WIN THIS with the Etsy Love Challenge!
Those of you who are loyal readers know no Eco-Beautiful issue is complete without a Love Challenge from our besties at Etsy. For those who are new to the Eco-Beautiful world, welcome to the fun! We’ve been waiting for you to join in!
For our Summer 2011 issue, we chose the increasingly popular elopement as our focus for this challenge. While we love the grandeur of large-scale weddings, what we love most about elopements is the exhilaration of stealing away for an intimate celebration for two.
So we ask you…if you could run away and be married anywhere, where would it be and why?
(Photo by Allison Britton of Allison and Chris Britton Photography)
Submit your responses here and be eligible to WIN THIS sweet cake pedestal from Burlap and Blue!
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I would elope in Jamaica. My fiance and I went there this spring and it was an unforgettable trip. I’d go back every year if I could!
Denmark. (We actually seriously considered this.) My family is having a reunion there since my aunt & uncle were married there 20 years ago, and since my family is mostly from Germany they will not be able to make it to our American wedding. So we considered getting legally married there (it is this particular town’s tourism), having a small brunch/party after, then one year later getting “remarried,” ceremony and all for our American friends and family here. This way we would be celebrating with both families. Unfortunately it won’t work out, but we will have an engagement party in Denmark instead. =)
Another spot that is particularly special to my fiance and I is Cape Cod, since his family is from that area and we vacation there every summer.
I’d want to run away to Fiji. It’s far away and looks beautiful and we’ve both always wanted to visit there.
If we are to elope, I’d want to get married at the international departures terminal at JFK airport, where we first met when both of us were taking a trip to Israel. We could then celebrate the joy of our first encounter and the incredible love we’ve shared since then before we travel to an exotic locale (perhaps a remote island off of Indonesia) for our honeymoon.
Sicily. It’s where my family is originally from (Messina) and my fiance and I love and celebrate our Mediterranean heritage (he is Italian and Greek). There are so many beautiful old Roman temples left there and I couldn’t think of anything more romantic that exchanging our vows in a place so tied to our ancestry.
I would love to get married on Cyprus because that is where I work. It doesn’t hold much meaning for my fiance though. If we were going to run away and elope, I think we’d probably go the traditional Vegas route since we only live 5 hours from there.
I’d love to go to Edisto, SC, where my fiancee and I got engaged this April. It’s beautiful, laid back and holds some great memories.
If I were to elope I’d elope in Maine… or perhaps Montana.
I would definitely wait until the fall or even the spring if I were to elope in Maine. It’s a place that I’ve ALWAYS wanted to go to and when I think of how it would be, I think of love. I imagine that love is constantly in the air because of the charm, the history, the style, the feel… it just makes sense to elope there and be swept away with the man I love in a remarkable setting.
I would love to get married ten times over again and have everything from a big city to a country to a destination and everything in-between wedding! If I ran away to get married anywhere it would be to Spain and go full on traditional but intimate in an old Catholic chapel with a lace Mantilla style veil.
I would love to get married in Italy, you can have the best of both worlds, a ceremony in a bustling city, and then spend time in the country side, it looks gorgeous
Paris, France
hawaii or some other such beachy locale. we had a huge wedding, and while i don’t regret it, i certainly feel like the focus was on the GUESTS and saying hi to everyone and planning for THEM…than about US.
A gorgeous Australian beach.
Virgin Gorda - a beautiful island in the British Virgin Islands. It’s an ideal place to find privacy on many of the beaches. Small luxury resorts, a yachting community, not overly developed, and unique giant volcanic rocks make it a place of dreams. ~ A Perfect place to marry the one you love.
Hawaii! I loved going to Molokai in high school with a couple of girlfriends. My husband has never been, and it’s remote and beautiful. I know he would love it.
Ireland. Definitely Ireland! I love the greenery and the old world charm of it.
I would have to say… Switzerland!
