What is an Extravagant Elopement?

Extravagant Elopements—a new concept that we believe is long overdue.

Weddings are magnificent affairs. And if your heart is set on a traditional wedding, then by all means, you should have one! An Extravagant Elopement, on the other hand, is simply a wonderful alternative for couples who wish to replace the stress and (often unexpected) expense of a traditional wedding with an intimate experience focused solely on them. And we think that idea rocks!

We also love that an Extravagant Elopement isn’t a trip to the local courthouse or a spur-of-the-moment dash to a Las Vegas wedding chapel. Instead, it is a pre-planned experience that includes a private venue for you to say your I-do’s, a legally binding ceremony, a kick-ass photo shoot, and a deliberate indulgence in the aspects of a wedding that you’ve always dreamed of: The gown, The rings, The flowers, The setting (because you probably haven’t fantasized about the catering or the linens.)

We also love that couples can indulge a beautiful and romantic wedding experience on an economical spending limit. In short, an Extravagant Elopement maximizes the quality of your wedding while minimizing the costs and planning-related stress.

We’ve compiled more information and a list of FAQs on our website, so you can make an informed choice and decide if an Extravagant Elopement is right for you. But whatever type of wedding you choose to have; we congratulate you on your engagement and wish you the best in your new lives ahead!

Photo Credit: Vness Photography

A Real Vintage Elopement

We are so excited to share photos from our latest elopees–Lauren and Michael.

The busy couple had been engaged for a long time, but finding time to plan a wedding had proven to be tougher than imagined. When Lauren heard about how a Pop Up Wedding could be planned in a short amount of time with almost no stress, she was all for it!

At first the couple was unsure about whether to invite a small group of family and friends to witness the occasion. But since almost everyone on the guest list had a spouse or a plus one–after doing the math, they decided to just have an intimate elopement for the two of them. And it couldn’t have turned out more perfect!

The bride knew she wanted a vintage-antique look for her special day, chocolate cake, and lavender and teal accents throughout the wedding décor.  She picked the date, shared her Pinterest board with us–and the rest was history. 

The bride wore a beautiful tea-length gown in champagne with black embroidery throughout.

We’d like to once again congratulate Lauren and Michael and thank them for allowing Extravagant Elopements to design their special day!

Photography by Jon Fleming

Extravagant Elopements would love to plan your custom Pop Up Wedding. Please visit our website for more information.

A Wedding Costs HOW MUCH????

Couples spend an average of $30,000 on their wedding.

Anyone that is thinking about getting married knows all about sticker shock. It seems that anything associated with the word “wedding” immediately hikes up the price.

The Reception

One of the biggest costs of a traditional wedding is the wedding reception.The venue and food alone account for 60% of the average couple’s expenses (that’s a whopping $18,000).

Photography

We all know that memories can not be recreated. While wedding photography is certainly not the biggest cost in the wedding, documenting your special day will still set you back about $3,000-$5,000.

Flowers

If nothing short of a magazine-worthy look will do, you could easily spend another $2 – $5K or more on centerpieces, ceremony decor, bouquets and rose petals.

But don’t despair. There is no reason to spend $30K on a wedding that lasts only a few hours. Extravagant Elopements can help. It’s called a Pop Up Wedding and it comes complete with:

• An expertly-styled private venue with elegant decor,
• A legal wedding ceremony,
• Professional photography to document your special day,
• All of your edited images on a CD with reprint permission,
• Flowers,
• Cake and Champagne,
• Invite up to 10 witnesses

Our exclusive deals with area venues and vendors allow us to do all of this for just a fraction of the cost of a full-blown wedding!

We offer Custom Pop Up Weddings (starting at $2,000) and Pop Up Wedding Events like our upcoming New Year’s Eve Pop Up Wedding Event.

So if you want to save your money for something bigger, but still want a special and beautiful way to say “I do” get in touch with us!

A Fabulous Sunset Cliffs San Diego Elopement

This elopement featured on PopSugar is one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever seen. Lacey and Logan were expecting their first child — in fact, Lacey was nearly nine months along — when the couple chose to elope. With only a month to put together their big day, they realized that the excuses that seemed to always pop up when planning their wedding (i.e. so and so won’t be able to make it) were just silly. So the couple simply decided to have a special day between the two of them before life as they knew it changed forever!

“What made my wedding day so special was the ease and simplicity. It was everything I ever wanted, not to mention, drama free!

The bride had always envisioned a green wedding with absolutely no flowers, and achieved that with an amazing bouquet and headpiece made of ferns, eucalyptus, ruscus, leucadendron, kale, and Mexican baby’s breath. The wedding was full of purpose and meaning: the pins on her belt belonged to her grandmother and the ceremony was held at Sunset Cliffs she and her fiance had an incredible first date exploring caves and examining sea life.

See some of their breathtaking and emotional photos below!

