When I first laid my eyes on this gorgeous elopement from Jasmine White Photography I had two thoughts.
One – this is an amazing location that I never knew anything about and this couple looks so happy!
Two – I would be terrified to stand on that ledge and knowing my luck I would have dropped the ring!
Thankfully Marcus and Alexa are more brave than me and everything went off perfectly. They hiked about 4 miles to get to this spot overlooking New River in West Virginia to say their I do’s and I’d say the views were worth it!
Please enjoy some photos and some Q&A from the couple below!
Photographer : Jasmine White Photography
Location: Diamond Point overlooking New River Gorge in West Virginia
Officiant: Todd A Gray
Cake: Walmart
Videography : Always Hope Creative
How did you meet?
We met on a blind date. I (Alexa) had no idea about the “blind date” when a girlfriend asked me to go out with her for the night. On our way to our destination she informed me that a gut who’s been wanting to go on a date with her was meeting us and he was bringing the friend. That friend ended up being Marcus.
Why did you decide to elope?
My husband and I decided to elope because our families do not live near each other. My dad lives in West Virginia, my mom lives in South Carolina and his parents live in Philadelphia, PA, which is where we also reside. I have a very large family, my husband has a very small family. I wanted to keep something more intimate, and not stress others or myself out. My husband and I eloped just the two of us. Our parents knew we were going to elope, but nobody else did.
What challenges did you face while planning or making this decision?
I would say the biggest challenge I had was debating whether or not to invite our parents. Initially it was a hard no. As I kept planning I kept thinking about the fact that Marcus is an only child, and my dad wouldn’t be walking me down the aisle. We weren’t just going away to get married though, we were also going to celebrate the rest if the week together there. That would have meant if the parents came, they would all drive hours away just to be there for 1 day. I came up with the idea of having a “parents only” celebration after the elopement.
A month after we eloped we celebrated by bringing all of our parents, my step parents and my brother to our house and having an “I Do BBQ.” At the celebration, we luckily had the video back, so we all watched that at the party. I wouldn’t change a thing about the way we did it.
How did you decide on the location?
I decided on the location because I am originally from West Virginia so I know how gorgeous it is. Marcus didn’t really care what we did. I did research in other areas. Niagara falls was a big consideration for us. I felt like that was a big spot for many people though, so we went with West Virginia. I figured while we were there we could do some Adventures on the Gorge activities as well. I looked up hiking trails and came across Diamond Point. Most reviews said it was not as populated as other trails, so that’s why we chose that trail.
Did you tell anyone ahead of time?
We told our parents ahead of time. That was it. We announced our elopement to everyone else on social media. We went to my cousins wedding two days before ours, and we were asked by my uncle when we were getting married. Marcus told him we were eloping in two days. My uncle laughed and then the next time we seen him he said “I thought you guys were kidding.”
On the day of the wedding we called our parents. That was about all the contact we had.
We celebrated with our parents a month later. We had an “I Do BBQ” and at that we watched our wedding video.
What was your favorite part of the day and why?
Our favorite parts were the hike, the beauty of West Virginia, and going back to the cabin to cook out on the grill, sit in the hot tub and have a small fire.
Do you have any advice for couples currently planning their elopements?
My advice would be to do what makes you happy. If you do plan an elopement make sure you hire a good photographer and a videographer.
