WE'RE BACK & MARRIED!
*picture heavy, elopement advice, long post, pricing, dog parents*
Here's our $5K Oregon Coast Beach Elopement on Monday, July 12, 2021!
We're hoping this helps someone who is wedding planning and needs some direction, inspiration, ideas, etc. Everything is divided up below, so take what you need!
Engagement photos have also been added here since we did them the morning of the wedding!
WHAT WAS THE THEME AND COLORS?
Boho Styled Beach Picnic
Dark Green, White, Ivory, Gold, Bronze, Rust, and Brown
WHY DID WE ELOPE?
Our original plans were a formal ceremony and reception in downtown Portland for 50-60 people. When COVID postponed other weddings and family events, we decided to elope with our dog on the Oregon Coast for our 5 year anniversary. We did have a few people who really wanted to go, but we assured them a formal vow renewal would take place in the future. Eloping was never on the radar until COVID but with our families being all out of state and worrying about their health and safety, it seemed appropriate.
WAS ELOPING WORTH IT?
Eloping was the best thing we could have done! The wedding planning and day-of stress was minimal, and we didn’t have to worry about keeping to an order of events. We literally played everything by ear especially since my wife and I had not allotted enough time for getting ready. Everything was surreal… and eloping on a Monday made it that much more private. We also picked a gorgeous location so the pictures and the entire vibe was romantic and magical! Having eloped to a destination spot also makes that particular place very special to us. We honestly can’t wait to go back!
HOW WAS ELOPING WITH YOUR DOG?
Enzo, our 9 year old maltipoo, was super well behaved… besides running away (about 20 ft) during the ceremony to say ‘hi’ to a stranger. We kept him leashed for the ceremony and then he was off leash the rest of the evening. He stuck to us the entire day and even though he’s usually the attention hog, he definitely let us have our time to shine. He definitely surprised us with some new antics, but it was amazing having our fur baby around.
ADVICE: Get your pet familiar with the location prior to the wedding. Make sure plenty of bathroom breaks are taken beforehand.
WHAT ABOUT VENDORS?
We had about 12 vendors (pricing, our experience, and advice for each vendor is below). There were 3 on-site wedding vendors (coordinator, photographer, and videographer) who stayed the entire time. Our best friend acted as our officiant and left shortly after the bridal photos. Besides that, all the other vendors were optional (in our minds) but we decided they would be necessary for the vision of our styled picnic. The overall look and feel of the styled picnic elopement was purely ideas my fiancé and I had from our Pinterest board. We opted to plan the whole thing ourselves while having a few consultation hours with our coordinator.
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST/EASIEST WEDDING TASKS?
The hardest wedding task was definitely writing vows. I think my wife would agree as well. We didn't write them until the morning of the wedding! I felt that my emotions were the most raw at that point, and I suddenly felt able to put all my thoughts onto paper.
The easiest wedding task was probably ordering our wedding cake. We found a bakery near the location, looked up and down their website, and then called to order after finalizing our reference images. It literally took us a few hours to decide on the flavor and design...
WHAT WAS THE COST?
Total Cost: ~$4500
This included travel to the coast, staying at an AirBNB condo on the beach, miscellaneous things that came up, vendors and rentals, etc. It was definitely more than what we originally planned to spend, but it was all worth it. Below are individual comments and estimated pricing regarding each of the vendors we used.
Photographer: $500
Malone Photography
We found a local photographer early on in the planning process, so many of our original plans changed. Either way, she was super accommodating and flexible every single time. We actually did our engagement photoshoot the morning of the wedding, and we wouldn’t have it any other way! We’re so glad we had such an easygoing and down-to-earth photographer because we didn’t realize how influential a photographer can be for the actual day!
ADVICE: Make sure you talk to your significant other about photos you absolutely want to see in your album. Our photographer met with us to make sure she had a list of things we needed photographed!
Videographer: $400
Jeremy Ito Story Design
Our videographer was newer to wedding videography and a last minute addition. We didn’t think we could get a videographer on our small budget, but we even got drone footage! The sneak peek was gorgeous so we can’t wait for the final film! We stressed a cinematic feel and he delivered… it was honestly so romantic!
ADVICE: Don’t shy away from newer videographers! Ask for a portfolio or films they recently taken. Make sure their style matches what you’re looking for in your wedding video. Make sure to talk about vision!
Coordinator: $300
Delight Event Coordinating
Our coordinator was an absolutely lifesaver. She went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. The picnic styling was exactly what we wanted. She was a logistics queen… it felt like she could read our minds and was already five steps ahead of all of us. I should mention that we book a few consultation hours but most of it was day-of hours for setup and tear down.
ADVICE: If you can afford even just a few hours for day-of events, do yourself a favor and book a coordinator. This was the best investment for our elopement! We did not have to worry about setup, tear down, the cake, the food and drinks, etc.
