Woman who eloped explained how she still involved her family and friends

A woman has been praised after she explained how she still managed to include her family in her wedding despite deciding to elope.

For those who don’t know - an elopement traditionally sees those who are getting hitched opting to do so by slipping off together quietly and without a ‘big day’.

One such couple was Kianna Carpenter and her partner Kelsie, who married in a stunning private ceremony in July this year - but unlike most elopements they found a way to include those closest to them.

In a video on TikTok, Kianna, from the US, explained: “My fiancée has a big family and I have a really small family so we really had to compromise on this - but we still wanted everyone to feel included, like our friends, too.

“So we sent out elopement cards. So, not an invitation but, like, ‘hey this is happening’.

“Anyway, we sent out these cards and they’re so adorable. We put our engagement photos on here and it says ‘We’re eloping’. And we put a cute, short note on here telling them where and when.

“Like, ‘you’re not invited but this is when we’re doing it, so keep us in your thoughts’ type vibe.”

Kianna then shared the note for anyone looking for ‘inspo’ for what to include on the card - in regard to a honeymoon fund or gift registry.

She continued: “So we put, ‘We will be celebrating our love by spending two weeks travelling Europe. We are lucky enough to have everything we need for this next chapter in our lives. But a contribution to our honeymoon fund, instead of a gift, is much appreciated. Thank you for being a part of our journey.’”

The couple then put a link to a Zola account where loved ones could contribute to their honeymoon fund.

She finished the clip by adding: “I just thought this was a really cute for all the brides who don’t want to spend $50,000 (£40,000) on a wedding. I didn’t want to do anything tacky, like, ‘you’re not invited but still send us money’ - this was just a cute way of doing it.”

Others soon piled in to praise the tip, with some saying they had done similar for their own elopement.

One person said: “Omg thank you! This is EXACTLY what my fiancé and I plan on doing.”

Another added: “I had chatGPT write me something asking for contributions instead of gifts and it was incredible. 10/10 would recommend."

“Ugh such a good idea we’re so excited to do this in a few months," wrote a third.