Las Vegas Elopement

Pat and Meg described their Las Vegas elopement as “spontaneous, badass, and exceptional.” And I love their advice for anyone considering eloping (or getting married, for that matter): “Wait until you’ve had some quality life experiences and know yourself and what you are looking for in a partner.” Here, Meg shares some details from their exciting trip to The Little White Chapel in Las Vegas!

What made you decide to elope?
The best way to sum it up is “we just knew”. We both knew we were with the person we wanted to marry. Pat’s proposal went something like, “I would marry you tomorrow if I could.” And when I agreed we acted on it. Since Vegas was the only place we could do it that quickly, we booked our flights and made a reservation at The Little White Chapel that night. A part of me had always thought about what my wedding would be like and this was admittedly NOTHING like what I had imagined but I didn’t think twice about our decision.

What was the most surprising thing about eloping?
We weren’t nervous about it! It was very exciting and we certainly had endorphin rushes but we were never nervous or hesitant. I think that’s how we knew it was the right decision for us. I think the most surprising thing for other people was the very act of us eloping… I don’t think either of us would have been pegged as spontaneous enough to do that.

What was something that happened during your elopement that you didn’t expect? How did you handle it?
The whole thing was such a happy whirlwind for us and we were really excited to come home and share our news until the cab ride to the airport when our driver made the unfortunate comment to Pat that he wouldn’t want to be him when we told my dad. That took the wind out of our sails for a moment! Luckily we have very loving and understanding parents who have always supported our decisions.

Tell me about the reactions from your family members once you told them you had eloped.
Honestly, it was really fun telling everyone! We even recorded some people’s reactions. We had to tell Pat’s family over the phone because of distance and the fact that they were so happy for us made it easier to tell my family in person. We left the champagne in the car in case it didn’t go over well. It is probably a moment I’ll never forget—Pat was originally going to tell them but got nervous at the last minute and kicked me under the table so I said, “We have some exciting news… last week Pat and I got engaged!” which prompted a lot of smiling and my mom saying, “I knew it”, and then I followed it with, “and then two days later we got married!” I think my parents were in shock but my youngest brother, Dan, immediately jumped up and hugged us (thank you Danny) which broke the ice and led to a celebratory evening. We had only happy reactions from everyone we told. I think it helped our immediate family to know that we planned to have a wedding celebration in the fall so we still had dress shopping with my mom, first dances with my dad and Pat’s mom, and other typical wedding traditions.

Did you tell anyone before you eloped or did you keep it a secret?
It happened so fast we didn’t really have a chance to tell anyone*. We wanted it to be about us and we went into it agreeing that the moment of our union would be a private one and we would celebrate with our family and friends later.

*(There was one person, actually, my cousin Emi called me while we were in Vegas and I swore her to secrecy… it’s okay to break your silence now, Em!)

What are three words you’d use to describe your elopement?
Is Happily Ever After too cheesy?? Best Life Decision we’ve made? How about Spontaneous, Badass (Pat’s contribution), and Exceptional.

Any advice for couples considering eloping?
Wait until you’ve had some quality life experiences and know yourself and what you are looking for in a partner. That’s advice for any marriage but we think it’s particularly true when you make a quick decision like an elopement. It’s probably wise to consider how your family will react as well because although we are obvious fans of the intimate ceremony, we were also very fortunate to have families who understood that.

Thanks for sharing, Meg and Pat! And congratulations on your “Happily Ever After”  : ) xo

PS. A Napa Valley Elopement

(First and third photos by the Little White Chapel’s photographer. Second photo was a selfie in the limo afterwards on their way to dinner at Nobu.)