Our 11th Anniversary & Why We Eloped

Eleven years ago today, Mark and I eloped with only two other people in our lives knowing it was happening. And, our family wasn’t either of them. We had no one at the ceremony that we knew. Only the pastor, his wife and the photographer I had hired were present. It was exactly how we planned the day.

I remember how thrilling it was to sneak away by train from New York City on a Monday morning. What was to be a work day for most, ended up being one of the best days of our lives. With only each other to focus on we had such an intimate day. Arriving in Newport, RI we drove straight to the Town Hall and registered for our marriage license. Checking into our room at the bed and breakfast we acted like we were already on our honeymoon. Getting dressed together and making sure each of us was just so with me checking his tie and in turn having my soon to be husband zip up the back of my dress. A dress he helped pick out for our special day. It was all very sexy and almost movie like.

The entire staff knew it was our big day and arranged for the ceremony to take place overlooking the water. The wind was blowing quite a bit that evening but it added a lightness to the mood and eased the nervousness we were feeling. We had penned our own vows to one another and Mark surprised me with the most beautiful poem he had written. As you can see below, he barely made it through without breaking down. His expression is from fighting back tears, he was literally choking up. I will never forget that moment. Ever.

Why did we elope? That is a question we’ve gotten asked a lot over the years and it’s always such an easy answer. We wanted the day to be about us, not everyone else. About how important we are to one another without the distractions of planning a wedding. See, we both had been married briefly before we met and knew that after a few years of dating when we were finally ready to start a family, we needed it to be about the love and commitment, not a menu or guest list.

I have never regretted doing it that way and can still say it was the best day of my life. I had found the man who would take care of my heart and make sure our family was well loved. I found my other half.

Mark, I love you!