Dakota is a lover of all things elegant and timeless while Jose has the perfect energetic attitude – and it was that exact mix of spark and class that made us totally fall in love with this couple and their elopement. From the get go, Dakota and Jose wanted their day to feel intimate. They wanted the traditional elements of a wedding with some added and unexpected twists that reflected their personalities and style. Facing the same impact that Covid-19 had on thousands of other couples around the world, Dakota and Jose believed there was nothing that could keep the love down and decided to elope in the fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.

WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING?

Perfect, intimate, absolutely stunning and the best decision we could’ve made! 

THE PROPOSAL:

We got engaged on September 10, 2019 at the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens in Spring Hill, Florida and it was the type of proposal every girl wants: a professional photoshoot that turns into an engagement! He tricked me into thinking we had won a photo shoot with a local photographer that I loved! To top it all off, my parents, who live in another state, were waiting at his moms house and answered the door when we got there! We ended the night with an engagement dinner celebration with family! 

THE VISION:

Our vision once we decided to elope was to keep everything as simple as possible without skimping on detail. We had to condense what we had already planned for our original wedding into a small intimate ceremony and honestly, our vision came to life much better through our elopement! 

THE PLANNING PROCESS:

Our planning process was definitely unique! Like I’ve mentioned, we already had a full wedding ceremony and reception planned but then COVID hit and everything went haywire. After discussing and deciding amongst ourselves that we didn’t want to wait until 2021 to start our married lives together, we decided to elope in the desert, which funny enough, was our original plan even before planning a wedding! We have always been those “everything happens for a reason” people and we truly think it was meant for us to get married this way! 

After research we came across ELV and I was in love so we went for it! We contacted Emily & her team in late May and officially got things started in June which gave us about 4 months to plan! 

The planning process was super simple and they listen to every single detail you want incorporated! It’s literally a one stop shop which made this process even better; I didn’t have to worry about contacting 5 different vendors trying to keep everything on track because THEY DO IT FOR YOU! All I did was pick my date, location and time and specified everything I wanted and how I wanted it to look and be done and viola, that’s exactly what happened! Even the day of the wedding seconds before walking down the aisle, I told Martha that I wanted my husband to be facing the opposite direction until I got to the aisle since we chose to not do a first look and hadn’t seen each yet so she immediately ran up to the officiant and told her what my plan was and they executed it seamlessly! 

I really don’t think I could’ve had a more stress free wedding day and I can say with certainty it’s because of Elopement Las Vegas! From the moment you contact them with interest up until the final moments of your ceremony, they make sure you are happy in any and every way possible. 

THE OUTFITS + ACCESSORIES

I am obsessed with simple elegance and timeless looks so I wanted us to have the classic black and white wedding look! 

Bride’s outfit: 

Dress – Truly Forever Bridal in Tampa, FL 

Earrings – Dakota Drops from Olive & Piper

Shoes – Hailee Sandal in Light Blue Fabric by Kelly & Katie from DSW

Undergarment – Suit Your Fancy Plunge Low-Back Mid-Thigh Bodysuit by SPANX (this was a GAME CHANGER; worth every penny given the shape of my dress)

Groom’s outfit:

Suit – Kenneth Cole Reaction in black from Macy’s 

Tie – Stafford Oxford Solid Tie in black from JC Penny

Dress Shirt – JF J.Ferrar Easy-Care Coolmax Cooling Dress Shirt in White from JC Penny

Shoes – Upgrade Wingtip Oxfords by Florsheim in black from Macy’s

Socks – BOYD ST Crew Socks in black by Stance 

Watch – Futuro Gold Diamond Black Dial by Bulova

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Honestly, the entire thing was memorable but specifically for him, seeing me walk down the aisle and for me, seeing his reaction as I walked down the aisle was at the top of our memorable moments list! Another memorable moment was that my husband and mother surprised everyone by having arranged for us to have a father/daughter and mother/son dance after our first dance! (See I told you! With ELV, you want it? You got it). 

 ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES

In the famous words of Nike, JUST DO IT! Honestly though, after everything was said and done we both said to each other, “I’m so glad we chose to do this!” Ever since booking with Emily and her team, I never felt stressed or like I had no clue what was going on (I’m kind of a control freak lol and a very detail oriented person). Trust me, the thought of planning a wedding across the country in the desert during a global pandemic sounds a lot scarier and more difficult than it actually is! Everything was more than we could’ve hoped for. Martha was an absolute rockstar to have be a part of our day. Not only did she keep things on track so we could make the most of our permit time, but she was fixing my dress for pictures, physically making me drink water to stay hydrated, fixing my hair and makeup, holding my flowers, etc! She will definitely be the glue you didn’t know you needed on your wedding day, keeping it all together! 

We both agree that this choice was more fun, relaxed, memorable and much more intimate than if we would’ve chose to go through with our larger wedding. Everything was about US, which is exactly what we wanted and got. If you’re on the fence about choosing to do this or not, we can testify through our own experience that you WILL NOT regret the decision to book your elopement with Elopement Las Vegas! 

The end result? The newlyweds traded the stunning red sandstones that set the scene of their elopement for a night out on the town, surrounded by the brightest neon lights. The couple also double-doubled the romance with a pit stop to the famous burger joint. After a day full of “Yes’s” and “I do’s”, a romantic dinner of burgers, fries, and milkshakes for two was the perfect way to end the night.

Feel and Focus Photography captured the energy of the day and the sweet moments.

We have three different packages to choose from, please email us for a custom quote! We can’t wait to make your Las Vegas elopement dreams come true!