Our wedding was out of a 90’s small town movie. We had it on one of the islands (Friday Harbor) of San Juan Islands, Washington. This was the same town where Practical Magic was filmed if anyone remembers where Sandra Bullocks and Nicole Kidman acted as young playful witches. You can imagine the town had a mystical feel to it, which is akin to the misty Washington weather.
Everyone on the island was a character of their own. They left the mainland in order to slow down with island time and enjoy the little moments within the community they built.
The Magic of the Place
The venue itself was beautiful and quaint! Tucker House Inn was absolutely amazing getaway for the entire family. We stayed in the Friday Harbor Suite while we got the Victoria Garden Suite for the rest of the family!
Friday Harbor is one of the best islands within San Juan Island. People love coming here to get away from the hustle and get on that beloved “island time”!
Here’s the cottage best explained:
“How good is this Bed and Breakfast? Lifesaving, perhaps. Soul-restoring, certainly. Calming, at the very least. Each cottage exhibits its own history and character, and each stay in the San Juan Islands will be unique. At night, expect utter quiet, punctuated only by the sounds of the ferry on its rounds to and from Friday Harbor.
During the day, expect calm. Each breakfast will be unique, delicious, and memorable. It will arrive in bento containers in a basket, left outside your door as if unseen elves were making their rounds by early-morning light, all for your benefit. Their coffee, awaiting you at any hour, is ground perfectly for the steel press beside it, and it will taste delicious.“
A Very romantic but accurate review by a guest
Our wedding started with some dark rain clouds but by the time I had to walk towards my groom, the sun was shining through the wispy willow tree. It was slightly breezy as it was late October but the clouds cleared up to provide some warmth as we said our written vows on a grassy lawn in the back of the bed and breakfast property.
Planning A Elopement Style Wedding
Our wedding elopement package consisted of the following:
- Venue and the Honeymoon Suite (equipped with small kitchen)
- Breakfast and cookie snacks throughout the day
- Bottle of Champagne and flutes
- Photography (2 hours)
- Wedding Cake (to our taste)
- Officiant Services
- Tailored Dr. Suess Wedding Book
I would recommend getting your pictures by the surrounding areas taken by family. Our mother-in-law and friend took some amazing pictures by the gardens and coastal area! It added to the candor and authenticity of the elopement wedding!
And now, here are some important to keep in mind when planning an Elopement Style Wedding:
Are they providing a photographer and is he/she good?
Ask to review the photography portfolio of the local photographer they intend to hire for your ceremony. See if it is worth including in your package or if you would rather have your own. Trust me this one is an important. Trust but verify always!
You don’t want pictures that are lackluster and don’t capture the magic of the day!
Have a shot list ready and email it the host and the bridesmaid/maid of honor as well as the photographer
It’s going to be a nutty day and the photographer might be too busy with the camera to keep pulling up the email. Make sure someone else, not involved in the picture taking, has a copy in order to remind you of the shots you wanted!
Have at least 4 signature moves you want to do. A few of mine are here below.
This was probably one of my favorite poses. It gives me the vibe of “You come here often, Sir”.
I like this one for the sheer fact that it shows that he’s my man now!! lol And it shows off a bit of the dress.
Where do I get the dress? Hidden Hem Prices
Okay if you get the dress at a Wedding Boutique that is “Off the Rack”. That’s awesome because you’ll find dresses that are close to your size from $500-$800!
But beware of the seamstress prices!!!
My dress was $700 and then ANOTHER $600 for hemming it to my body. And it was just hemmed in three places (with about 1 inch cloth). Talk about upcharge!
The BOOB Lift
They’re going to ask you about the Boob Lift, and I initially said yes because I didn’t have any bra on when I tried it. So it definitely looked like I needed some help in the support department. But I later regretted it. It was WAY too much of a lift and there was a lot of cleavage (I am a B for reference).
Instead I cut out the extra push-up padding, and I had gotten boob gel pasties that I used instead.
The Boob Gel Pasties I got from Nordstrom, but you can get them from anywhere. It provided the perfect decent amount of lift (in my opinion).
Shoes
Try to get the shoes prior to the dress being hemmed, so you can wear it for the fittings.
You want 3 inch beaded shoes of some sort. I got mine from DSW for $40 and they were these beautiful tan heels with fake white pearls across. It was perfect for moving about and dancing for the First Dance! See below picture for my left foot peeking out as I’m hoofing it to the Willow Tree from my room. It was a bit of inclined walk so I’m glad my shoes were comfortable!
Hair and Makeup
Okay, so since it was sort of a destination elopement wedding (San Juan Islands, WA), all three of the makeup artists on the island were already booked. I asked about a month out, which sure is definitely not enough time. But I was also in the middle of a mission right before the wedding. So planning way ahead was a bit difficult. Either way I did my own makeup trial and day of!
I did the trial to see what kind of shadows, blushes and mascara style I wanted to use. This is VERY important.
I wrote it all down on my Iphone Notes pad. I wanted to flawlessly recreate the look by following a step by step process. I took pictures as well.
As for hair, I knew I didn’t want to be spending too much time on it myself. Doing my own makeup would be stressful enough as it is. I found a hairdresser, who was able to do a low Bohemian bun with romantic whisps of hair coming out from the side. And then we added the baby’s breath beaded jewelry. Nothing too over the top. Just two pieces we cut and added to the bun to give it an elegant look. Sometimes less is more!
Post Wedding Husband and Wife Pictures!
Take some fun candid pictures together as well in your honeymoon suite.
Jesse took some shots of me in my Mrs. jean jacket. Take some pictures, selfies, or videos of just goofing around. You’re going to look back at it fondly because it captures the high of the feeling you two are experiencing.
And it’s heartwarming to look back at, to see the glimmer of hope and love in each others eyes.
I took some videos of us walking down the suite steps together as husband and wife. Gave him a smooch and was like, “C’mon honey, let’s go take on the day!”.
Scheduling the Weekend!
The Day Before
The day before we all went to Seattle to spend some time in Pikes Place looking at tchotchkes (bits and bobs)!
I had the Bridesmaids (the women in the family) pick out their own bouquets for which I paid for of course. And then we all had some great coffee and pastries in Storyville Café before getting on that ferry.
Day of the Big Day
We just went to a wonderful restaurant for a luncheon. And it was really lovely to have our closest family and friends with us especially by the harbor on the island! I couldn’t have dreamed up a better!! W
The Sun came out after early morning showers and we were just ecstatic to be married and simply soaking it all in!
The itinerary for the weekend. Family and friends left by Sunday morning, so we had two more days to just relax and explore the island to ourselves.
The BNB gave us massage vouchers which we definitely scheduled the very next day after the Wedding!
We spent the rest of the weekend exploring the coast. Everything was a 15-18 minute drive.
We went on a small hike to a lighthouse and then just walked around by the water and picked up a piece unique driftwood to commemorate the beautiful elopement wedding experience. We also went to town and walked around the area, going to small shops, lavender shops and open mic night for some evening fun!
Overall, I’m so glad I didn’t over plan the wedding. Having someone handle all the coordination and the venue setup was absolutely the best because I could focus on myself the and experience with my husband!
