Holland State Park Elopement

Where to begin..

Keith and Lilia’s Holland State Park elopement took place on a blustery, October afternoon. The sun was shining, and they said their vows atop a sugar white sand dune overlooking gorgeous Lake Michigan.

Sounds like a dream, right? For the most part, yes it absolutely was. But that’s the thing about weddings. No matter how much you plan or how prepared you feel, they always have a way of not going exactly as planned.

Shortly after saying “I do”, Lilia and Keith are getting cozy in the sand for a super cute photo when Keith feels his ring slip from his finger. We all freeze, like deer in the headlights, not wanting to make any sudden movements. Keith and Lilia slowly stand up, and I’m certain the bright gold ring will instantly stand out against the white sand. Not the case.

I do my best to keep the mood light, insisting this will be a very funny story once we find the ring. After 20 minutes, on our hands and knees, essentially strip mining this little patch of sand, we call it. We all agree, at least it wasn’t Lilia’s diamond, and we should resume with photos. I can tell that Keith is disappointed, but Lilia is doing her best to remain positive and bring his spirits back up.

As we’re walking to our next destination, I’m people watching, taking in the hustle and bustle of the beach. 

In the distance, I see a man, with of all things, a metal detector. I glance at the photographer, Gabrielle; she seems him too. She takes off running and quickly returns with Andy, the hero of this story. Long story short, after 10 agonizing minutes, Andy finds the ring.

My point is, all weddings, even the smallest, will have something that doesn’t go exactly as planned.

The question is, how will you handle it? Will you allow the “speed bumps” to become all-consuming and define your day? Or will you acknowledge the mistake but let them pass, not giving them the power to ruin such a special day?

Like Lilia, I hope you choose the latter. Loosing a wedding ring is a significant “speed bump” that could have easily derailed the entire afternoon. Instead, she chose to see the bigger picture and did not allow this one event to define her day. 

The result was a beautiful afternoon filled with love and laughter that shines through in every single photo. 

X Brittany

Photography – Gabrielle Lester Photography

Florals – Precious Petals

Planning & Design – So You Want to Elope

Intimate Elopement at Black Rocks / Marquette, MI

I first met Lauren when she reached out in early 2021 looking for help planning an elopement for just her and her fiancé, Beau. Like so many others, they started off with plans to have a big wedding but decided to elope after the stress of it all became too much.

Let me preface this by saying, Lauren is my favorite kind of Bride. The type of bride that refuses to let the fear of the unknown stop her from having the wedding day of her dreams. She just goes with the flow and trusts the process.

Lauren came to me knowing she wanted to elope somewhere in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, that was it. After a few location recommendations, she quickly settled on the black rocks. Prior to her wedding day, she had never actually been to the black rocks or Marquette for that matter. She chose the location based solely off of a few photos and my recommendation that this location would check all of her boxes.

Lauren & Beau’s intimate elopement at the Black Rocks was held on Friday the 13th surrounded by their closest friends a family. The decision to have family present was something Lauren went back and forth on. One of the reasons they decided to elope was because they felt like focus had shifted off of them during the planning of their large wedding.

Lauren shared these concerns with me and we made it a priority to find ways to include their families while still keeping the focus where it should be, on her and Beau.

Beau & Lauren arrived at the ceremony site before everyone else and shared their vows for the first time during an intimate first look. Their families joined them shortly after where they were present for the ceremony and group photos.

It was what every bride hopes for on their wedding day. An afternoon filled with love, surrounded by their closest and truest.

x Brittany

Photography – Sabrina Leigh Studios 

Florals – Precious Petals by Jamie

Planning & Design – So You Want to Elope

The words, “Lets elope” mean something very different today then they did 10 years ago. Elopements have evolved from spontaneous trips to the courthouse to meticulously thought out ceremonies planned months in advance.

We’re here to share all the Do’s and Dont’s and what planning a modern day elopement entails.

1. Do decide on a location.

First things first, you need to pick a location. It could be somewhere that is special to you and your fiancé like where you got engaged or your favorite vacation spot. Or maybe you’re an adventurer at heart and your perfect spot involves a sunrise hike to your favorite overlook.

2. Don’t forget to consider weather.

If you have your heart set on a beach ceremony in the Caribbean definitely plan around the rainy season. And if you’re considering a beautiful fall elopement somewhere in the mountains DO take into consideration there will likely be snow. Most mountain areas see snow, sometimes a lot of it, by mid October.

3. Do make it special.

Hair and makeup, an expensive hotel or B&B you normally wouldn’t splurge on, your dream flowers…you get the picture. If it’s important to you then it should absolutely be included in your special day.

4. Don’t dismiss the legalities.

Theres nothing cute about flying halfway across the country only to realize Washington isn’t a self solemnizing state and now you’re scrambling for an Officiant. Don’t ever assume what is legal in one state will be in another.

