Abbrianna and Jake had a classic elopement – they didn’t tell anyone they were tying the knot in Hawaii! Their Waimea Canyon Elopement was nothing short of magical. So I asked them for a little bit of advice for anyone planning to elope in Hawaii to go with their stunning images!
Why did you guys choose to elope?
My family lives here in Texas, and his family if mostly in Ohio. We had a dilemma of .. do we make everyone travel or no one travel? We decided that we wanted to do something different that represented us with a dramatic background. We eloped to Kauai, just the two of us and are having a reception/party in Ohio and Texas as well, so that everyone feels included.
Y’all were looking SO fresh. Tell me about your dress and his suit, and why you picked them.
My dress was made by Made with Love and is called Georgie. I went to 3 different bridal boutiques before finding this dress. I wanted something earthy because I knew we were going to do some sort of outdoorsy ceremony. We both love the outdoors and hiking and Jake has a green thumb. I found this dress at A & Be Bridal in Dallas, TX with two of my closest friends. Once I tried it on, I knew we found the one. Jake’s suit was custom, made by Hart Schaffner Marx purchased through Dillard’s, so we got to choose every detail from the color of the suit, inside lining, and stitching, to the color of the buttons.
Tell us about the two of you! How did you meet? What’s your story?
Jake and I met in 2014 while working at Park Place Maserati. I was the cute little receptionist and he was our handsome parts guy. We went out for a drink after work, as two friends do, and the rest is history.
How He Proposed:
On October 1st 2017, Jake and I were vacationing with some close friends in Estes Park, CO. While attempting to hike to Sky Pond in Rocky Mountain National Park, we got stuck in a snow storm and Jake popped the question under a giant boulder that we used as shelter from the snow. With the trail disappearing, we quickly put the ring away and ran down the mountain out of the storm. We unfortunately didn’t make it all the way to our destination, but 9.4 miles later, we decided on forever – I’d say it was still a pretty successful hike.
What was your favorite part of your elopement trip?
Getting to experience a new place together. There were so many differences in the main land and Hawaii. Getting to explore all Kauai had to offer, together was my favorite part. Jake actually ended up rolling his ankle pretty bad on a hike (on the way back to the car), the day after our elopement, haha. He was in pain, but a trouper for the rest of the trip!
Do you have any advice for couples who are planning an elopement?
I would say.. focus on what is important. It sounds like the obvious, but it is so easy to let other people’s concerns get in your head. Ultimately the only thing that is important is your love for one another. I never met anyone that said they regretted eloping. We did it our way and are still planning on celebrating with family and friends. Write out what is the most important to you both and ignore anything that didn’t make the cut. Also, you might end up spending a little more than you want on something, but having a great experience is totally worth it vs paying less and having a terrible experience. Just do it, you won’t regret it!
See all my favs from their Waimea Canyon elopement below:
Chelsea Stratso is a Hawaii based adventurous elopement and intimate wedding photographer.
