meet your elopement photographer!
Welcome
I had the big, traditional wedding. In a castle! And it was beautiful!
But I know the stress, the months of planning, the financial burden to have a party for others & what it feels like to be lost in the busy-ness of the day!
We didn’t even get to eat or enjoy much of the food or the cake we meticulously picked out & paid for! Everything seemed to happen in a blur & it’s hard to remember how I felt or what he looked like or said to me.
It was a constant go here, do this, now this, smile, move, go, do, speak to the guests, don’t forget to talk to….oh wait the bridal party, I can’t let them feel left out…is everyone having fun…are they still mad…did you say thank you to everyone…is it wrong to feel this exhausted….
That was our wedding day in 2004. And as much as I cherish that day, if I could do it all over again, I would choose to elope. I would choose small, intimate, & something for us.
I was a wedding coordinator for a venue in Missouri that was beautiful!
Right on the river, gorgeous setting, small vineyard, & beautiful church or gazebo to say ‘I Do’ at.
But, I started to see a theme emerge over the years. The brides started out with so much excitement, ideas, & big beautiful plans, but by rehearsal night I consistently heard they were over it, stressed out, financially strained, or someone in the family or bridal party has caused drama. Over & over I was told “I don’t care anymore! I just want to get married!”
All of the things they thought mattered, didn’t. All of the centerpiece planning & execution was glanced over in the rush of the evening. I couldn’t help but see myself in those brides & want more for them! Why do we do this if we all want the same end result, to be married!
You realize the most important moments are not the details that took months or years to plan & money to make it happen, but it’s the moments that have to steal away with each other. That was when they were the happiest, when they were truly focused for a brief moment on each other.
That is why I choose elopements. Because the party doesn’t matter, the decorations don’t matter, you matter, your marriage matters, your love for each other & that feeling you have in those moments matter.
Those are the moments & feelings that will get you through better or worse, in sickness & in health, until death do you part.