I actually did run away and get married in Jamaica….Ocho Rios to be exact. It was divine….we got married at 10 AM and then changed clothes and went snorkling. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!!!
Anywhere in the mountains. Maybe the Alps?
mmmmm, a tropical location, or maybe Europe somewhere… Italian countryside could be real nice…
although I would have to do it for my vow renewal or an anniversary instead, since I already did my wedding 
although I tried to convince my husband about three times during our engagement to just go to Vegas with me and elope so I could lose the stress of planning the wedding!
I think for me it would have to be Austraila. I would love for it to be on the beach as well!
Hmmm….I’d go to Cinque Terra in Italy!!! It is beautiful!!
new zealand! we have been there once and mostly went hiking and backpacking, but it would be fun to run away again and visit the glaciers, because they are so beautiful! and the people have great accents!
Oh wow, there are so many beautiful places! I love Scandinavia and it’s beautiful houses and cottages, so I would love eloping in Finland or Sweden on a remote lake!
Alaska. I just love the beauty of the area, so much more than any beach!
I’d love to get married out at sea, any sea.
Well, our first wedding was in the US and then we did it again for my hubby’s family in the Philippines. If I was to get married again, I think I’d like it to be in the Bahamas as that’s where my husband first asked me to marry him….
We were married outside of Playa del Carmen, Mexico in 2009. I would totally do it all over again… but maybe in February since at the end of March it got really hot already!
I would run to the Fiji Islands, its intimate and absolutely gorgeous!
I love the idea of an elopement. I think the focus on just the couple is fantastic. I would elope to Alaska or New Zealand because I’ve always wanted to go there.
I would do what I did in real life . My husband and I eloped and just picked a minister of the peace near where we lived, and it was just us in her back yard, in a lovely garden. Didn’t miss the traditional trimmings at all!
If I could elope anywhere, I would go to Tahiti and stay in one of those huts over the water. We would get married on the beach in bare feet and it would be lovely.
I’d elope in Hawaii because it’s a beautiful state!
I would go to the Cloister’s at Sea Island…incredible rich southern style mixed with beach simplicity.
Napa Valley!!! It’s grand, peaceful, and the perfect sanctuary for loving each other as newlyweds and soaking in the beautiful landscape.
My husband and I ‘caved’ to family wishes and had the traditional wedding, even though we just wanted to elope.
So, if I could do it all over again (and, of course, I would!), I would love to elope to Florence, Italy. While we were stationed in Italy (he was in the Air Force), I was fortunate enough to take a bus tour of the city. A bus load of Air Force wives decended on this beautiful city and I would’ve gladly stayed!
I would love to share the history, the art and the old world-ness of this city with my husband.
I would love to get away to the mountains. Marry with a great view, and enjoy a rustic cabin with a fireplace.
Oooohhh… it would have to be somewhere along the coast of Maine. That’s been our favorite vacation trip, so relaxed and romantic!
I love Burlap and Blue and I would be absolutely thrilled to win this!!!! Might go insane with joy! If I could run away to get a magical wedding with the love of my life, I would run away to Tranquebar in South India. Tranquebar is a lost fishing town which was once a Danish colony. The remnants of the Danish culture make this little village so beautiful! I love the pristine beach here and the Danish Governor’s building built in 18th century that stands majestically on the beach almost speaks to me. Also on the beach is a hotel called ‘Bungalow on the Beach’ which has a bedroom where Christopher Septimus, one of my favourite sailors, lived for a few months.
I feel so connected to the history of this place and its beauty enthralls me. I wish my magical moments happen on this lovely beach.
Mubin,
India.
P.S. A big fan of weddings and Burlap+Blue!
Paris because it would also be a great place to honeymoon.
hmmmm….I’m thinking an intimate “royal” affair. A quaint chapel in the English countryside, wearing an antique lace dress, holding a small bouquet of lily-of-the-valley and kissing the man of my dreams…it would be so romantic and my own little fairytale!