Ceremony: What to Choose for Your Elopement
When planning a wedding elopement abroad, couples often face the decision of whether they should opt for a civil or symbolic ceremony. While a civil ceremony offers legal recognition that you do need to be officially married, having a legal wedding abroad comes with a number of challenges. In contrast, a symbolic ceremony offers freedom, flexibility, and personalization. Let's dive into whether you should go with a symbolic or civil ceremony for your dream elopement.
Why Are Civil Weddings Overseas More Complicated
Civil Weddings Tend to Be Expensive
Civil ceremonies, especially when done abroad, come with significant legal fees and additional costs. From securing official documents to hiring an interpreter, the expenses can quickly add up, which can bring stress to your wedding elopement planning process, even when you have help from a professional wedding planner.
Lack Personalization
Civil weddings are often conducted in a formulaic way. As personalized vows are usually excluded from a civil wedding ceremony, couples may find that their civil wedding lacks the intimate or unique touches that reflect their relationship. This rigidity can lead to a ceremony that feels dry or impersonal, lacking the warmth that many couples desire. As a result, couples may find that their civil wedding fails to capture the essence of their relationship, missing out on the intimate touches and meaningful parts that could make their special day truly memorable.
No Connection With the Celebrant
In a civil or legal ceremony, you rarely get to meet the celebrant beforehand. This leads to a lack of rapport which can make the ceremony feel a bit disconnected, as the person officiating knows little about your love story or personalities.
Venue Restrictions
Some venues require proof of legal marriage before allowing you to hold a wedding elopement ceremony. This limits your options and adds unnecessary stress to the elopement planning process. For instance, if you're hoping to say your wedding vows on a beach in Greece or in a charming vineyard in Tuscany, you may find that you’re hitting a wall as only certain venues are authorized for civil ceremonies. This not only restricts your choice of ceremony locations but can also lead to compromises on your vision for the day. You might have to settle for a less appealing venue simply because it meets legal requirements.
Language Barriers
Marrying in a foreign country often requires an interpreter for legal proceedings, which adds to the cost and complexity. Misunderstandings during the ceremony could take away from the emotional experience.
What Makes Symbolic Ceremonies Special
Total Freedom
A symbolic elopement ceremony allows couples to celebrate their love without worrying about legal paperwork or restrictions. It allows you to focus on the emotional and spiritual aspects, rather than navigating complex legalities.
2. Completely Personalized
Symbolic ceremonies offer unlimited customization. Whether you want to include personal vows, meaningful rituals, local customs, or hand-written letters from your friends and family, a symbolic elopement ceremony can perfectly reflect your unique love story.
3. Meet and Connect with Your Celebrant
At Somewhere Crazy, you'll have the opportunity to connect with your celebrant beforehand, which helps ease any nerves about having a stranger officiate your ceremony. This also creates rapport and allows for mindfulness and greater personalization, that truly captures your journey as a couple, ensuring that it feels authentic and heartfelt. Not only does it allow the couple to craft their ceremony with the celebrant as they’d like, but the celebrant is usually a great source of support for the couple by providing tips on how to write your vows and ensuring you both feel happy and fully present for one of the most beautiful moments of your lives.
4. Choose Any Venue
Since no legalities are involved, symbolic ceremonies can be held anywhere—from a scenic mountaintop in the Dolomites, Italy to a secluded beach from Mallorca, Spain. The only limit is your imagination! Just imagine how special and unique your wedding story will be—one that you can proudly share with future generations. Can’t you already picture it - telling your kids how you said "I do" in one of the most breathtaking and unconventional locations in Europe, creating memories that are as adventurous and remarkable as your love story itself.
5. No Legal Hassle
No need to worry about interpreters or confusing legal procedures. Your symbolic ceremony is purely about you, free from the stress of paperwork or bureaucratic hurdles.
Click here to see the beautiful gallery of Dom & Daniel's Elopement in Dolomites
Symbolic vs. Civil Ceremony at Somewhere Crazy
While eloping with Somewhere Crazy means that you can decide whether you’d prefer a symbolic or a civil wedding ceremony, we would definitely encourage our couples to choose a symbolic wedding ceremony. Not only do we prefer them due to their personalization, but it also makes for a stress-free experience for couples.
In order to avoid any legal complications, the easiest thing for the couple to do is to get their marriage certificates in their home country. This is usually quite straightforward as there’s no confusion about the legal process and things don’t get lost in translation. Once the couple has their certificates, they can travel anywhere in the world for their elopement ceremony.
Although getting your marriage certificates beforehand may seem less romantic, we promise you that you won’t regret having a wedding ceremony that’s truly tailored to you and contains special personal touches that you’ll carry with you into your marriage. While civil weddings serve a practical purpose, a symbolic ceremony, allows you to tailor it to a real celebration of your journey together without any legal and financial stress.
Conclusion
Elopements are meant to be intimate, adventurous, and personal—free from the constraints of traditional weddings and rigid formalities, making a symbolic ceremony the perfect choice for couples who want to craft their own unique experience. Whether you're envisioning a romantic, timeless setting by the shores of Lake Como or among the historic beauty of Rome, seeking adventure in the breathtaking Dolomites, or escaping to the vibrant energy of Barcelona, a symbolic ceremony offers the freedom to choose the perfect backdrop for your love story.
Would you like to weigh your options with one of our wedding planners? Inquire today and book a call, we’ll be more than happy to share our expertise!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Although a civil ceremony is possible, most couples aquire their marriage certificates in their home country before eloping and doing a symbolic ceremony for their elopement. While civil ceremonies tend to be more cut and dry, symbolic ceremonies can be completely personalized and adapted to your wishes.
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You can absolutely elope and organize a wedding with your loved ones upon your return! In fact, most of our couples organize a reception when they get back from Europe. Its a great opportunity to showcase your beautiful elopement photos, tell stories about your trip, and celebrate with your friends and family.
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To elope no longer means running away from your family to get married in secret. In fact, you can definitely elope even if you’re Christian, you’ll simply need a bishop and two witnesses (which can be members of your Dream Team).
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You most certainly can! You could even consider eloping to Europe, Asia, or another fun destination. Combine your wedding with your honeymoon for a trip of a lifetime!
