Where would you elope to?

[Gypsy]

We were at my parents for a dinner party tonight and the daughter of one of her close friends just got engaged a few weeks ago. She was thinking about eloping, but wanted to do it in the US because they are saving money for a home.

So here are her ''requirements''

1. Far enough away (they live in the Bay Area as well) that it is a ''true'' elopement. Doesn''t want to go to get married at city hall in SF (or even Santa Barbara which I suggested, beautiful courthouse there!). I thought Yosemite, but know next to nothing abut it, and don''t know if it''s far enough away.
2. Affordable enough that they will be able to afford a nice dinner out with the 8-10 guests she thinks they''ll have.
3. All told under 7K. But I think she was thinking of staying wherever it was for a few days after the wedding like a honeymoon... at least that was my impression.

I suggested Vegas, but she didn''t seem to care for the idea too much, though we did talk about it. She''s apparently a photography nut and most of the nicer places to get married require you to use their photographer, and she has a close cousin who is a pro photographer who has offered to do thier wedding for them-- and she wants him to and she doesn''t think they''ll allow that in Vegas (and she''s probably right, I just quickly read a couple of places photography policies).

I''m stumpted. Anyone else got ideas?

THANK YOU.

 

[IrishBreakfast]

What about Tucson? Arizona is utterly stunning. She''d be pretty much guaranteed beautiful weather and there is so much to see and do there. They could take some trips out to Bisbee if they are into the artsy scene and Tombstone is a neat place too - talk about a step back in time! Arizona also has some lovely spas where they could spend a day or two relaxing. We spent about 7 months in Sierra Vista and I would absolutely love to return at some point!

 

[Gypsy]

Hi IrishBreakfast... Any recommendations of places there? Resorts or whatever? I would like to send her an email with actual places-- not just cities or areas of the country if possible. I know that''s not clear from my post... but I didn''t really realize it until , well.. now. Oops !

AZ sounds good to me! I''ve been to Pheonix, and driven though parts of it... but they weren''t the more lovely parts of the state.

 

[doodle]

if she''s really wanting to go somewhere far away, savannah is absolutely gorgeous, and things in georgia tend to be a bit more economical, although airfare in general is absolutely silly these days. hey, you know me--gotta put in a plug for the home state whenever i get a chance! i''m biased--i got engaged in savannah! new orleans is really cool, too, and a bit closer.

 

[havernell]

I kind of thing your friend and her FI should think about places that are *meaningful* in some way to them rather than just trying to come up with some random place that they''ve never even been to before. Someplace with memories would just be more special for a wedding in my opinion. So, how about the town where one of them went to college? Or where they met (if it''s not the Bay area)? Or where they''ve gone on a vacation together before? Or where one of their parents got married?

Also, in terms of us making suggestions, I think we need to know a bit more about what type of setting they are looking for. Vegas is out, but are they more city people or country people? Do the envision mountains, beach, or an urban landscape in the background of their wedding photos? Also, do they want somewhere within driving distance of CA or are they (and their guests) willing to fly somewhere?

Finally, for a concrete suggestion, the Finger Lakes/ wine region of central New York is lovely if they want to make the trek there...

 

[RLG]

Pacific Northwest, as seen in the surf girl elopement. I still get a little ping of envy when I think about those photos.

 

[UCLABelle]

Laguna Beach (I live there, so I am biased)...San Diego...or even Palm Springs....

 

[ksinger]

Santa Fe, NM. Great restaurants (one 4 star, The Old House), charming hotels (love the El Dorado), fabulous views and nice weather generally, great spa(s) (The Ten Thousand Waves is amazing) where you can get a killer couples'' massge, wonderful art and BLING! There are a few shops there with some killer jewelry.

Oh....sorry....this is an elopement, not a jewelry shopping trip.

Do love Santa Fe though, and hope to get there for what will undoubtedly be a "belated" honeymoon...

 

[neatfreak]

New England would be gorgeous...

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I''d choose Hawaii, Nantucket (long trip for them) or some remote island in the Pacific Northwest.

