Maine & NH Elopement Photographer | Why Elopement Vows Are Different (And Way More Vulnerable)
True elopement vows hit different. And it’s not because the words are prettier or more poetic—it’s because they’re not written for an audience.
At a big wedding, vows tend to carry a little… pressure. You’re standing in front of parents, grandparents, friends, coworkers, maybe that one cousin who cries loudly at everything. Even the most heartfelt vows get edited in your head.
You soften things.
You cut the inside jokes.
You skip the messy, tender, this-is-just-for-you stuff.
Totally normal. Also totally human.
Elopement vows don’t have that filter.
When it’s just the two of you (maybe in the mountains, maybe by the ocean, maybe freezing your asses off in the woods) you’re not performing. You’re talking to the person you chose. Full stop.
That’s why elopement vows tend to be deeper, and way more personal. They include things like:
fears you don’t usually say out loud
gratitude for moments no one else knows about
promises that don’t need explaining
There’s no need to make it palatable or polished. No one’s grading you. No one’s waiting for a laugh line. You don’t have to balance vulnerability with “keeping it light.”
You can be honest without buffering it.
And from behind the camera? You can feel the difference. The pauses are longer. The eye contact is heavier. The emotions don’t rush because there’s no crowd shifting in their seats.
Elopement vows often sound less like a speech and more like a conversation you were always meant to have—but never with witnesses.
That’s the beauty of a true elopement. It gives you permission to be fully yourselves without worrying about who’s watching.
No audience.
No performance.
Just two people saying the real things.
And honestly? Those are the vows that tend to stick with people the longest, because they were never meant for anyone else in the first place.
