Does that little fantasy inside you say, "Yes - I want to fly off into the sunset - just me and my honey!" Doesn't that sound so incredibly romantic? It's too bad everyone else thinks you should have the big fluffy wedding. But now that you are happily engaged and giddy with excitement, don't secretly wish for sand at your feet while you say your vows. Stand up and just say: "We're outta here, you coming with us?" Now, the pressure is off, the weight has been lifted, and your wedding plans are now fun and exciting, just like you hoped they'd be.

There are so many different ways to elope, and no, not all involve sneaking away into the night. Although that is an option! These days, eloping is anything but traditional. I mean - anything goes! From the steps of city hall to historic churches, a gondola in Italy, to a bikini or au naturel wedding on the beach! It can be just the two of you, or you can invite the whole family and friends to enjoy a destination get-away too.

Let's also take a look at the financial aspects. Traditional weddings are a bit like anything else you purchase - you get what you pay for. Style and Reality go hand in hand, and both seem to start at $17,000 these days. But in reality, you're looking at more like $34,000 for something very nice. So forget the idea of a traditional Mercedes-style wedding on an $8,000 budget. You might just have to give up the local country club setting or the sit-down dinner for 200 guests if you're not up for spending a little bit of money.

So let's look at what saving that extra $17,000 could do for you if you opted for the destination plan. Let's say you opened up a cute little Schwab account with your favorite broker and called it "Our Wedding". You then deposited this $17K for 30 years at an average of 12.2% return - you are now looking at $537,322 or $296,640 at a 10% rate of return. You could travel the world with this kind of money if you wanted to!! Oh, the power of compounding... So if your fiancé initially rejects the Tahiti trip, throw some of these figures at him. Then, buy a bottle of his favorite wine, clink glasses, and think of all the wonderful things you could do with that money.

Of course, it's up to you how much you want to spend on your destination wedding. It could be as grandiose as one you would have in your hometown, or it could be very relaxed and romantic. Plan your wedding yourself or let Wedding-Club.com's destination specialists help you! We can create an incredible event, just as romantic and beautiful as if you were at home, but with a very different backdrop! Just imagine - you could feel like a princess walking down an aisle of an incredibly beautiful church, many centuries old, taking in the perfumed smells of fresh, tropical flowers. Or imagine riding along a candle-lit pathway through a castle on a horse-drawn carriage. If you've dreamed of it, we can make it happen!

So don't give in to peer pressure - go with your dreams and fantasies! It could just be the best dream you've ever experienced, and all while you're awake!

This article was contributed by Karen Hohlen.