Anyone else planning to elope like me??

[innerkitten]

We are planning a REAL elopement. Italy maybe.
Anyone else planning on eloping just the two of you? If you know of any good elopement web sites please share.

 

[wallace]

YES! We are eloping. We are going to Las Vegas. Very different than Italy but still getting the job done. (I almost married an Italian - so Vegas is a better option for us - no memories).

Where in Italy? What time of year? How long will the trip be?

We are not telling anyone (except here at PS, the jeweler, my hairdresser). We are going for three days simply to marry. (Honeymoon later).

There is a very good book called "Let's Elope" by Scott Shaw and Lynn Beahan. It has lots of ideas and contact iformation - pretty basic but a good start. What is really great about it is that is has great advice about what to do about the "ettiquette of eloping". It is not cutsy or silly or frilly - just plain, common sense, basic advice on how to handle some of the stickies with dignity - for you and everyone around you. It was a source of inspiration for us b/c we really wanted to elope and felt pressured against it. Now, we feel better about our decision - which is really our choice.

 

[Matata]

Innerkitten,

Have you done any research about getting married in Italy? We were thinking about it -- the paperwork required is extensive and there are prohibitions on where you can get married and by whom depending on whether or not you are a practicing Catholic. There are resources on the net that can help with the logistics.

Cheers,
M.

 

[innerkitten]

I haven't done much research yet. Italy just sounds soo romantic. But I have also heard the paper work is extensive and so it seems like a good idea to do it through an agency. I was kinda thinking maybe Venice. You know some place like vegas could really be fun though. We have a while to decide I don't think we are going to elope till next winter. But then who knows.
What dates are you two planning for?

 

[innerkitten]

Matata I love that red stone in your avitar.

 

[Matata]

We decided against the wedding in Italy because of his parents' declining health. We'll have a simple ceremony in the states and are thinking about having a "family" honeymoon in Italy -- inviting all of his brothers and their families and taking his two sons along. We've been to Italy a lot and our entire 7 years together has been a honeymoon so we want to do something different that involves a large part of the family.

As far as a date goes.....well.....it's taken 7 years for me to get ready to even think about getting married again and it took me 7 months to say "yes" once he proposed....so it could well be 7 more years before I actually get around to taking that walk down the aisle.

My avatar is a red spinel and I'm trying to find one with that luscious color for my engagement/wedding ring. Looking for a 3 carat stone and the avatar is .84.

 

[Matata]

Oops, forgot to tell you. I was in Venice last month and took a tour of the wedding hall (where non-Catholics are married). It's beautiful and right on the Grand Canal. Venice was our first choice when we were thinking about getting married in Italy.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Wallace - hope you have a fabulous time in Vegas. My husband and i eloped there in '98 and had a blast and suffered no wedding planning stress! lol I'm so glad we chose this route.

Michelle

 

[wallace]

Ok - if you like the idea, I am serious - if you hate the idea, I'm kidding! But, you could go to Vegas and get married at the hotel that looks like ITaly! Could be fun(ny) for older parents who can't go to Italy on the family post-wedding wedding trip...

MC - THanks for your wishes! We can't wait - your second gives me more confidence about our choice (b/c we talk to anyone about it)!

Also, for future reference, the book I recommended has all the information for the most frequently visited foreign countries for weddings, church, and civil ceremony, visa, paperwork, and all the other requiremnts adn their websites listed for you! (Italy and all of Europe and England, Canada, all the islands in the Carribbean, Mexico - all the hot spots for destination weddings). It made my life so much easier!!! Best wishes!

 

[Number6]

If you are interested in eloping to Las Vegas, some of the hotels here offer "elopement packages" with just the bride & groom.

My special lady and I were looking at the Hyatt Regency at Lake Las Vegas for a reception and they had a whole package just for elopers. It included a gazebo wedding and the hotel and other amenities.

For those who don't know, Las Las Vegas is about 30 minutes from the Strip and has several high-end resorts such as the Ritz and the Hyatt. There's also some jillion dollar homes out there. It's a nice spot for a Vegas reception/wedding that's off the strip. (But the Ritz charges ridiculous prices)

 

[dbgaap]

We are eloping, too. I have been interested in Italy (look at www.bestitalianweddings.com) and Scotland.