 

[v!v!]

hi gypsy! i agree with IrishBreakfast about Tucson, but it totally depends on what time of year they are getting married. if it''s during the months of june through september, i wouldn''t recommend it. waaaay too hot! i live in phoenix and it''s miserable during those months!

if i were eloping, i''d do hawaii. i was actually looking into that before i decided to get married in az. you could definitely do a nice elopement there under 7k!

 

[purrfectpear]

Carmel, Big Sur, with a honeymoon in Hawaii to follow?

 

[mjso]

1 vote for Yellowstone National Park.

They have a chapel at Mammouth Hot Springs and you can even get married in front of Old Faithful if you want.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/weddinginfo.htm

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 5/26/2008 11:39:39 AM
Author: neatfreak
New England would be gorgeous...

Especially in the fall. What time of year were they thinking of eloping, Gypsy?

 

[MaggieB]

My wedding was originally going to be a Charleston elopement. Then we found Palmetto Bluff Resort and their beautiful waterside chapel and had to have a few guests.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

The front range is so lovely anytime of year and there is a lot to do, depending on what she likes.
If she wants someplace formal, but still with amazing views and wildlife, try here: http://www.stanleyhotel.com/.

Sante Fe is also lovely. To bad they live in San Fran, that would have been my first recommendation

 

[Lexie]

I have a question..

I was always under the impression that an elopement meant getting married under a veil of secrecy (hm.. that sounds more dramatic than it really is)

If a couple has already told a few people about their intent to get married at so-and-so place and time, wouldn't they then be having an intimate wedding or intimate destination wedding, whether it's only the two of them or if they simply have a small number of guests?

At any rate, here are my recommendations:

- Carmel or perhaps Monterrey, CA, if they don't want to venture too far away from the Bay Area

- the Pacific Northwest (maybe Portland or Seattle?), and then going on their honeymoon in Victoria, British Columbia. There's a ferry in Port Angeles, WA, that you can take, and Victoria is absolutely charming and gorgeous. I've visited there a few times when I was younger, and this article also states some enticing reasons to go there. The Fairmont Empress Hotel would be one of the nicest places to stay at

- New Orleans is also a lovely city, and I would recommend staying at a hotel that's in the French Quarter, as there's a lot to do in that area, and it was mostly unaffected by the hurricane. I'd recommend staying at the Place D'Armes Hotel, as I've always had good experiences there.

 

[Daydreamer7130]

Depending on the season.... Why not Catalina Island?, a winery in a Napa valley? Hawaii? Goodness, from California there are an abundant amount of choices!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hmm. San Diego probably isn''t far enough, right? I

it there. How about a beach on the east coast? Does she like the beach at all? OBX, Myrtle Beach, or of course VA Beach. Plus some places farther south such as Charleston, Savannah, and FL!

 

[diamondfan]

I cannot imagine she would not want to do Napa. I know it is not far away, but she could stay at L''auberge du Soleil which is gorgeous and have a nice dinner at French Laundry. It would be great. But if she wants US, I think Nantucket or Cape Cod or Newport is nice, or Vermont, the Twin Farms is supposed to be simply incredible.

 

[Gypsy]

Thank you everyone. I will send her the thread. I don''t know why they don''t want to do it in CA. But that was one of the things that was important to her... that it be a ''true'' intimate destination wedding (Lexie! You are right). Napa would be lovely, as would Yosemite, or Catalina, or San Diego... or even right in Sf like Mia is doing I agree. Thank you all for your help I''m sure this is going to give her lots of food for thought.

 

[trillionaire]

A few people have mentioned Charleston, SC. I was going to say that, or Kiawi Island, or other SC locations. There is also the outer banks, NC,

In NM, there is http://www.fivegraces.com/ A GORGEOUS hotel with elopement packages! They could also do hot air ballons while they are there

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 5/26/2008 10:11:31 AM
Author: RLG
Pacific Northwest, as seen in the surfgirl elopement. I still get a little ping of envy when I think about those photos.