5. Do hire a planner.

From the best vendor recommendations to permits and location scouting, we do it all so you don’t have to. This is especially true if you’re planning a destination elopement. We strongly advise hiring someone who is either local to the area or who has planned elopements there before.

6. Don’t let your wedding be the first time you meet your vendors.

We’re not saying you need to make a special trip across the country to meet your vendors in person. But you should be utilizing things like Zoom or FaceTime to chat with them “face to face” prior to your wedding day. These people are going to be planning and capturing a very significant day in your life, it’s important you feel comfortable with them. Or at the very least, are able to recognize them in public.

7. Don’t be afraid to be bold.

We love a traditional white wedding dress as much as the next girl. But some of our favorite elopement looks feature brides in non-traditional colors like bright red or even black.

8. Do expect costs.

While elopements are typically 1/3 the cost of traditional weddings still be prepared for some costs. On average, couples can expect to spend 4-6 thousand on their elopement. If you’re planning a destination elopement and you’re not using local vendors then this number will likely increase as you will be responsible for their travel costs.

9. Do have a wedding day time line.

Unless you spontaneously decided to elope today and you’re reading this on the way to the courthouse, you need a timeline, plain and simple. Chances are you’ve been planning this day for months and your day needs structure in order to get the absolute most out of it.

10. Don’t feel guilty.

This one may be easier said than done. Especially if you’re close with your friends and family and have decided not to include some or even all of them. Don’t stress about your decision and know that once over the shock factor, they will likely be happy for you and respect your decision.

Need help planning your elopement or intimate wedding? Send us an email! 

XX Brittany

Anytime a couple reaches out to us and expresses interest in a winter elopement,  we are immediately hooked. If there is one thing I have learned in my years of professional elopement planning, it’s that winter elopements are incredibly underrated. Whether your backdrop is a snowy mountain, a frozen lake or wooded forest with snowcapped trees, you’re guaranteed to have stunning photos.

Joshua & Jennifer chose a semi frozen lake for their winter elopement backdrop and boy was it a memorable and magical day. It was a brisk 26 degrees with absolutely crazy winds but these native Michiganders didn’t even seem to notice the below freezing temperatures, the wind on the other hand was impossible to miss.

To date, Joshua & Jennifer have been one of the most fun, quirky and in love couples I have ever had the pleasure of working with. They also happen to be huge Game of Thrones fans, so it was only appropriate that the ceremony began with yours truly humming a few notes of the shows theme song. There is not a lot I won’t do for my clients. They then took turns exchanging beautiful and deeply personal handwritten vows to one another. By the time they were finished, there wasn’t a dry eye left.

Need help planning your winter elopement or intimate wedding? Contact So You Want to Elope to set up a complimentary consultation.

X Brittany

Planning: So You Want to Elope

Photography: Dana O’Dell

Florals: Precious Petals

Brian and Tori’s Michigan sunrise elopement is proof that the third time really is the charm and that good things come to those who are patient.

When Brian and Tori contacted me, they were scrambling to come up with an alternative to the wedding they had planned for this past fall. I could tell that they were beyond stressed and beginning to feel defeated as COVID continued to nix every contingence plan they came up with.

What Brain and Tori wanted was simple, a beautiful location and a stress-free wedding day that they could enjoy, just the two of them. We settled on a beautiful beach location in Northeastern Michigan. For those of you who don’t know, the eastern side of Michigan is known as the Sunrise Side and for very good reason. Lake Huron produces some of the most jaw dropping sunrises (it’s true, I’ve seen dozens, and each is better than the last). Once I mentioned this to Brian & Tori, without hesitation they decided they NEEDED a sunrise elopement.

Done and Done!

Like any elopement planner, I obsess over the weather forecast on the weeks and days leading up to my client’s ceremonies. In true Michigan fashion, the weather went from clear skies to days of torrential rain literally overnight. With Brian and Tori being set on a Sunrise Elopement, there wasn’t a backup in-door location waiting for them. So once again, their wedding day was put on hold.

Two days after their originally scheduled ceremony date, it looked like we may get lucky with a brief break in the rain. The next morning, around 3am I lept out of bed like a child on Christmas morning, rushed outside and was elated to find a crystal-clear sky with 0% chance of rain in the forecast.

Fast forward to 5:40am, Brian and Tori finally said their vows on a secluded beach with the most stunning sunrise as their backdrop. In the end, it was everything they wanted, simple and just the two of them.

Cheers to Brian and Tori!

Need help planning your Michigan sunrise elopement or intimate wedding, Contact So You Want to Elope to set up your complimentary consultation.

X Brittany

Planning: So You Want to Elope

Photography: Tiffany Eberline Photography

Florals:Precious Petals