My future husband feels like it will be stressful to deal with a foreign wedding, so I have been searching around for other options.




I've been looking for bed & breakfasts and Inns within a couple hours' drive.


A lot of these places are set up to handle wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions, so my guess is that they'd be pretty easy to work with.


Basically, we'd book a room for a few nights, and book an officiant & a phoptgrapher to come and marry us. Maybe on the grounds or in our room or in a parlor? I'm flexible.




With this plan, I'm seeing LOTS of pros & few cons.


Spontaneity- we just have to use it within 6 months of getting it (and it has to be in the same county where we'll marry)


We can get married on a weekday - that will make it easy to hire the photographer & officiant. Rooms will be easier to book.


A short drive would be nicer than having jet lag.


And some of these B&B's are super elegant so the photos will be nice.


I figure I'll go with the Innkeeper who wants to work with me and be our "wedding planner" as it were.




After a couple days of being pampered, I hope we can take off on a vacation, but we might have to go back home, depending on other commitments.




We'll figure out reception /celebration party stuff after the fact.


I figure a midweek wedding will come in under $1,000.


And we'll get the stuff we really want, like ROMANCE, a pretty dress, nice meals, relaxation, photos. No clenched jaws.


We'll send announcements once we've done the deed.

 

[dbgaap]

I guess I rushed when I was writing that last post - the spontaneity thing is about getting the license.


In our state, only one of us has to go get the license and then it's good for 6 months.


So..... I am definitely doing a lot of planning for something I also call spontaneous!

 

[chicky]

My Fiance and I are also considering an elopement. We have no date set yet. Originally we thought Scotland (he's English), but since he is moving to the states, and I am american, the paperwork would have been a PITA. So we are now considering other options; caribbean island, Vegas, etc. Our reasons aside from family in two diff countries is that neither of us really want to go through the headache and hassle of what is 'supposed' to be our day. I've been a part of too many stressed out wedding parties! I'm already hearing about what colors I have to choose and whose kid is the ring bearer! My Fiance really is against the whole circus planning of a wedding; we either would like to keep it under 50 people or just do it on our own. At this point, we are thinking of inviting just close friends to join us where ever the ceremony may be. Stay tuned!

 

[dbgaap]

We're shooting for June 2005.


I spent about 2 weeks on the idea that we should do something 'small' - say 50 people.


For me - that turned out to be more complicated than I want to get into. I'd have to pick a date and confirm an caterer and an officiant, at the very least (this would be for a SIMPLE at-home wedding).


For June 2005, well, the good caterers and the officant we wanted were already booked up.




So, we reverted back to the original idea - a planned elopement.


This month's issue of "Beach House" magazine profiles 5 beach weddings. Everything from bride & groom only to a party of 50.


It looks really easy to pull off a bride & groom-only deal, especially if you can marry on a weekday.




Now I am thinking that as soon as we've tied the knot, we could send an announcement of our marriage that contains an invitation to a 'reception /celebration' sort of party to be held for the local area friends and relatives just a few weeks hence.




For out-of state friends and relatives, we'll actually visit them. All these social events will get spread out over several months.




I am not particularly focused on making anyone 'happy' but rather, I am trying to show respect to our family members with these gestures.




It's hard to say anymore how a wedding 'should be'. So many 2nd marriages, so many far-flung families. I guess it is important for the families of the bride & groom to meet each other, but in our case, they aren't going to share any grandchildren - so it's less important.


FI and I are a couple of ex-single parents. We are now launching our kids into college and looking forward to a new chapter in our lives.

 

[dtheohub]

We are "sort of" eloping. we had the whole wedding planned, but his family has caused so much chaos. first they were
paying for the wedding and then they changed their minds. my maid of honor skipped out and so did one of my bridesmaids (his sister). it has all been a roller coaster. we postponed our original wedding date of sept 19th 2004 to june 26 2005!!
we watched "under the tuscan sun" the other night and decided to go to italy and jsut get marreid the two of us. it seems like ALOT of work...i am so nervous. what company did you go through?