Devon Elcomb & Robert Anzit
This bride and groom trusted their venue to create the perfect little elopement. They had no idea what to expect when they arrived to be married, but it was a perfect day! Devon tells us how it all happened.
What were your original plans for your wedding day?
We originally planned a wedding of 120, but COVID had other plans. When we decided to postpone our big event and just have a little gathering of just as many as we were allowed, we hired a friend to do the photography. Rented out my childhood home to do my hair/makeup and get ready in, and I went out very last minute to buy a dress just off the rack that I could wear even if it was just my husband and I able to be present on our wedding day. I wanted to save the dress for our big event, which we postponed to July 2021. The dress I found to wear was only $119 dollars! Total steal and worked perfectly with the whole day!
How did you feel before and after you changed plans?
Before I was a disaster I’m sure like all brides planning during COVID it was a roller coaster of emotions, they’re were some days I was so down I couldn’t get out of bed. But once we made the decision to get married on our date regardless! Even if it was just my husband and I some of the stress went away, all of the unknown was the hardest part.
But after the event I’m SO happy and also fortunate we could have at least our immediate family with us, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way it was perfect! We are planning our renewel of vows and reception for a year later with all of our family and friends. Who gets to get married twice to the same person! No one gets to have two weddings! How lucky am I?
What exactly is a “pop up elopement”?
Our Venue, Kurtz Orhards agreed to let us have a small elopement on site on our original date (September 5th) with just our immediate family (so we met COVID restrictions). The pop-up part was because they threw it together for us and we had no idea what to expect! My partner and I showed up in a wedding dress and suit and the rest was a total surprise! Where our ceremony was, what the décor was, my flowers, the reception meal – all a surprise! They took care of everything for us. And They knocked it out of the park!
What was your favourite part of the day?
It was all a dream! But being there with just a small group of people really made it so much more special and intimate. Not using a microphone to read our speeches, interacting with our family during the ceremony, getting to sit at one big table amongst our family for reception dinner and no formal written speeches just real, honest toasts!
Favourite wedding detail?
My flowers! I own a flower pressing and preserving company called Pressed in Time that I started after my elopement to save my beautiful, beautiful flowers!
What will guests remember most?
My husband is Italian so traditionally they are used to huge weddings and wedding halls, so when we told them we were getting married outdoors with only the immediate family there…it was a shock. but afterwards they couldn’t stop talking ab out how wonderful it was – the venue was stunning and it was so personal because of the numbers. Also, with all of the stress of trying to plan a wedding during COVID – the back and forth, the tears – we knew we didn’t want anything formal for dinner, we just wanted comfort foods! So Kurtz served us jerk chicken, asiago mac ‘n cheese and street corn, and it was the best! Our family is still talking about the food and how good it was.
What advice can you give to couples planning a wedding?
Don’t get caught up in all the wedding hoopla of what you need to have and what you’re supposed to do. We didn’t have any of those things due to COVID and it was still the most perfect day! Maybe even better than it would have been originally!
Number of guests: 12
Ceremony/reception venue: Kurtz Orchards-Greasewood Estates, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Wedding dress designer: David’s Bridal
Suit designer: Moores
Photographer: Tori Anderson
Planning, décor & flowers: Laurie Marlene
Cake: Sweet Celebrations
Hair: Jessica Aulse
Makeup: Rebecca Demers
Officiant: Audra Jacombs
Want to see more real weddings? Sure you do! Click here.
Leave a Reply