In case you haven’t noticed, 2020 wedding season is looking a little… well, different than in years past. With the pandemic looming over their heads, couples have been opting to postpone their weddings entirely, switch to family-only gatherings, or just throw tradition to the wind and straight-up elope. 

If you’ve dreamed about a traditional wedding since you were in diapers, this option might sound like a bummer. But it doesn’t have to be that way! 

Even before coronavirus hit, elopements were on the rise among millennials. In 2017, Glamour dubbed eloping as the “new lavish wedding” because it allows couples who are low on cash to save their money for, say, a glamorous vacation later on. (Bali, baby!) It also eliminates the stress of having to decide which of your 127 college sorority sisters will be in your wedding party. 

Plus, there’s something super romantic about getting married on a whim, with almost no one involved except the two of you. Rather than waiting for the perfect (mask-free) moment to tie the knot in front of everyone you know, you’re diving headfirst into your life together without telling a soul — except maybe your parents and your bestie. You can soak in the excitement of your big day without the anxiety that often comes with pulling off a traditional wedding. Obsessing about your great uncle having one too many gin and tonics and tripping on the dance floor? No, thank you!

So, if you’re looking to get married in the next year or two, and you’re still unsure what that will look like because of the virus… you may want to give eloping a second thought. Remember that it’s the significance of your wedding day that makes it memorable. In 50 years, you won’t be thinking about the flower arrangements, guest list, or whether your heels were getting ruined in the grass. You’ll remember the feeling you had when you looked into your partner’s eyes and said “I do.”

Oh, and P.S.? You can elope and still hire a killer photographer to document the day. 😉 As long as you post it up on the ‘gram, your friends will totally still feel like a part of your moment.