The Everything Elopement Book : Avoid the Wedding Chaos Book

	Acknowledgments	xi
	The Top Ten Elopement Checklist Items	xii
	Introduction	xiii
Chapter 1	No Stress, No Hassles	1
	Your Real Wedding Persona	2
	Fewer Details to Contend With	9
	On Your Timetable	11
	The Spotlight Is Off	14
	Breaking Traditions	18
	Religious Issues	19
	Is There Anything More Romantic?	20
Chapter 2	Not Everything's Relative	23
	Mamma Mia!	24
	Step Problems	26
	Two Families to Deal With	28
	The Whole Family's Here	29
	Attendants from Hell	32
	Best of the Best	38
Chapter 3	Financial Considerations	39
	A Word on Budgeting	40
	He Just Hired a Helicopter Limo!	41
	Talking Turkey--and All the Rest	43
	Your Economic Status	46
	Start Off on the Right Foot	48
	Plan for a Big Future	50
	It's Your Money, So Keep It	53
Chapter 4	Reasons to Reconsider	57
	Marry Me Now--or Never	58
	Eloping on Military Time	60
	It's a Matter of Trust	63
	Family Troubles	65
	I Just Want to Be a Bride	68
	Not Without My Family	72
	So What's Your Final Answer?	74
Chapter 5	Get Cracking!	75
	A Planned Elopement	76
	Whittling Down the Possibilities	76
	Getting Creative	79
	Wedding Wear	82
	Who's in on This?	87
	Dealing with Snags and Delays	88
Chapter 6	Easy Escapes	91
	Popular Destinations	92
	Off the Beaten Path	97
	Consider the Details	98
	There's a Place for You	101
	Weekend Getaways	104
	Simple Civil Ceremonies	107
Chapter 7	Elopement Fundamentals	111
	Marriage License	112
	Other Requirements	113
	Marriage Overseas	115
	Finding the Officiant	116
	Don't Forget the Rings	120
	Honeymoon Plans	125
Chapter 8	Personalizing Your Elopement	129
	Wedding Vows	130
	Sticking with Tradition	133
	Including a Few VIPs	136
	Wedding Mementos	138
	Creative Keepsakes	142
	Special Sites	144
Chapter 9	Coming Home Married	149
	We Have Something to Tell You	150
	Informing Your Estranged Family	154
	Your New In-Laws	156
	Smoothing Things Over	156
	Getting over Wedding Fantasies	161
	One Big Happy Family	164
	Family Problems Solved	169
Chapter 10	Making Post-Elopement Rounds	171
	Wedding Announcements	172
	A Post-Wedding Reception	176
	I Do, Redux	180
	Look on the Bright Side	181
	What about Gifts?	182
	Drawing the Line	187
Chapter 11	Quieting the Naysayers	189
	Initial Reactions	190
	Wild Accusations	191
	Handling the Negativity	192
	Friends Behaving Badly	195
	Lingering Negative Vibes	198
	United You Stand	202
Chapter 12	Happily Ever After	207
	Back to Normal Life	208
	Family Finances	210
	On the Home Front	214
	Newlywed Trials	217
	What Have I Gotten Myself Into?	221
	When It's Time for Counseling	225
Appendix A	Additional Resources	227
Appendix B	Tipping Guide	231