What to Wear When Eloping: Outfit Inspo for the Bride and Groom

You want to be married like yesterday, so what are you waiting for? Oh, a great outfit? Well, why didn’t you just say so? Just because you aren’t going the traditional marriage route doesn’t mean you can’t look dynamite while you’re doing it! If you’re ready to jet-set into the great unknown with your best friend, here are some outfit ideas you both will appreciate.

What Is an Elopement?

Before we get into the outfit ideas, let’s get you up to speed. If you’re here, you probably already know the answer to this, but just in case, we’ll explain the concept of elopements.

An elopement is a marriage “conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving a hurried flight away from one’s place of residence.” Elopements can take place without the parents’ knowledge (sometimes due to lack of approval) and tend to be much smaller gatherings than a typical wedding. You can still do all the basic marriage things, of course. You can still have a great outfit. You can still find the perfect men’s wedding band. Just because you’re eloping doesn’t mean you have to settle.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into the good stuff. It should be obvious, but just in case, make sure you know the weather where you’re going. Are you eloping to a beach getaway? Check that weather report just in case. The last thing you want is to get stuck in a perfect all-white outfit on the one rainy day a year in paradise.

Source: shutterstock.com/Irina Montero

For the Bride

Light Pastel Dress

You don’t have to wear white if you’re eloping. Well, you don’t have to wear white regardless, but you get what we mean. You have tons of creativity here, so use it! If your local scenery is filled with light colors, why not go for something that complements it? A soft pastel pink looks good on many brides, so keep it in mind!

Boho Style

You could go dress or jumpsuit here. Up to you! There’s something about Bohemian style in general that lends itself naturally to an elopement, so run with it. Go for whites and light earth tones here, and play around with the textures that are prevalent in Bohemian outfits.

Midi Dress

You can go upscale with something in silk or more casual with just cotton, but it’s a style that looks great for the warm weather. The best part is that casual midi dresses lend themselves naturally to warm weather travel due to their upscale casual style so that it can pull double-duty as an everyday outfit post-elopement.

Embrace Darker Colors

Sure, elopements are often considered to be a summer activity, but who says they have to be? If you’re setting out on your adventure in the fall, embrace the colors that come with the season. Fall is great because of its robust color palette and the prevalence of different textures you can use in your dress, jumpsuit or any casual outfit you want for your elopement.

Source: shutterstock.com/Doralin Samuel Tunas

Start with Your Jewelry

Whether you’ve got a piece with sentimental value or you’re going to pick up some bridal jewelry for the occasion, this can be a good starting point. Sometimes when you’re stuck on a problem, turning it on its head can help, and an outfit is no different. If you’re just stuck on what you want to wear, start with your jewelry, shoes or some more minor part of the outfit and reverse engineer your look.

Mini Dress

An even more casual option, this really just screams elopement in Greece or some other place with incredible beaches. Go simple and flowy here and really lean into your surroundings.

For the Groom

Light-Colored Suit

If you want to flirt with casual but still stay on the formal side, a light-colored suit is a great go-between. Bonus casual-cool points if you get it in linen. Throw on some loafers with no-show socks and you walk the casual/formal line perfectly.

Lose the Jacket

Just go with the vest (or skip the vest even) and casual tie. Lighter-colored pants will help fit the vibe of an elopement better, especially if you’re going with a vest in a light tweed or something similar.

Source: shutterstock.com/rus p

Bold Colors

Sure, you wouldn’t wear a purple suit on the daily (probably), but why not push the style boundaries now? You don’t have to go with a purple suit, of course, but a bold color on a statement piece like a jacket or your shoes can be a ton of fun here.

Shorts

Yes, normally we would chide you for wearing shorts at a wedding. However, you’re not at a wedding; you’re eloping. More importantly, you’re not at someone else’s wedding. It’s your day, so if you want to wear some nice chino shorts, we won’t stop you.

Earth Tones

We’re partial to these in general, but you can’t go wrong with well-coordinated earth tones when eloping. Err on the lighter side with yellows or golden browns in the warmer months, and lean into dark green and dark brown if you’re eloping in the fall.

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