Cake: $30
My Petite Sweet
We got a small 6 inch cake which fed the both of us for three nights. We shipped the faux cake florals a week prior to confirm the color scheme. The cake itself was pink champagne and strawberry and cream filling. The bakery delivered it to our AirBNB after the manager was not thrilled about the bronze drip having puddled at the base of the cake overnight. We would have never noticed but it was amazing seeing their attention to detail.
ADVICE: Don’t stress yourself on the day of the wedding. Have that champagne! When we went to pick up the cake and it wasn’t ready, I had a slight panic attack. But after they assured me the cake would be delivered within the hour, I went with my day happily. Trust your vendors!
Rentals & Decor: $300
Lily & Cane - Textiles
Danner & Soli - Table Setting
We splurged a bit on rentals and decor for the styled picnic. We bought oversized pillows from Mercari and rented many more. We also got several versions of particular items to give our coordinator the ability to style according to her taste. We did have to use two different rental companies (one for textiles and the other for table setting items) but it was worth it!
ADVICE: If you love something, get it. I was absolutely in love with the thought of having an abundance of boho styled pillows. I bought some, rented other, but I stuck to the vision the entire time.
AirBNB: $900
We stayed a few nights in a condo facing the ocean… right in front of the gorgeous rock that would be the backdrop to our wedding. It was super dog friendly and had private access to the beach. We’re planning to go back! We absolutely adored our specific condo and will be renting that particular one again.
ADVICE: Plan to be near the wedding venue the day before… it makes life that much easier when you aren’t rushing the day of. If you’re eloping, see if you can stay the day after the wedding to explore your destination as newlyweds! This was honestly a highlight for us.
Transportation: $300
We rented a car for the amount of time we were going to be on the coast. It gave us enough space for transporting all the items to and from home.
ADVICE: Have a reliable means of transportation at all times the day before, the day of, and the day after the wedding.
Attire & Alterations: $600
Alterations - Simply Seamless
Suit - Stitch & Tie
Dress - Still White
The dress was a gift from another bride so we saved tons of money on that but there are many inexpensive dresses online! Poshmark, Azazie, and Still White were my favorite places to search for discounted dresses.
My wife rented her suit from Stitch & Tie, and their service was phenomenal. The suit itself was a stunning green! Everyone loved the color, overall fit, and the elegant look.
Alterations for my dress occurred a little over two months prior to the wedding. The seamstress had so much experience, I couldn't help but feel at ease handing over my dress. It took about 5-6 weeks before it was ready for me to wear. I’m a bit sad I didn’t get to bustle the dress (because it was a gorgeous bustle) but was honestly nothing major.
ADVICE: Do lots of research before settling on a dress or a suit! Make sure you also find a seamstress bridal dress experience. I almost handed my dress to someone who did not have experience altering wedding dresses!
Hair & Makeup: $400
Rust & Roses Beauty
I was dead set on doing my own hair and makeup, but I’m so glad I got it done professionally. It was a good time to chat it up with the officiant, the HMUA, my wife, etc. I definitely felt more at ease having someone do it for me rather than struggling all morning to get myself together. I looked very natural, and I'm so glad because I don't typically wear makeup.
My wife also had her hair trimmed and done prior to the wedding… we ended up changing her hairstyle the night before!
ADVICE: You and your future spouse should pamper yourself! It’s so nice getting a haircut or a trim before the wedding. The prep days also fuel the excitement.
Catering: $200
Boujee Boards PNW
We got a charcuterie board for our picnic… it was delicious and looked lovely. All our on-site vendors, as well as our officiant, received a mini charcuterie box of their own.
ADVICE: Make it your mission to eat before the events as well as during… even if it’s just bites here and there.
Florals: $200
Wedding Florals for Rent
We rented florals, and I’m so glad we did. Everything arrived on time and we loved the colors and the quality. We got a custom garland, a boutonnière, a small bridesmaid bouquet, and the cake florals. Everything photographed well and we even got to keep the custom cake florals!
ADVICE: I always wanted real flowers for the day but couldn’t figure out an inexpensive and convenient way of doing it. These faux flowers were very pretty and still gave the romantic feel of real flowers.
Misc: $200-500
From the marriage certificate to food on the day of, random things popped up. We had to mail out our cake florals. We bought some food and snacks to have at the AirBNB. I honestly didn’t keep track of these things but there were definitely quite a few things we hadn’t accounted for in our budget.
FINAL ADVICE: We loved the fact that we eloped… that we spent our wedding day as of it were one very elaborate date. All of the vendors we used were amazing! From the service to the individuals themselves, we honestly bonded with all of them. There were things that we did forget to do but it really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. If you are financially able to (and comfortable with) paying all your vendors before the wedding day, do it! The day of the wedding, we only needed to pay the hair and makeup artistIt. Knowing that everything was paid before arriving at the AirBNB honestly removed so much stress.
Lastly, enjoy yourselves on the actual day! Smile, dance, drink, eat... This is supposed to be your day to shine!
