WHY WE ELOPED

Planning a wedding can be really stressful and nerve-racking especially if you are both working abroad. Me and my now husband had a really hard time deciding where to hold the wedding: His country or mine. It was also difficult to prepare the things for the event because we won't be there to personally do it.

We have to set a date that is convenient for us and our guests, pick a good venue, finalize the guest list and coordinate with the caterers and florists (or wedding planner). Aside from the wedding expenses, we also need to buy plane tickets. And believe me, the tickets are more expensive than our wedding budget.

Princess Margaret Beach 

So, after a few discussions and headaches, we decided to ditch the detailed planning and booked a wedding package in the Caribbean.

ELOPEMENT BY THE SEA: BEQUIA, ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

What is more magical than having an intimate wedding using the blue sky and the sparkling turquoise sea as a wedding backdrop? It's beautiful and most of all, it's free.

We booked a wedding package from The Grenadines Collection. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has lots of beautiful beaches where you can get married and of course, the locals always know best. Our coordinator suggested Princess Margaret Beach in Bequia. They sent me photos of the beach and we fell in love with it immediately.

The staff from The Grenadines Collection were really helpful in so many ways. They did their best to give us the best wedding possible according to our budget. We also got a huge discount because I DIY-ed my bouquet, flower crown and the boutonnieres.

HOW TO GET MARRIED IN ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

We spent a day in Kingstown before meeting up with one of the wedding coordinators, Deborah. In order to get a marriage license, we need to stay in St. Vincent for 24 hours. We applied for a special license (since we are tourists) at the Attorney General's Office and we got it after a few minutes. They only required our passports for identification.

WEDDING DAY

Everything was ready when we arrived at the beach. The wedding set up was exemplary. I actually requested to put some pink flowers around the arch to fit my motif. The minister was very friendly as well. The ceremony started around 11 in the morning ( as proposed because the sun would be higher and it would give a clearer view of the blue sky).

It was perfect: The sun in the blue sky, the turquoise-colored sea, and the white sand above our feet as we said our vows in front of our families.

When I was a little girl, I also dreamed of having a fancy and lavish wedding with numerous guests who would look at me as I walk down the aisle wearing a princess dress and a tiara, but as I became older, I decided to become a mermaid, wear a seashell crown and get married by the sea instead. Kidding!

Eloping might be cheap, but being in love and staying together is not measured by how much money you spent on the wedding. Instead of spending thousands for an extravagant one, we chose a simple wedding and went to our dream vacation.

*culled from www.thegypsysouldairies.com