MemberI would love to see pics of your Elopement (planned or unplanned) or Intimate Wedding Ceremony and Receptions!! What did you love about it? What did you NOT love about it? What was your favorite moment and what moment do you wish had not happened? Tell me all about it and post pics!! Honey and I are planning a private ceremony for 2 in July and we are very excited.
MemberWe invited 30 but had 15 at the ceremony and 17 at the reception due to bad weather. I loved how small it was–I felt like we really got to interact with our guests, relax, and enjoy ourselves. We had our reception at a little Italian restaurant that’s been in business for about 65 years. No pics of us plus guests yet (soon, hopefully!).
Vows at the courthouse:
Darling Husband eating frosting at the restaurant. 🙂
MemberIt was like a traditional Italian dinner for 21 people 🙂
And we let our guests choose from a set menu after hubby and I went to the restaurant as guests to sample the food. It was beyond our expectations !
Everyone said they loved chossing from 4 apps, 5 entres and 4 desserts. Here’s a pic of the gorgeous private room we had
Oh – and my sis LOVED the CUTE ITALIAN WAITER ! LMAO !
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Member@ItalianLady: Wherever you are for dinner looks quite lovely! How nice!
Member@stephinPA: Thank you ! That pic dosen’t even do it justice. And those are our centerpieces on the table. That one had the Bridesmaid or Best Man bouquet in it.
You should have see the waiter though, lol 😉
Member
MemberWe invited 0 and did not tell anyone beforehand. I already kinda told you about this and you’ve seen my pics 😉 (edited to post a few) but I’ll try to answer everything:
What did I love about it: Um, it was extremely intimate. I don’t know… I am not talking about just the ceremony, but the whole experience bonded us in a way I cannot explain. It was fun, amazing, neither of us had been to New Orleans, and just so us. We could not wipe the smiles off of our faces.
What I did NOT love: The secret. After awhile, it was hard to hold it in. And it was a lot of stress planning everything between just us with no help, and not to mention we paid for everything ourselves in cash by saving. Since we eloped/had a wedding package/photography/still wore a dress/mini-mooned, it was still a big chunk of cash. All that together was pretty stressful, but WELL worth it in the end.
Favorite Moment: This may sound weird…but us getting each other dressed alone in our hotel room has got to be my favorite moment. That and my husband calling his mom and saying “Guess what, I’m married Mama!” SOOOOOOOO sweet.
Least Favorite: Getting lost on the way to the Moon Walk. I ended up having a breakdown and had to take a moment before the ceremony that we were a half hour late too. LA traffic is TERRIBLE.
Hope this helps! [attachment=1532720,193171]
MemberI know that there are some recaps in other areas of the site, but some of them I can’t really tell are elopements and intimate weddings. So it’s awesome to get them all in one place on this post!!
@Mrs Grape:Your hair was amazing! And both purple and green are my fave colors! The fact that you weren’t bummed out by the bad weather is to be commended. That’s awesome!
@ItalianLady:That venue is beautiful. I absolutely adore Italian food. Funny story about the Italian waiter!
@deetroitwhat:I bet you will look back on getting lost and laugh like crazy! Your favorite moments were so cute and romantic.
MemberOriginally we were going to “elope” just the two of us but his parents, brother, and our friends showed up in Hawaii and we were so happy they did, the entire week was a blast and by far the best trip to Hawaii we have ever had. I can’t think of one single thing that I didn’t like about our wedding and have zero regrets. We knew that if we did go out of state that we wouldn’t have all of our friends/family there but that was something we were willing to give up in order to get married in the place we wanted to be at.
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MemberWe had a dozen guests at our ceremony–and that included the rabbi and the members of the wedding party. I loved the fact that we had only immediate family and close friends there, so if screw-ups happened, everyone pitched in to help instead of snarking about it. And the reception was a nice intimate luncheon (in the private dining room of a nearby Legal Sea Foods) with all of us at one big table, so there was no need to spend two minutes at each table just to make sure we said something to each of our guests.
The part I did not love was that we could share our special day with only a few people. However, we dealt with that issue by having a larger at-home reception (with live music, dancing, and a DIY fauxtobooth).
My favorite moment was the one in which we were declared married. After being together for nine years, and not being able to be legally married for most of that time, that was a big deal for us.
