You don't have to travel to a far far away location and climb up a mountain to have an epic elopement experience. Eloping close to home has a lot of advantages and there are so many ways to make them unique and special. As long as it feels like YOU, you're doing it right!
We've been planning and documenting lots of local elopements in and around Maryland and last year we started offering all inclusive elopement packages. Yamilee's and Ifeanyis elopement near Ellicott City had everything an elopement needs without going through the hassle of traveling. Here is how they made their elopement unique and fun, while we were there to assist them with planning out the details and then documenting their amazing day for them:
Location
We highly recommend choosing a location that means something to you as a couple. While we provide guides and lists with possible locations, we encourage our couples to think outside the box. Yamilee and Ifeanyi had already gotten their Howard County marriage license, so the location had to be within that area. Thankfully they already had a special place near Ellicott City in mind. Since it was important to them to make their religion part of their wedding ceremony, they chose a beautiful location that offered the privacy and the religious setting they were looking for. We loved working at this place, as it also gave us lots of variety in backdrops to shoot photo and video, as well as a place to set up the cake and dances (which you will here more about later on!).
This place had a very sacred feel, and as I said, lots of privacy, which is why we chose not to publicly display the exact location here, but if you're interested in eloping there, send us message and we're happy to give you some more information.
Officiant
As mentioned above, religion plays a big part in the couple's life, so a religious officiant was a must. While we do include officiating services in some of our packages, they're only for civil wedding ceremonies, and Yamilee and Ifeanyi had already chosen an officiant to perform the ceremony when first reaching out to us. No problem - every package can be completely personalized for you and it's important to have an officiant that's the perfect fit for the two of you.
Outfits
Having Haitian and Nigerian backgrounds, Yamilee and Ifeanyi decided to include their cultures in their elopement day in different ways. One part was their outfits. They started out wearing traditional western wedding attire, white dress and a tux, and wore those during the ceremony, and their first dance (one of many dances!) Later they changed into traditional Nigerian wedding outfits, which turned part 2 of the elopement into a very special, beautiful and colorful celebration of their love.
Dances
Like I said, there was a lot of dancing going on during this elopement, which we absolutely loved. Not having a wedding reception might make you wonder if you can still include some of the usual wedding traditions in your elopement or intimate wedding, but the great thing about them is, your can pretty much do whatever you want. A lot of our couples choose to still do a first dance, in this case, there were four dances! Yamilee and Ifeanyi selected some amazing music, including songs from Haiti and Nigeria, which added so much of their cultures and personalities to this day, and just overall rounded up their elopement as a truly unique experience. It also gave us so much to work with. We love mixing posed shots with candids, with an overall journalistic style, and having dances or other activities gives us more opportunities to capture your personalities.
Something Sweet & Something Sparkly
Our all inclusive Maryland elopements also include a wedding cake for the two of you. This beautiful deliciousness (yes, we got to try some 😁) was made by Sugar Bakers Cakes in Catonsville and we 100% recommend! Cutting the cake and a champagne pop made for some fun shots and gave the couple the true wedding feel while also having a little break, a bite to eat and a little moment to themselves. This is also an opportunity for you to decide what you really like and want to include in your elopement day. Don't like cake? No problem, maybe you're more of a macaroon or doughnut kind of person. Don't like alcohol? There are many alcohol free alternatives that are just as fun. There are many different ways to celebrate and you choose what makes you feel happy and comfortable.
Bouquet
If you book and all inclusive elopement package with us, your bouquet & boutonniere are also taken care of! I make completely personalized bouquets out of Sola Wood flowers, that will last forever. If you're a fan of real flowers, we're happy to put you in touch with one of our recommended florists!
Photography & Videography
Most couples decide that having a photographer is a must, and we agree! But we're so happy we decided to offer video services. Throughout the years of documenting amazing couples, it became clear how important the video section of your day is. Don't get me wrong, photos are an amazing way of telling your story, but how cool is it to hear your voices saying your vows again and again and again?! Seeing each other tear up, and dance, having the laughter captured, that's just something special that only videos can deliver. Working as a team doing photography and videography gives us the chance to capture absolutely everything on your elopement day, so you can relive your day over and over again. Especially when celebrating without family and friends, you can share your joy with them afterwards through photos and videos. Here is the highlight film from this elopement, try not to cry!
Planning on eloping?
If you're planning on eloping either in the Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. area or far far away, we would love to help you create and capture the most unique and fun experience! Contact us if you have any questions about eloping or planning an intimate wedding!
Vendors:
Photography & Videography: IsabelStudios
Bouquet & Boutonniere: IsabelStudios with Sola Wood flowers https://solawoodflowers.com
Cake: Sugar Bakers Cakes https://www.sugarbakerscakes.com
Dress: Lulus Weddings
Hair: Nadia Edet https://www.styleseat.com/m/v/nadiaedet?utm_campaign=vanity
Makeup: Dupes on the Beat