What is an elopement?
An elopement is an intentionally small, intimate wedding day that is completely authentic to the two of you – it can literally be whatever you want it to be!
A common misconception is that because it’s scaled back from a traditional wedding standpoint, everything about an elopement is smaller. This is simply not true! Just because your guest list is smaller, and you’re not stuck to a traditional timeline, doesn’t mean your wedding day should be any less of a grand event! The two of you are starting your entire lives together; it’s kind of a huge deal! This day will be your wedding anniversary, and every year you’ll reflect on what the day was like - what you did, how you felt. Why make it small just because you’re not inviting 100+ guests? GO ALL OUT! Make it a day worthy of a wedding!
So how do you go about creating the perfect elopement?
Let’s do a thought exercise – put aside any timeline or logistics for now. As a couple, what would be your absolutely perfect day? Do you have a favourite spot? Favourite foods? Is there an activity you enjoy doing together, or even things you each love to do?
I had a conversation with my husband on this topic – if we were to go back and do an elopement, this is what our day would look like:
- Rent an Airbnb to get ready for the day, with two separate areas.
- Do a first look
- Meet officiant and get in a helicopter to fly into the mountains
- Say vows and get some epic portraits
- Enjoy the ride down
- Go for a drive and relax for a bit, have a drink
- Dinner cruise in Harrison Hot Springs
- Barbeque with close family and friends the next day
This day would fit the two of us perfectly! I love the getting ready atmosphere with friends, so I would probably like to have a friend or two or some family members with me in the morning, as would my husband! We love the outdoors, but are not really hikers, so a helicopter is the perfect way to get somewhere epic! We’ve talked for a long time about doing a helicopter ride (we’re talking about it for our 5th anniversary even!). My husband loves boats, and we both appreciate a good steak, so dinner on a river cruise would be the cherry on top of an amazing day! We had our first date in Harrison, so that also adds some sentimentality to the whole plan! A good alternative to this would be hiring a private chef. Yum!
We’re a very social couple, so I would want to include some family and friends with ‘dressy barbeque’ the next day – I think we would wear our wedding attire (gotta show off that dress!), but keep the event as a whole a really casual celebration!
Do you see how this is still an epic wedding day?
It makes me want to go back and change how we did our wedding! Don’t get me wrong, I really loved our wedding day, and all the amazing memories we made that day! But doing this thought exercise and discussing it with my husband made me think back to how busy and crazy the whole day was.
Other ideas for an amazing day could include doing a wine tasting or hanging out at your local brewery, 4x4-ing, grabbing lunch at your favourite restaurant, chilling by the lake, hiking to a waterfall – the options are endless!
My stance, especially in this season of COVID and social regulations, is that an elopement shouldn’t be a ‘consolation prize’ wedding. If you’ve been forced to change your original wedding plans, an elopement might be a different wedding day than you originally imagined, but not less of an amazing day because your guest list is smaller! Just remember, a traditional wedding and an elopement or intimate wedding are equally meaningful and important! ❤️ You’d be selling yourself short if you expect anything less than an amazing wedding day!
What do you think? Could you picture yourself having an epic adventure for a wedding day? I would absolutely love to help you put a plan into action and document a day that’s truly authentic to the two of you! Feel free to pop over here and shoot me a message!
xoxo, Samantha
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