A Forever of Nows

We didn’t start off with the intention to elope… but we wouldn’t change a single detail about how we celebrated our marriage.

Neither of us had a “dream wedding” in mind, so we were open to all the options when we first began the planning process.  We knew we wanted something small and un-fussy, but beyond that, there wasn’t a specific vision that we were trying to create.

After a brief flirtation with destination wedding ideas (Mexico was where we met, so it seemed a fitting place to get married), we narrowed our search to the Pacific Northwest. So many of our best memories and relationship milestones were experienced in the area, and we wanted to celebrate in a place with meaning to us.

Through our research of local outdoor venues and nearby islands, we stumbled onto Ryan Flynn’s wedding photography website. We were captivated by these gorgeous elopement scenes: dramatic outdoor landscapes and quiet intimacy – it felt like “us”.

And once the inspiration was sparked, nothing else seemed right; we decided to follow our hearts, honor what was most important to us, and elope!

We got married on a Wednesday, the first warm, sunny day in April. We enjoyed a leisurely morning getting ready at home, and then packed up the car to head out for Bowman Bay at Deception Pass. We carried our finery through the wooded trail in, and then changed on the beach.

 

Our wedding party was the smallest allowed by Washington State law: 5 people. Bride, groom, officiant, and 2 witnesses (we asked some dear friends to officiate/witness, and our photographer-extraordinaire doubled as the second witness).

The day was relaxed, casual, joyful, honest. We wrote our own vows – free from the prospect of “performing” them in front of an audience, we avoided any self-censorship and didn’t hold back the emotion (or tears).

And we also honored some of the traditional wedding conventions, but with our own twist:

… Lindsay wore a princess-y dress (with flipflops), Chad wore a classic suit (no tie)…

…we shared a “first look” moment…

…a champagne toast after exchanging vows…

…a celebratory meal…

We did, however, break with tradition on elopements, and told our families beforehand. Even though we wanted an elopement-style private ceremony, it was important to us to celebrate the occasion with our parents and siblings. The Friday after we eloped, we met them all on Lummi Island for a special meal and celebration.

All-in-all, it was a pretty perfect day. Once we came to the realization that we could make our wedding whatever we wanted it to be, we focused on what mattered most to us – our commitment to each other and being happily married at the end of the day!