Elope in Big Sur

What is the greatest strength of your relationship?

Kristi – Our ability to see each other’s perspectives, totally!!

Dominic – I would say our mutual respect. And our love.

How did you know Simply Eloped was the right fit for you?

Kristi – The simple planning process, prices and EXCEPTIONAL communication with our wedding coordinator, Keely!

Dominic – It had the best deals!

What attracted you to a Big Sur elopement?

Kristi – I wanted to be sure we could have both worlds, the beach and the tree’s! Collette was just awesome to work with and we loved getting married in the redwoods! We drove about 20 min down the road for extra pics by the beach! Carmel was the perfect place for us !!!

Dominic – I love the Redwood Forest! The Redwood tree’s really put things into perspective because they’re so big! So serene and quiet!

What activities did you do before the wedding? How did you prepare? How did you feel leading up to the moments of your elopement?

Kristi – We bought Dom’s suit off of amazon a week before! I ran around to 7 stores two days before to find the perfect shoes! I made my bouquet with things from around the house and a little eucalyptus! Luckily for us, our venue took care of the marriage license and certificate! Before the ceremony I was so excited and a lil’ tipsy! I put my veil on backwards! I just couldn’t wait to marry him!

Dominic – I was very calm before the elopement! No cold feet at all! However, the night before the wedding, Kristi thought she lost her shoes, yikes! I was like, “do I wanna do this?” Just kidding! Of course I did!

Tell us about your experience with Simply Eloped leading up to and on your big day!

Kristi/Dominic – We had a great experience! Keely was very communicative and resourceful! We were able to connect to our officiant Denise throughout the planning process and she even called to get to know us! Our photographer Josh was so easy to work with and provided us with beautiful pictures!! Everyone was wonderful! We are so grateful.

How did you celebrate after?

Kristi/Dominic – We celebrated with In-N-Out and [an episode of] The Office! We also had a zoom reception with some family!

What words of encouragement do you have for those considering eloping?

Kristi – DO IT!!!! Eloping offers you and your partner so much quality time during one of the most important times of your life!! It’s about you two!! Soak it up and focus on each other! I am so happy I got that time with my husband<3!

Dominic – Do it! Your family will get over it;)! I think with traditional wedding ceremonies, it’s east to get caught up in trying to appease other people! It’s all about YOU!!!

What attracted you to the venue you chose for your elopement? What were your favorite parts about eloping there?

Taylor: After deciding on California, we started looking through the different options for California on the Simply Eloped website. We thought Big Sur looked pretty, so we explored the venues offered near Big Sur. Carmel seemed to be just what we wanted – a beautiful ocean view with rocks and cliffs as well.

Justin: My favorite part about eloping in Carmel was that the view was incredible. There were tons of huge rocks and massive waves.

How would you describe your elopement venue to someone who has never been there? 

Taylor & Justin: We can’t even put it into words! It was absolutely gorgeous. The water was extremely blue, there were beautiful colors on the hillside, and the weather was perfect. It was also secluded, which made our ceremony that much more intimate.

What did you do before the wedding? How did you get ready? How did you feel in the moments leading up to your elopement? 

Taylor: The day of the wedding, we went shopping at Carmel By the Sea. We actually bought our wedding flowers that morning at Tiger Lilly Florist and Gifts. They did such a wonderful job and had my flowers done within an hour. Then we went back to our hotel, and I started getting ready. I did my hair and makeup. I wasn’t stressed at all, which was the best feeling. Once we got to our elopement location, our officiant, Rebeca, helped me get into my dress so Justin and I could do a first look. It was such a stress-free day!

Justin: After dropping Taylor off at the hotel, I went back down to Carmel By the Sea. I bought some sunglasses, walked down to the beach, and talked to my brother on the phone. I wasn’t stressed the entire day; just excited!

How was your experience with Simply Eloped?

Taylor & Justin:  Absolutely incredible! We would recommend them to anyone wanting to elope. They organized everything from the officiant to permits. They responded to our emails within the day whenever we had questions. We are SO glad we decided to use Simply Eloped.

How did you choose to celebrate your elopement? 

Taylor & Justin: We didn’t have a reception or anything like that when we came back because we are both rather shy (hence the elopement). I did want a tasty dessert after we eloped, though! We went and got a maple apple cinnamon roll from Lilly Mae’s Cinnamon Rolls. It was so good! Better than any wedding cake I’ve ever tasted.

What words of encouragement do you have for those considering eloping?

Taylor & Justin: Just do it! We have no regrets whatsoever. The planning process was so much less stressful compared to a wedding. In fact, it wasn’t stressful at all! Eloping makes the day all about you and your spouse, as it should be.