Photos by Yes, Dear. Studio

10 Reasons You Should Consider A New Year’s Eve Wedding

Repost from Huffington Post

Many brides dream about a gorgeous summer wedding — June is, after all, the most popular month to get hitched — but lately we’ve been thinking about the perks that come with tying the knot on the last night of the year. From popping champagne bottles at midnight to glamourous decor, New Year’s Eve just may be the perfect backdrop to saying “I Do”. Here’s why:

1. Confetti and champagne are practically mandatory.
2. Sparklers are not only welcome, they’re encouraged.
3. You’ll never forget your anniversary.
4. It’s a good time to indulge before those New Year’s resolutions kick in.
5. You can make use of of black, gold and silver color schemes.
6. And adorable “save the dates” your guests will love.
7. There’s no such thing as too many lights on New Year’s Eve.
8. It’s an excuse to require sparkly bridesmaids dresses.
9. There’s a good chance fireworks will make an appearance.
10. The cold weather lends itself to a beautiful wedding shot.

Would you get married on New Year’s Eve? Now you can! For a mere 9% of the cost of a traditional wedding, you can have a New Year’s Eve Pop Up Wedding. Click here to learn more http://goo.gl/DFsQXF

Photo: Huffington Post

An Entrancing Irish Elopement

Anyone seriously considering escaping all the wedding madness and just making it about the two of you…needs to check out this Irish elopement.

The story:

The couple met wine tasting and fell madly in love. When it came time to tie the knot they wanted a no fuss celebration with minimal attention on them. Both were from the West Coast, but fell head over heels with the idea of an Irish elopement-since both bride and groom had Irish connections. So they chose one of Ireland’s most unique natural landscapes, The Burren. And with a little help from Aislinn Events, they realized their dream.

Photos: Darek Smietana via One Fab Day

A Practical Rooftop Elopement in DC

Here is some local real wedding inspiration, from a couple that eloped in a small and intimate ceremony in Washington, DC.

The story:

Neither one of them was very traditional. They had been taking about getting married for a while, and both knew it would happen eventually, but hadn’t really made any official plans. At a family vacation in Mexico, they decided on a location (their new home) and picked out rings (they each paid for their own wedding rings). It was all planned in seven weeks! It was stress free, and totally romantic and relaxing. The bride’s favorite thing about the wedding: “It was about our love and our family, not a big show, it was really special”. And we couldn’t agree more.

Photos: Sarah Gormley via A Practical Wedding.

Wanderlust in Laguna Beach-Elopement Inspiration Shoot

TGIF everyone!!! Today we’re sharing an awesome photo shoot oozing with southern California style. This road trip elopement is everything you’d want to feel on your wedding day: relaxed, in love, and oh so very happy. Besides, how can you not approve of anything that involves a sweet vintage VW van??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To see more of this enchanting photo shoot featured on 100 Layer Cake, follow the link.

Race Track Pop Up Wedding–Must be Kismat!

We just had to share this sweet and serendipitous elopement story.  The couple, Donna  and Joe, who were regulars at the Sonoma Horse Park, had been working together for 22 years, dating for 6 years, and engaged for 2 years. As they sat at ringside during the Grand Prix at Sonoma Horse Park, a mutual friend brings up the subject of their ever-pending nuptials. Jokingly, the friend suggested the couple be married at the Horse Park the following week. “Are you kidding??’” the bride asks. Her friend, knowing that there would be a Charity Gala held at the race track earlier in the day the following week, and that the VIP berm would be decorated for the Gala with beautiful white flowers (perfect for a wedding) replied “No, we’ll take care of everything, you should do it!”

As it just so happened, there was a horse named Wedding Day that entered in that afternoon’s grand prix. Everyone joked that if that horse won, it would certainly be the sign that Donna and Joe should get married the following week. Donna agreed, while in the back of her mind thinking that it was a 99/1 long-shot chance that Wedding Day would actually win the grand prix. But wouldn’t you know it, Haley Schwab rode Wedding Day to her very first grand prix victory that day! And a promise is a promise.

So Donna and Joe agreed to set the date the following week on Saturday, August 2nd. On Monday, Donna and Joe went and got their marriage license. On Tuesday, Donna found a dress, and even got it fitted. On Saturday evening after the Gala, as Horse Park staff arranged a podium and flowers, Donna ducked into the Italian Equestrian vendor trailer to change into her wedding dress. With a close friend officiating and in front of a lingering group of gala-goers who had been tipped off that a wedding was taking place, Donna and Joe exchanged their vows.

“I was just touched that everyone pulled it all together,” says Donna. “A ‘Pop Up Wedding’ is what I started calling it. It worked out perfectly and it was just wonderful.”

We love this story because it demonstrates why Pop Up Weddings are so perfect. They don’t have to be anything in particular; just as long as they have special meaning to you!

Source & Photo : Horse & Style Magazine