Why Elope by Bethany?
Your wedding day.
The most magical moment of your life.
Or the most stressfulā¦
Probably a mix of both! āāāāā Google five-star review
Following The Proposal
Since the night my partner proposed, I had been plagued by one dilemma. Not whether I should actually marry him or not, donāt worry! Instead, I had a constant thought bubbling in the back of my mind about whether I really wanted the big ceremony that we had started to plan.
My now-husband is from Greece, with family sprinkled all over Europe, so our original idea was to somehow bring everyone together for a huge celebration with plenty of food, dancing and, of course, lots of love.
However, as we mapped out details and gulped at budgets, we tentatively started to talk about whether a smaller ceremony might be more our style. As we did, we realised that the wedding we had in mind wasnāt so much about crafting our special day, but about what we felt was expected of us.
We paused planning. We took some time to think. We realised that what we really wanted was to run, just the two of us, away from stress and towards a magically intimate day.
Thatās where E-Lope Kent stepped in.
The (Tiny) Wedding Planning Process
To be honest, the idea of planning a wedding never appealed to me. Deciding on decor, food options, location, photographer, music and everything in between was enough to send me into a bit of a spiral!
And itās safe to say that my other half was no keener to get his planning hat onā¦
When we discovered E-Lope Kent (thank you, Google!), we were thrilled to see that it would mean handing over almost all planning to their experienced team. I canāt tell you how much stress this took off our shoulders.
Sam and Tania, E-Lope Kentās founders, put in all the legwork: sourcing the suppliers, executing our vision and making sure the day ran smoothly.
Us? We simply had to fill out a preference form and create a Pinterest board so that the team knew how we wanted the day to look. It took the process from being full of angst, to actually being fun again. Thatās how a wedding should be, right?
The teamās elopement packages just make the whole process beyond simple.
The Wedding Venue
On top of the idea of not having to stressfully plan every detail of a ginormous wedding celebration, it was the venue that E-Lope Kent offered which really sold us.
The Castle Westenhanger: A historic beauty in the heart of rural Kent, which is somehow equal parts grand and intimate. As far as Kent elopements go, itās the best of the best. With an ornate dovecote tower, regal lawns and romantic rooms to have a moment of quiet on your special day, I truly believe it was the perfect venue for us.
On the day, we were welcomed into the castle by Team E-Lope and enjoyed some time in the Bridal Suite; just my soon-to-be husband and I! After photos and lots of opportunities to simply enjoy being together before the wedding itself, we were ready to officially tie the knot. We got married in The Minstrels Gallery, with a chance for pictures in our favourite part of the venue: Westenhangerās dovecote.
Every room we used was decorated to absolute perfection: My Pinterest board came to life! Dusky pink touches, gypsophilia and soft lighting were exactly what we were hoping for and the team curated each and every tiny detail masterfully.
The Elopement Food
Look at this picture! Need I say more?
The wedding breakfast was delicious. And as beautiful as every other detail on the day! Charcuterie boards filled with some of our absolute favourites were even more special when enjoyed in front of the open fire.
Our cake was beyond stunning and equally as tasty, created by Serena at Cobi & Coco. Two-tiered (but with a sneaky top tier made of foam, since it was just the two of us!), I loved that we got to experience some of these more traditional touches on our not-so-traditional day.
We chose the White Choco Passion flavour, a luxurious vanilla sponge, layered with refreshing passion fruit curd and decadent white chocolate buttercream. Dreamy doesnāt even cut itā¦
The Flowers
I wish my bouquet could have lasted forever. Perfectly colour-coordinated and tying in with our decor, it was prettier than anything I could have imagined for myself. With a buttonhole to match, plus plenty of flowers around the venue, Ruth from House of Mimi Fleur really pulled it out of the bag.
The Dress
Outfits and rings were the only two things we had to organise for our big-little day. I know it may seem unfathomable if youāve tried to plan your own wedding, especially one for lots of people. But that really was where any stress ended for us.
One huge benefit of eloping was that it meant we could save money to spend elsewhere. Weāre thinking: Long honeymoon in Greece to make the celebrations last! So, I absolutely loved my dress, but it wasnāt a bank breaker by any means. I actually got it from Coast and my husband got his suit from a local shop.
Once weād got those prepped and ready and had chosen our rings, we could pretty much sit back, relax and feel excited to see how the day itself would unfold.
The Ceremony
One of my only worries going into the elopement process was about the wedding ceremony. I adored the idea of our wedding being super small, but was also concerned that our walk down the aisle and everything that followed may feelā¦cold. With only our witnesses (the brilliant E-Lope team!) and the officiants, I worried that the room would feel empty.
I couldnāt have been more wrong. Instead of empty, it felt intimate. We were able to focus on each other and celebrating our love as a duo. The atmosphere was just magical.
I wouldnāt change a thing!
The Elopement Photographer
Fleur Challis was incredible! We didnāt want to sacrifice on having amazing memories to cherish forever, simply because we chose to elope instead of having a grander celebration.
We were anything but disappointed when the gallery landed in our inboxes a few weeks after the wedding. Every photo perfectly captured the atmosphere of our day: Closeness and sheer joy! Fleur caught each moment and detail that was important, from the cake and wedding breakfast to our first kiss and ring exchange. She is just the perfect photographer for Kent elopements.
And we also didnāt have to wait for hours while we got photos with every guest. Thatās a bonus if you ask us.
An elopement wedding isnāt for everyone. Thereās no denying that. However, if you are wanting to enjoy a special day that is smaller – or if youāve dreamed of a castle elopement – I say go for it! With the wonderful help of E-Lope Kent, our wedding is a day that we will cherish forever and have nothing but happy memories of.
By Bethany, an e-loper
