Time for a true elopement! More and more these days couples are planning their elopements in advance and with more time to plan they often end up telling a few people ahead of time. But Christine and Jamie were abel to keep their secret alive and got married in San Antonio without anyone knowing!
Here are some words from their photographer Nikk about the day:
“Working with these two was such a fun and chill experience and if you know me that’s what I’m all about! Christine and Jaime decided to get married without telling their families, so it was a super intimate and exciting time. I felt like I was in on a really important secret… and in reality I was and I loved it! It was just Christine, Jaime, their pup and myself!
We hung out at Havana Hotel; a really amazing spot that I think you’ll like when you see the photos. After capturing some great moments we then headed to Downtown San Antonio, Texas for an intimate wedding ceremony. An officiant and some heart melting vows is all that was needed for an unforgettable time. There really isn’t anything like witnessing a wonderful and tear filled exchange of vows in the middle of a beautiful city like San Antonio!”
Scroll down for photos and some Q&A with the couple!
Photography: Nikk Nguyen Photo
Getting Ready location : Hotel Havana
Cake: Quack’s 43rd street Bakery
Dress Store: Blue Bridal Austin
Groom’s Attire : Banana Republic
Flowers: Central Market
Hair Stylist: Stephanie Nicole
HOW DID YOU MEET?
We met through the dating app called Hinge. Our first date was at the Ginger Man pub in Austin, TX. We matched over our fondness of avocados!
WHAT IS YOUR PROPOSAL STORY?
The day Jaime proposed, I could tell he was acting weird. He kept trying to get me out of the house and he eventually bribed me with coffee and pastries at Mozart’s, which overlooks the lake in Austin. I was studying for the GRE that day and he had decided to start reading the Harry Potter series that I’d been telling him to read for some time. When we were leaving Mozarts, he stopped with the book in his hand, got down on his knee, and opened the book to reveal my ring. I was surprised and excited and asked him “Are you serious right now?” to which he replied “Yes, I am serious.” I told him yes and almost immediately afterwards we went on a boat tour of Austin.
TELL US A LITTLE A BIT ABOUT YOUR WEDDING (YOUR VISION, COLOR, STYLE, AND LOCATION CHOICES).
We knew that we wanted to look back at this day fondly for the rest of our lives and we wanted it to be intimate. We didn’t want the ceremony to take place in a courthouse or inside city hall – the surroundings were important to us and downtown San Antonio has always had a great, classic look to it. We stayed at the Hotel Havana which had an obvious Cuba, 1950’s vibe. The hotel was beautiful in the details: each room was decorated so uniquely, from the vintage furniture chosen to the art on the walls. It had a romantic feel of a getaway. A bonus was that the location was pet-friendly, so we could bring our dog Autumn. She even appears in some of our photos from that day, which was important to us.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ATTIRE CHOICES.
Even though it was an elopement, we wanted to not look back and feel that we missed out on the experience of dressing up on that day. We wore very formal attire. Jaime wore a very nice blue suit jacket with a white dress shirt (of course, he added a touch of his personality with his Star Wars Yoda socks). I wore my wedding dress, which I had just had alterations finished on a few weeks beforehand. We really enjoyed getting all done up for this special day.
WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO THE TWO OF YOU WHILE PLANNING? WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU CHOSE TO SPLURGE ON OR SKIP?
The most important thing was the photographer. We wanted to make sure that day was recorded. Nikk captured some very priceless moments for us. We decided to splurge on the hotel; it was our own getaway. We decided to elope, so no guest other than our dog was present at that moment. We chose to forego inviting our family to our ceremony because we wanted to be able to focus on each other and take in that moment for ourselves. We have planned a reception to celebrate with friends and family at a later date.
WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE PARTS OF THE DAY? (MEMORIES AND STORIES)
Wow! There are so many to choose from. The ceremony itself and being able to read our vows was beautiful and stands out initially. Along with that, the morning of the wedding we went for a Riverwalk stroll with our dog and took in the atmosphere of the morning, trying to enjoy every bit of the day. It was a reminder that you have to take everything as it comes, be present in what is happening, and that feeling is what will get you through many of the highs and lows of a relationship. One final memory was a last minute panic we experienced before the ceremony. Christine lost her ID after getting her makeup done which led us to worry that we might not be able to get married in another county. Jaime ran all around the hotel, called the beauty shop, and even went so far as to call the officiant to make sure we could still get married. He confirmed that yes, we absolutely still would be able to marry that day. The humor of the frantic feeling matched our personality as a couple and we can only look back now and laugh!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS.
I wanted to stay in with the romantic theme with the hotel and my dress. I felt that the colors we chose kept with the theme. We wanted our dog to be involved and got her flowers.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WEDDING CAKE.
We went with the basic chocolate cake with chocolate ganache. The bakery was located down the road from our house and decided a week before to include the cake. It was beautifully decorated to begin with. We added our own flowers to the top of the cake. The best part about eloping was that we didn’t have to share our cake with other people!
DID YOU INCLUDE ANY FAMILY HEIRLOOMS OR SPECIAL TRADITIONS?
I wore a necklace that I wore as a flower girl to my mother’s wedding.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR COUPLES PLANNING THEIR WEDDINGS NOW?
It can be easy to forget amidst all of the excitement of wedding planning that this day is about you and your partner. Ultimately you have to decide what it is you truly want to look back on and keep with you from your wedding day. Other people’s inputs are worth listening to and considering other people is a worthy endeavor. However, be okay with setting boundaries – this day is about y’all so have fun with it in whatever way makes sense to you!
