I sometimes get a little weird about sharing personal information about myself, which might be a little odd as a writer, I know. That’s why—finally!—after a couple of months I’m getting around to announcing this: We eloped!
So sum it up, my BFF Kelsey Kimberlin, who works regularly with the W Banquet Hall, planned an elopement event where people just show up with the paperwork and rings and get married, and they’d get photos and cake taken care of and sign everything for us, and that hit all of my buttons (e.g., having anyone but me plan it all, an intimate setting, beautiful photos, surrounded by the people I love most—at least most of them). So we signed up, showed up, and ended the night married.
I really just wanted to share the photos, cause it was really lovely, but also super easy!
We were limited to a small group of people, which honestly made it so much easier to not disappoint anyone who might not have been invited otherwise. My mom’s back isn’t great, so she and my older brother were able to join us by Facetime instead of making the long trip to Kansas from Illinois for a short ceremony.
My sister-in-law married us, which was so perfect! It made it so much more meaningful than having a stranger do it (though my mom’s hearing meant she couldn’t understand why we got married by a Universalist minister and why she was crying so much… It made a lot more sense to her when I let her know that was Topher’s sister!). And we also read vows to the kids, just so they’d know that they’re every bit a part of this marriage as Topher and I are.
And then, best of all, I was surrounded by two of my besties (Laura and Kelsey), Topher’s family, Laura’s family (who we visited in Thailand), and my own family via Facetime. No planning. People I love. And us. It was perfect.
So yeah, we eloped, and everything was perfect and I can’t recommend it more.
