Anybody considering eloping?

mxprincess350

We have decided that eloping is the best for us.  We both have done the big wedding for our first marriages and neither turned out well.  We want to have it on the beach in FL in October(I like the Navarre area). Just the two of us. That thought is extremely appealing to me.  Especially since the first time around I was married "under false pretenses" and didn't understand what marriage was about.

We want to celebrate our love and the fact that our marriage is what is important, not getting wrapped up in the planning aspect of it all. 

Has or is anyone else eloping? If so, where?

Jells2dot0

We eloped this past August! Some people knew about it beforehand, but a lot of people did not. We both knew that our families would cause a lot of unwanted and unneeded drama and we both had very large, very expensive, very extravagant weddings the first time around. We both had a vision of a simple yet classic wedding on the beach that was extremely personal and intimate. We got married on Wilson Island in Australia with only the two of us, the celebrant, the wedding coordinator, and the photographer present. Wilson Island is very remote and only has 6 rooms, so it was the perfect backdrop for our perfect day!

handfast4me

We had a "planned" elopement, in that everyone knew we were going to go get married, but we kept the ceremony just to ourselves and our officiant.  We were married on Smathers Beach in Key West.  Florida is great to do this in because there's no waiting period for out of state couples, and only a notary is required.  You don't even need witnesses. 

We chose this because my husband is an extremem introvert, and we wanted a ceremony where we could practice our rituals and say vows that we would not have said to one another in front of an audience.  So, it was just the two of us and the officiant, on the beach at sunset. 

This type of thing is called a "weddingmoon" in that it's a honeymoon/vacation, but the ceremony takes place at your honeymoon destination.  Let me know if you need more information.

AliH13

My fiance and I are planning on having a court house wedding and then having a ceremony on the beach. We found that there is too much legal stuff involved in eloping out of the country and this will make it much easier. We are not planning on telling anyone about our plans so hopefully everyone understands after the fact.

handfast4me

Uh, AliH, so is that a "pretend" wedding?  Hmm.  Well, I will let others weigh in.  

:;runs to get popcorn:: 

Jells2dot0

I actually found my beach ceremony in Australia to be about the same amount of paperwork as my first wedding in Maryland. The only difference is that I had to fill out a form to receive my marriage certificate rather than them just mailing it to me.

AliH13

I've really found that it depends on where you go. Some places require you to be there x amount of days before / after the ceremony and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

mxprincess350

I looked into ceremonies out of the US, but just didn't want to deal with what I've read about them. I want this as stress free as possible. We are both in school, work full time, and two 11 year old boys, so we have enough stress as it is...

I like the "weddingmoon" thing and I have seen that but wasn't really sure what it was. Thanks for clarifying that!

We want it to be just the two of us at sunset (and of course the officiant and photographer).  We will have a reception at a later date with friends and family here in town. 

handfast4me

We looked into Scotland.  At that time (not sure if it's changed in the last 5 years) you had to be in Scotland for 3 weeks prior, OR pay to have a proxy apply for the license for you, which was not much less expensive than staying there for three weeks! 

Jells2dot0

I suppose it really does depend on the destination because I was planning my wedding in Australia while working more than full time, commuting back and forth every weekend between AZ and CO, starting up a Master's Degree program, trying to assist with my stepchildren when I was home, and having to travel for work occasionally . It could not have been easier after filling out the Intent to Marry form, having it notarized, and just waiting for the day to arrive! I know there was a fee to have the celebrant do all that, but it was part of a larger wedding package, so I'm not even sure how much of the wedding package it was.

keeperlaura

@mxprincess350

My FI and I are planning to elope in September. We're going to Black Canyon Inn, Estes Park, Colorado.

I hope your elopement goes well!

mxprincess350

We have decided on Surf City, NC (August 14th, 2013!) We are already going to be there for a vacation with his parents and our kids, so we invited my parents as well.

We are also having a reception here in Cinci October 2014

sherri rezac

keeperlaura, I am sure you will have a great time eloping to Estes Park, CO. I live in Golden, CO and my fiance and I love going up to Estes Park. It is absolutely gorgeous there. I am sure you have hears about it...but while you are there, check out the Stanley Hotel, it is the hotel that the book "The Shining" was based on, since Stephen King stayed there while he was writing it. It would be a great place for photos if they allow it (possibly at a fee?)...or head into Rocky Mountain National Park and get some great photos there. It is beautiful!!!! Have fun and congrats. We are heading to the Big Island of Hawaii next June for our destination wedding, just the two of us, our Minister, our photographer and a ukulele player. This is a second wedding for us both, and we wanted to keep it just about us. I cannot wait!!!