Awwww, RLG, your post made me smile...thank you for saying that!

I do agree with havernell, throwing out places is sort of empty if they dont have any meaning to the people eloping. If they want "intimate" then it should be somewhere that means something to them. That''s really the best place to start thinking about options.

 

[Amandine]

I was going to say Savannah or Charleston, too, but then thought of...The Grand Hotel. Its between Michigan''s two peninsulas, and just gorgeous. The hotel is amazing, and so is the island. You take a ferry over, and there are no motor vehicles allowed, just horses and bikes. Its incredibly romantic, and very beautiful. If that is too fancy, there are innumerable other B&Bs and other hotels.

 

[MustangGal]

I''m in AZ also, but haven''t been to Tucson

I would suggest Sedona Arizona. The red rocks make a baeautiful backdrop. My co-worker''s son got married there last year. They did the ceremony on part on the national park hiking area, and then had a nice dinner for the 15 or so people that attended. Then she would have complete control over the photographer. Sedona is only about 1-2 hours drive from Phoenix, so they could fly in to Sky Harbor pretty cheaply from SF.

For the Palm Springs area they could look into the top of the Palm Springs Tram. It''s beautiful and foresty up there, completely different than what most of CA looks like.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 6/4/2008 6:06:01 PM
Author: Amandine
I was going to say Savannah or Charleston, too, but then thought of...The Grand Hotel. Its between Michigan''s two peninsulas, and just gorgeous. The hotel is amazing, and so is the island. You take a ferry over, and there are no motor vehicles allowed, just horses and bikes. Its incredibly romantic, and very beautiful. If that is too fancy, there are innumerable other B&Bs and other hotels.

Amandine, is the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island? I haven''t been but my family has and they loved it.

 

[ladypirate]

Too bad she nixed the SB Courthouse--Santa Barbara is pretty!

I love Portland, but that''s still not super far away. What about somewhere like New York City? Urban, but such a cool, fun place.

 

[Amandine]

Date: 6/4/2008 6:57:55 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett

Date: 6/4/2008 6:06:01 PM
Author: Amandine
I was going to say Savannah or Charleston, too, but then thought of...The Grand Hotel. Its between Michigan''s two peninsulas, and just gorgeous. The hotel is amazing, and so is the island. You take a ferry over, and there are no motor vehicles allowed, just horses and bikes. Its incredibly romantic, and very beautiful. If that is too fancy, there are innumerable other B&Bs and other hotels.

Amandine, is the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island? I haven''t been but my family has and they loved it.

Yeah, it is. Its so beautiful, the whole island is amazing. I have never stayed there, but walked up nearby. I love the whole island, it''s about as close you can get to stepping back in time, especially since there are no motor vehicles. I had a high school friend get married there, and their pictures were gorgeous.

 

[wishful]

I loved the Yosemite idea but also New England in the Fall with all the foliage! Oh how pretty! That''s probably the only thing I miss from back there!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 6/5/2008 1:25:55 PM
Author: Amandine

Date: 6/4/2008 6:57:55 PM

Author: ZoeBartlett

Date: 6/4/2008 6:06:01 PM

Author: Amandine

I was going to say Savannah or Charleston, too, but then thought of...The Grand Hotel. Its between Michigan's two peninsulas, and just gorgeous. The hotel is amazing, and so is the island. You take a ferry over, and there are no motor vehicles allowed, just horses and bikes. Its incredibly romantic, and very beautiful. If that is too fancy, there are innumerable other B&Bs and other hotels.

Amandine, is the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island? I haven't been but my family has and they loved it.

Yeah, it is. Its so beautiful, the whole island is amazing. I have never stayed there, but walked up nearby. I love the whole island, it's about as close you can get to stepping back in time, especially since there are no motor vehicles. I had a high school friend get married there, and their pictures were gorgeous.

Oh man I love the movie Somewhere in Time! I'd have to vote for there, too.

ETA: Yes, I am changing my vote!