📋 Get the Wedding Quick Start Guide!

Emotion-filled Elopement to Austin

When you shop via links on our site, we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase. Learn more.
Emotion-filled Elopement to Austin

Megan + Matt

Austin, Texas
- 01/13/2018
Total wedding budget $3,000
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin
Elopement in Austin

What was your total budget? Please provide a budget breakdown.

We spent less than $3,000 on our intimate elopement! Here’s a breakdown of our budget:

  • Dress: $500
  • Shoes: $75
  • Photography: (Lisa Blume Photography) was $3,000
  • Hair and makeup: $200
  • Chaplain: $150
  • Flowers: $100
  • Chapel: $200
  • Dinner at the Driskill Grill (Austin, TX): $150
  • Airbnb (3 nights): $575
  • Airfare (Washington DC to Austin): $600
  • Rental car: $120
  • Marriage license: $80
TOTAL wedding budget: $2,750

How did you meet?

We met when we worked together at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. It was an open office environment, and we sat directly across from each other so there were lots of opportunities for eye contact! We were friends for several years (I even set him up with another friend once!), and Matt moved away to Wyoming. Ironically, this was when we grew closer and I invited Matt to come back to Virginia to be my date for a holiday party. I didn’t think he really would, but he drove 25 hours back east just to see me! From then on, we both knew that this was serious and we wanted to be together. Ten months later, Matt was back on the east coast!

What is your proposal story?

The two of us have been through a lot together, especially with geographical challenges. Almost as soon as Matt moved back east from Wyoming so that we could be together, I took a once-in-a-lifetime job in another state and we went from living together to commuting three hours each way back and forth on the weekends just to see each other. On one of those weekends, we were relaxing with our little dog (a miniature cockapoo named Pickles) and Matt pulled out the beautiful diamond engagement ring– he had picked it up from the jeweler not even an hour earlier and said he just couldn’t wait to propose!

Tell us about your attire choices.

We were budget conscious, so Matt wore a black suit that he already owned. I looked for a couple of months at online dress sales, and found a beautiful sample dress on David’s Bridal– I loved the texture and sparkle, but also that it wasn’t too over-the-top for our minimalist elopement. My friend Ashley-Anne helped with the alterations and added a lace hem to ensure the dress was long enough to fit my tall frame.  I wore fuchsia heels for a pop of color and earrings that I had bought on a previous trip to Rome, with a pearl bracelet from my mother.

What were your favorite parts of the day?

Matt: My favorite part of the day was seeing Meg walk down the aisle in her dress!
Megan: After the ceremony, we had some time before our dinner reservation, so we drove to a nearby winery and shared a bottle of pinot grigio as we enjoyed our first hour as husband and wife. We had also written our own vows to share with each other privately, and we read them to each other then, right around sunset.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their wedding now?

Take some time to prioritize what is most important to you and your partner, and don’t be afraid to communicate those priorities to your family or friends who might expect to be involved, as well. Matt and I knew before we were ever engaged that we wanted to elope, but it was a non-traditional choice that was difficult for some of our family and friends. For us, the experience was highly personal and intimate, and a special moment to celebrate just as a couple.  If you choose not to elope, I still recommend sharing some one-on-one time with your partner on your wedding day. One of my favorite memories from that day is how we went to Torchy’s Tacos for breakfast beforehand and had the chance to be together one last time before our vows, sharing our excitement over tacos!

VENDORS

Photography: Lisa Blume Photography  • Ceremony Venue: Chapel Dulcinea • Floral: Austin Flowers  • Hair: Sonar Beauty • Ring Box: The Mrs Box •  Stationery: Minted • Makeup: Sonar Beauty • Wedding Dress: Galina Signature • Groom’s Attire: Perry Ellis •  Bride’s Shoes: I.N.C. International Concepts  •  Submitted via: Matchology