Elope in San Diego

What do you love about your partner?

Shannon: I  love how thoughtful, sensitive and fun Emmanuelle is. He is who I want to share every moment with because he always makes it better – good or bad moments.

Emmanuelle: I  love that Shannon is such a compassionate and empathetic person. She always wants to take care of her family and often puts others’ needs before her own.

What is the greatest strength of your relationship?

Emmanuelle: In my opinion, our greatest strength is that we are able to forgive and make up pretty quickly. We try to stay completely transparent with our issues and work them out as soon as possible so that they will not turn into grudges and resentment.

How did you find Simply Eloped?

I just started looking up Elopement Packages online – we initially wanted to Elope somewhere a little more exotic like Bora Bora but given the COVID-19 pandemic we started looking more local and Simply Eloped popped up in the Google Searches.

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

Just was simple and easy – which is the point of eloping! Picked our package and they did the rest!

What attracted you to eloping at Sunset Cliffs in San Diego?

The views at Sunset Cliffs looked amazing and we loved the idea of getting eloped on the beach – one of our favorite places.

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

We actually drove to the exact location where the elopement was taking place just to make sure we knew how to get there and how long it would take a few days prior. Also, on the day of we got there super early to set up our arch and other decorations. We were definitely both anxious and nervous leading up to the elopement. I will say though, it was nice to sleep in that day, wake up and just focus on us – nothing else. We grabbed smoothies and got ready and headed down to the beach.

How did you celebrate after?

We celebrated in our hotel room with our dog daughter, lots of champagne, homemade desserts, and we ordered some of our favorite foods from Postmates.

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

This day should be exactly what you want, how you want it – never feel bad for doing what is right for you as a couple!

Why did you decide to elope?

Lori: Weddings always felt like such a waste to me. I watched so many of my friends take on large amounts of debt and stress all for one day. They ended up broke and frustrated. I saw friends literally destroy their relationships over wedding planning and divorce over debt. I didn’t want to have our wedding focus on all the wrong things. Our engagement time and wedding were meant to bring us closer together and I feel like big weddings only push couples apart.

How did you find Simply Eloped?

Lori: Facebook

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

Lori: It was simple, easy and stress free – which was exactly what we needed.

What attracted you to the venue you eloped at?

Lori: We wanted to stay close to home so that our kids and close family and friends could attend. We also couldn’t risk all the travel restrictions with the pandemic. Sunset Cliff was perfect.

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

Lori: We took a premarital counseling course online with Marriage365. Other than that, we saved all the fun activities for our honeymoon!

Tell us about your experience with Simply Eloped leading up to and on your wedding day.

Lori: Stress free. We just had to show up. I was able to juggle being a Mom of three kids, run a successful business AND plan a wedding. I couldn’t have done that on my own.

How did you celebrate after your elopement?

Lori: After our ceremony, we went back with friends and family to our Airbnb on the beach. We had a nice dinner from a local restaurant, had our first dance and cut the cake. Everyone left so that we could continue staying there for the next three nights of our honeymoon. We were able to do lots of fun things in San Diego like kayaking, indoor skydiving, couples massage, a fancy dinner and a bonfire on the beach.

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

Lori: You may regret a big wedding, but you’ll never regret eloping…do it!!