A staggering 60% of couples now consider eloping for their wedding day
Image: Jcob Nasyr via Unsplash
Recent research has revealed a rise of 154% in couples interested in eloping between 2017 and 2018, suggesting a continued rise for 2019.
The report, compiled by Grosvenor Casinos, investigated the amount of couples actively sharing and talking about elopement weddings via online social channels and forums as well as searching for keywords.
September and November 2018 were the most popular months for couples discussing elopements, a shift on the previous year's most popular months which were June and July.
From the data, the top 15 elopement destinations were revealed as:
- California, USA
- Las Vegas, USA
- Hawaii, USA
- New York, USA
- Florida, USA
- The Bahamas, Caribbean
- The Seychelles
- Fiji
- Barbados, Caribbean
- South Africa
- Ontario, Canada
- Gretna Green, Scotland
- The British Virgin Islands, Caribbean
- Cyprus
- Cayman Islands
Each destination was indexed according to various desirable factors with California's warm weather and laid-back nature leading it to claim the top spot. Las Vegas - which is known as the Wedding Capital of the World - continues to prove popular with 204 weddings held there each day.
Still, while far-flung destinations grow in popularity among UK couples, the future of European elopements hangs in the balance as the impact of Brexit looms over the wedding industry.
The full breakdown of the Wedding Elopmement Index can be viewed on the Grosvenor Casinos' website.
Did you elope for your wedding and what led you to do so? We would love to hear from you; email sarah.harris@archant.co.uk.