My least favorite moment was the one when we discovered that we’d mislaid the archival pen we intended to use for the ketubah (formal Jewish wedding contract) signing. Fortunately, a friend who works with archival documents was able to supply a substitute.
MemberWe eloped December 1st, just the two of us, no guests, but we didn’t keep it a secret.
What did I love about it: It was very romantic and intimate. There was no pressure or drama at the wedding, no arguing BMs, guests or family. We were able to focus just on each other. We were just so happy. We had never been to Savannah, and everything was so beautiful. I mean everything just oosed southern hospitality. It was perfect.
What I did NOT love: My mom’s reaction before the wedding. She pulled every manipulative trick she could to try to get us to change our minds and have the wedding in Michigan. She even turned down our offer to pay for her and dad to attend using the excuse that she and dad wouldn’t go if their grandkids couldn’t be there. Almost worked, but we would have regretted it if we had caved.
Favorite Moment: I can’t name just one. The whole day was sooooo perfect. I loved the way he looked at me all day long. I couldn’t stop smiling and neither could he. There was a moment during the ceremony when I was trying to place his ring on his finger and I couldn’t get it on. I pushed and pushed, and finally looked up and him and said, “help me.” And there was some symbolism in that, because since we met each other he’s always been there to help me.
Least Favorite Moment: A couple… The tuxedo place ordered the wrong sized tux, and could not get the correct size before our ceremony. The help there was horrible. We told them the wedding was at noon the next day. They had more than 24 hours to get it, and they called two hours after our ceremony to tell us the tux was there. We talked to the manager, and he refunded the entire price, so at least they made that right. I was also disappointed about my bouquet. I had paid extra to upgrade my bouquet from the standard bouquet that came with our elopement package, and we had dropped off a vintage brooch the day before to be attached. Well, the bouquet didn’t look like it cost $42 more. It looked the same size, and they forgot to put on the brooch. But it was not the end of the world.
Special things: I made the flowers for my hair, my pink petticoat, and the lace wrap I wore. I wore vintage jewelry and carried a vintage clutch. I also had beautiful pink shoes with 5″ heels. I found a vintage pair of cufflinks for Jim to wear. I carried one of my great-grandmother’s hankies, another great-grandmother’s ivory nail file, and a hankie that was blessed by the Pope. For my something blue, I wore the sky blue topaz bracelet Jim got me for my birthday last year.
We had an intimate wedding in the parlor of a bed and breakfast in Savannah, GA. We originally were going to get married in their garden, but a cold front came through the night before with a big rain storm. We knew it was coming, so we changed to indoors the day before. The ceremony itself was very intense. We never took our eyes off each other, while saying our vows.
All I can say is it was sooooo perfect. The most perfect day of my entire life.
Caption: Asking for help.
Caption: Laughing because I had to ask for help.
Caption: Special things.
Caption: My shoes!
MemberWe got married in Punta Cana with 13 guests in attendance. I was such a beautiful- HOT- day!
Loved- the gazebo set-up. Our wedding coordinator did an amazing job- it was so beautiful!
Didn’t Love- my Dad stepping on my dress and veil the entire way down the aisle. Made me miss the moment of looking at my groom, and he looking at me. I am still very disappointed about that.
Favorite Moment- The 2 hours we spent alone taking pictures around the beach.
Least Favorite- Honestly, nothing. It was a perfect day, exactly as we had planned.
Member@Mrs Grape: How sweet! I love the picture of your Darling Husband eating frosting!
MemberAand here’s one more that allows you to see the cere
mony set-up better.
Member@2dBride:Congrats! Must be wonderful to have been able to get married after being together for so long. You both looked amazing!
@redbullfanatic:What a breathtaking sunset on the beach! Our wedding is on the beach in Jamaica next July. Hoping to get lots of pics of the sunset.
@Loribeth:You are absolutely right! So much Southern charm in your venue. As a Southern girl myself (Texas) I can certainly appreciate that. The fire in the fireplace is perfect. And I love the Christmas tree in the shot as well. I SIMPLY cannot get over your ROCKIN pink heels!!!
@Miss BooBoo:Your planner did a STUNNING job on the gazebo. It’s fabulous. The last pic could be out of a destination wedding magazine with the sharp colors and beautiful scenary!! I love it!