‘Why we eloped’, by your elopement videographer…

My partner Chrissie and I are adventurous souls, passionate about travel and wild about experiences. After meeting in 2016 in the very north of Australia, a long way from home, we navigated a 3000 mile long distance relationship before reuniting in New Zealand and deciding we were inseparable. I proposed to Chrissie in Morocco on my 30th birthday, halfway up Mount Toubkal, and we now live in rural North Wales. We were, like all couples, so excited about starting the wedding planning! After attending a local wedding fair and feeling confronted by questions such as ‘which one of you is getting married then?’, we quickly realised that tradition just wasn’t for us. This is the story of why we eloped and how it all came together, which we hope will inspire you to have the wedding you really want, not the one you’ve been told is the norm. 

As two women with wanderlust hearts, naturally our elopement needed to take place somewhere spectacular. We were set on getting married outdoors, surrounded by nature and mountains, and settled on the breathtaking Isle of Skye. Our wonderful wedding photographers, The Caryls, knew the area inside out and they gave us so much advice and inspiration on which spot to choose. On the day in 2019, we took a boat trip over to Loch Coruisk, passing a seal colony which couldn’t have been more perfect as a start to our adventure. In total we spent 10 days travelling around Skye, ticking off another place we wanted to visit and serving as a honeymoon!

When asked why we eloped, we think it’s best demonstrated by the complete personalisation and relaxed nature of our day. We woke up together on the morning of our wedding day, sharing the excitement of getting ready and having those moments documented together. We had a humanist ceremony by the wonderful celebrant Laura. She was so invested in making this perfect for us which was such a lovely personal touch. When signing off our official documents, Laura was so supportive and crossed through the words ‘bride and groom’ to replace them with ‘partner 1’ and ‘partner 2’. We took a boat back to Elgol, spending the afternoon basking in newly married bliss and each other’s company before enjoying a candle light dinner at the lovely Coruisk house where we also stayed two nights. The Caryls helped organise a sunset shoot for us that evening after dinner, producing some of the most magical photos from the day. 

Having eloped ourselves, I’m now so passionate about advising couples to lean into what you really want. And I mean, what you really want! What does your relationship mean and how can your day reflect that in the most honest and authentic way? It’s great to break the mould and remove the influence of outside opinions; well-meaning friends and relatives can muddy the planning waters, so we recommend taking the time to envisage your perfect day just the two of you. 

Every time we look back on our images we remember why we eloped and how special the whole day was for us. It didn’t mean that we missed out on celebrating with our friends and family, because we organised a celebration in Cologne (my home town!) where we watched the wedding film (which I filmed myself!). Everyone felt like they were a part of it. We partied once again in North Wales, having a ceilidh and lots of homemade gin. You could say we had 3 weddings, and if that’s not enough of a reason to elope…!

To anyone who says ‘why did you elope?’, we simply feel that there was no more suitable alternative to capture our personalities, relationship and vision than the adventurous, down to earth day that we had. The support from our friends and family has been phenomenal, our suppliers became like friends and we have the most magical memories from our first day as a married couple. 

If you’re thinking an elopement might be for you and you’d like to chat about having a personal, emotive wedding film created to share with your loved ones after the event, please come and say hi in my inbox! I’d love to hear from you, and remember – I’ve been where you are, I’ve lived the elopement adventure, and I can’t wait for you to unlock its magic too.