Hey gals, and welcome to another beautiful installment of real wedding love here on the blog this morning. We absolutely ADORE an intimate romantic elopement wedding, and with more and more couples braving this wedding style, it won’t be long before it becomes the ‘norm’ wedding choice for couples. Elopements can offer so much to a pair in love; intimacy, personalised and meaningful touches, freedom, and more often than not, a pretty hefty bank balance saving!
Jessica and Jordan eloped in Newport, Vermont to an amazing tree house at
Vermont Tree Cabin (booked via Airbnb). Surrounded by epic tall forestry scenes, a pretty pond and wild woodland hideaway nooks, this venue suited the couple’s elopement vision beautifully.
There really were many reasons why we decided to elope. Ultimately it just felt right for us. Having an entire day all to ourselves to focus on each other, our relationship, life, and this new sense of deeper commitment as life partners, was such a special and unique feeling.
After an incredibly intimate and tear-jerking ceremony, the newly weds headed back to the tree house to prepare a rustic picnic together. With tasty treats in tow, they found a quiet spot to share their meal. As the stars began to emerge from the sky, Jordan built a campfire and the two snuggled up for the evening. Such a wonderfully warm ending to such a beautiful day….
I will cherish how I felt on that day forever.
We love Jessica and Jordan’s love story. Big love and thanks to the dahl that is Julia Luckett for sharing this wedding with us. Here’s the bride to tell you all about her elopement wedding….
Engaged in Iceland
Jordan proposed to me on a trip to Iceland two years prior to our wedding. Two years gave us plenty of time to let the engagement sink in, think about how we wanted to get married, and really take our time with planning.
Intimate Woodland Elopement Wedding
We were married at Vermont Tree Cabin – a treehouse venue in Newport, Vermont. The first step was figuring out whether or not we wanted to have guests at our wedding, and if we did want guests, how many. After much thought, we decided on a private elopement with just the two of us. Everyone, family and friends, knew we were getting married privately, so it wasn’t a secret, and everyone was very supportive. We knew we would get married in Vermont since we are both from here and feel very connected to our Vermont roots.
Inspired by Nature, Cosy Cabin and a Perfectly Private Venue
Our inspiration came from each other and by nature. Also it was important to us to keep the majority of the wedding local as much as possible. Not just the venue, but the details as well. We were brainstorming ideas for what type of venue we wanted. We thought of ideas such as state parks and family member’s homes, but those places just didn’t feel private enough. I had an idea to check out Airbnb and found the beautiful tree cabin. The cabin was cozy, secluded, surrounded by nature. All these characteristics appealed to us. We both thought it would be perfect for our private ceremony, so we booked it!
Meaningful Readings and Personalised Vows
The ceremony was private – just the two of us, the Justice of the Peace, and the photographer. We found a nice location by the pond on the property of the Airbnb to have the ceremony. We chose two readings that were meaningful to us. We asked the Justice of The Peace, Stephen Laurie, to read “It’s all I have to bring today” by Emily Dickinson, and “The Gift of the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Jordan and I spent the morning of our wedding finishing up writing our vows. I had heard to have them written much earlier, but for us it felt very meaningful and real to write them the morning of our wedding.
Post-Ceremony Picnic by the Pond
We celebrated after the ceremony with a picnic on the grass by the pond. We got all kinds of local foods like cheeses, plums, pears, sausages, and jellies as well as some wine and crackers. We used a basket to carry everything to where we wanted to set up our picnic (felt more picnic-like). We laid out a tapestry we brought from home to sit on. We ended the night building a fire and snuggling up next to it.
We bought a chocolate cupcake from a local bakery, Sweet Alchemy, that sells baked goods at our co-op, City Market the day before the wedding.
Beautiful Dress, Floral Crown and Simple Jewellery
My dress and shoes were from Lulus. I chose this because it was affordable and felt like it was something that looked nice and that I would be comfortable wearing. I wore a floral crown from Burlington based Stray Cat Flower Farm (who also provided the bouquet and boutonniere) and a necklace, wedding ring and engagement ring made by Global Pathways.
Jordan’s outfit was from Banana Republic.
Encapsulating Photography
Julia Luckett was our photographer and we feel so fortunate to have found her! When we first met with her we could tell she wanted to get to know us, as well as understand our vision for the day. She had helpful suggestions along the way that showed her experience and expertise. Not only is she easy to work with, she’s also kind, funny and made the process so much fun! As someone who is camera shy, I was surprised how comfortable and prepared I was on the day of our elopement. She totally captured the overall feel of the day, the intimate moments, and all the little details we might have otherwise forgotten. If we did it all over again, there is no one else I would consider!
Favourite Moment
My favourite moment was probably hearing Jordan sniffle in the other room while both of us finished up writing our vows hours before the ceremony. Just knowing my best friend was to be my my life partner and feeling so loved and so grateful was such a special moment.
Jordan’s favourite moment was celebrating with me after the ceremony at the picnic. It felt like the seriousness of the day had passed and we could finally enjoy each other’s company the way we are used to – we had a lovely laugh with each other.
Any Advice?
I think it’s helpful to think about what’s really important to you and your partner and use this as a foundation for wedding planning. That means thinking about you and your partner, your relationship, what you love about your each other, what you love about your relationship and how you see your future together. Specifically to couples thinking about eloping, try not to focus on making the day feel special or worrying that it won’t feel special without family and friends present. If you choose to elope, that’s because you decided that it’s right for you both. Just focus on your love and commitment to each other, be yourselves, enjoy each other, and it will be the most special day of your life.
The Line Up
Photographer: Julia Luckett; Venue:Vermont Tree Cabin via Airbnb; Flowers: Stray Cat Flower Farm; Caterer: City Market; Bride’s Dress: Lulus; Rings & Necklace: Global Pathways; Groom’s Outfit: Banana Republic; Officiant: Stephen E. Laurie
