I love everything about this elopement. So simple, but absolutely perfect for the couple and their adorable dog!
They decided to marry on a Wednesday at the Barn at Woolverton Inn as a nod to their childhoods of growing up on farms. They said I do, popped some Champagne and enjoyed the day as husband and wife!
Here are some words from their photographer, Anais about the day and some Q&A with the couple down with the photos.
“She originally had chosen a different location for her day when she realized her dog would not be able to attend if she had chosen the previous one! They wanted to elope just the two of them and their cute pup. They didn’t want to go through the hassle of wedding planning and agree with whatever their family would decide for them. They wanted to get married their own way and celebrate later.
They stayed a few days at the Woolverton Inn to enjoy their elopement fully and spend some time together. After their elopement, they went out for dinner to celebrate. It was such an easy day for them and all they wanted.
For the decoration, she bought the carpet and picked up the dry grass outside to decorate her ceremony. It was simple but beautiful and all they wanted. The Woolverton Inn even had some champagne ready for them to pop the bottle after their ceremony!”
Photography: Anais Possamai Photography
Venue: Woolverton Inn
Officiant: Susan Liggett
Flowers: Pod Shop Flowers
How did you two meet?
First day of high school, we were both sophomores, we shared a gym class. I had just moved to America from Portugal and luckily they sat us next to each other. Since he was the only Portuguese person in our class able to help me communicate with teachers and other classmates, we became really close friends. He had also lived in Portugal half of his life, so he understood how difficult the transition was and what it was like being in a totally different environment.
How did you decide to elope? What challenges came with that decision?
We both have big families and a big wedding was never in our plans. We both believe that weddings nowadays focus less on the meaning and more on how to should look for others. We didn’t want anything to interfere with what we wanted “our day” to be. The biggest challenge for us was how to keep it a secret. We wanted to at least tell our parents but we knew they would have their own opinion and the last thing we wanted was to argue instead of celebrate.
How did you decide on the location?
We both grew up on a farm so we wanted to have that same feeling of being “home”. And this was the perfect place! They had an old barn, sheep, large open fields and they were also pet friendly, so we were able to have our little puppy with us.
Did you tell anyone ahead of time that you were eloping? How did you break the news?
No one knew about our plans of eloping. We kept it a secret from everybody. We eloped on a Wednesday and invited our friends and family over for dinner on Saturday. We hung pictures in our entry hallway from the sneak peek Anais was able to send to us just a few days after our elopement. As our guests arrived they saw the pictures and finally understood what the dinner was for. Once everyone was over we made the announcement and drove everyone to our favorite restaurant where we had a private dinner to celebrate.
What was your favorite part of the day and why?
Everything went as planned. We had no stress, and the few people involved (our Reverend Sue, our Amazing photographer Anais and the Woolverton Inn Owner, Mary) were wonderful. Mary made it all perfect when she let us use their very old barn to have our ceremony in. She made sure we had our privacy even though the Inn was fully packed the night before. What was our favorite part? All of it.
What advice do you have for other couples planning their elopements?
Eloping gave us the opportunity to make our day as personal, intimate and stress free as we wanted. We had full control of our decisions with no outside influence. There were no stressful thoughts about who to invite or where to sit people. It was just us. Taking a big step that only the two of us can fully understand together. This day is about the vows you’re making to the person you love and nothing else. So my advice to future couples is to take your life in your own hands and do what makes you happy. We did.
