Kelly Clarkson Wedding CANCELED: 'Stronger' Songstress and Fiance Brandon Blackstock will Elope, 'More Intimate, Less Hectic' [STATEMENT]

Turns out that former "American Idol" sweetheart Kelly Clarkson and fiance Brandon Blackstock will NOT be tying the knot in an extravagant wedding ceremony this October. Instead, the duo has decided to elope in an intimate setting with just a minister and Blackstock's two kids. Their schedules are too busy and hectic to make such a big deal out of things.

The "Stronger" songstress released in a statement to People on Wednesday (August 21):

"We are so busy that we finally just came to terms the other night and were like, 'So, we change our minds and we want to elope.' We just got so overwhelmed by it - all the decisions," the 31-year-old starlet goes on to explain, "We sent out a save-the-date to everyone and then it got crazy and all the details were leaking... Then honestly the planning – I have a Christmas record coming out. I'm doing a bunch of stuff with State Farm right now (the singer is teaming up with the insurance company to educate kids about safe driving). We have two kids who just started school. We're going to all these football games and soccer games and volleyball games and [Brandon]'s got one of the biggest artists [Blake Shelton] in country music. He's flying everywhere."

The couple's family and friends seem totally supportive with the idea. After sending out engagement photos to everyone originally invited, Clarkson wrote a note saying, "Thank you so much for understanding, but it's just going to be me and Brandon and his two kids and the minister."

Even after eloping, the newlyweds still plan on celebrating, big time - "Our whole life is a celebration," Clarkson insists. "That's what we kept laughing about. We don't need another day where we throw a big party. Our lives are so in the spotlight all the time. Everything is such a spectacle, we were like, 'We would rather have an intimate moment that's special.'"

And there'll still be a party to honor the holy union! "We're going to do that anyway... Our friend is throwing us [a party] because we're about to wrap up construction at our house. He's throwing us a huge stock the bar party, so all of the people who were going to be at our wedding will be there," Clarkson said.

Congrats to the happy couple! How many fans approve of Clarkson and Blackstock's decision to elope?