Georgia, Teacher + Karl, Plumber
One sentence sum up of the wedding vibe: A fun and carefree day just for the two of us!
Planned Budget: $2000
Actual Budget: $1600
Number of Guests: 0
Location: New York City Marriage Bureau
Photographer: Sylvie Rosokoff
Where we allocated the most funds: We allocated over half of our funds to our photographer, Sylvie. Considering we eloped and were very far from our family we felt it was important to have our elopement photographed so we could share it with everyone later! She worked in with our budget and we were so pleased with the final cost. Sylvie was just amazing and it was so worth it!
Where we allocated the least funds: Flowers and not on purpose! Because we kept everything very simple and low key it was our least expensive. In saying this, Kate from Flower Witch was so easy to work with and made my dreams come true with these amazing flowers. All delivered to City Hall for $175 USD.
What was totally worth it: Our elopement was hands down the best day of our lives. It was worth every cent and we saved thousands eloping compared to having a wedding back home with all our family and friends.
What was totally not worth it: We are so glad we didn’t spend an excessive amount on our outfits. We chose practical outfits so we were comfortable and could just be in the moment and enjoy it. I would strongly recommend not sweating the small stuff, it’s not about the clothes, it’s about you and your partner celebrating your love together on your wedding day!
A few things that helped us along the way: Do your research! It is so easy online to find everything you need at the touch of a button. I stumbled across Sylvie on Instagram through searching hashtags and tagged photos! I found her website and it all fell into place from there. She recommended Kate as a florist she had worked with before. I compared a number of quotes and whilst doing this you can get the feel for the person you will be working with. I could tell throughout this process I had made the right choice with Sylvie and Kate.
My best practical advice for my planning self: – Start a spreadsheet. Be practical with your budget and how much can you really afford. Prioritise what you really want to spend your money on. And once you lock in a vendor, stop searching for others, you might start second guessing yourself!
Favorite thing about the wedding: It was a perfect day in every sense of the word. We woke up at 4am because it was snowing! I did my makeup myself and we got ready together which was so nice. We headed to City Hall to meet our amazing photographer who was already waiting at the front of the line, our were flowers dropped off and through we went. It was just so easy, no stress at all. Sylvie eased our nerves and before you know it we felt like models hopping through Brooklyn in our wedding outfits. Sylvie took us to so many amazing locations for all of the picturesque shots, nothing could have made it any better. The best of all, we took an Uber back to our hotel after our busy morning, ordered room service and had a nap, what a way to end your wedding 🙂
Anything else: I hope our story can help other newly engaged couples with their plans and ideas for their own wedding. NYC is a special place for us, we were engaged there two years earlier so it was only fitting we headed back to elope! Although a daunting idea, eloping overseas for us was relatively easy. You simply cannot beat a day with the love of your life, in your favourite city, doing your favourite things!