A wedding on the sly? Here are the top places to elope
Viva Las Vegas!
Sin City continues to hold strong as the most popular place in the world to elope, according to a new study by Vegas-based Chapel of the Flowers.
The wedding chapel says it analyzed worldwide trends and Google search data from the past year to determine where couples from the United States are searching to elope.
Top 10 places to elope
The study came up with the top 10 most popular places to elope worldwide for American couples.
Without further ado, here they are:
Las Vegas
Italy
Scotland
Ireland
Spain
Nashville
New Orleans
Iceland
Greece
New York City
Eloping in Las Vegas
The study says that Las Vegas receives 11,800 searches every month worldwide for terms like "Vegas elopement" and "elope in Las Vegas," and #Vegaselopement has 24,000 Instagram hashtags.
Many, many weddings have taken place among Las Vegas' little white chapels, with many an Elvis impersonator among the guests.
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Popular places to elope
The study says Italy placed second due to its range of historic and beautiful locales like Venice, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany.
Scotland draws couples with its "breathtaking landscapes and historic castles," with destinations like the Isle of Skye, Loch Lomond and Edinburgh, while Spain has stunning historic architecture in cities like Barcelona, Seville and Madrid and beaches along the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
Four of the top 10, Las Vegas, Nashville, New Orleans and New York City are in the United States, suggestions couples running away to wed don't always go too far from home.
Elopement trends
The study also says that searches for "elopement" are the highest on record, having significantly increased worldwide since 2004, while "elopement packages" have risen 186% since 2004.
It says that, according to Google Trends, the United States is the country most interested in elopement, followed by Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland.
The study also suggests that millennials are driving much of the interest, as a means to save money. According to trends from Pinterest, 66% of search for "elopement ideas" over the past year have been from people aged 25 to 34, with 88% of them being female.
“Between navigating pandemic restrictions and the hassle of planning an elaborate celebration, more couples have been choosing to elope over recent years in order to save themselves time, stress and money," said Chapel of the Flowers CEO Donne Kerestic.
“This study offers a fascinating insight into which locations are the most desirable for couples to elope worldwide, with Las Vegas unsurprisingly taking the crown.”
Ilana Keller is an award-winning journalist and lifelong New Jersey resident who loves Broadway and really bad puns. Reach out on Twitter: @ilanakeller; ikeller@gannettnj.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Las Vegas weddings: Top 10 places to elope for Americans
