Annelise + Kevin – Sunset Elopement at Villa Dubrovnik

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Elopement as a way of getting married is becoming more and more popular in recent years. Many young couples, often millennials, are sick and tired of the big wedding pressure and they just want to celebrate their love simply and carefree. Among Croatian couples, elopement is still not that popular but as we see it is a huge thing in the US. There are many beautiful websites with featured elopement stories with beautiful boho dresses, flowers, and beautiful landscapes, carefully planned up to the last detail. Well, here is one a bit different elopement story from us.

‘Andrea & Mario were absolutely perfect! They made us feel so comfortable and everything was romantic, smooth and so enjoyable. I highly recommend booking them!’

Annelise & Kevin

Sunset elopement in Dubrovnik

The American couple, Annelise and Kevin, contacted us saying that next week they are on their way to Dubrovnik and they would like us to photograph their elopement. We met them at the gorgeous Villa Dubrovnik while they were getting ready in their room. They are a young, and cheerful couple about our age so we instantly clicked.

Annelise explained to us that they are actually on their honeymoon. Yes, you have read it right, they already got married. They married twice: the first time for fun, as a part of a TV show where hundreds of couples get married together in the park. They did not experience it as a real wedding, more a good laugh.

The second time, just a week earlier, they had a real, big, traditional wedding that took place in the large garden of Kevin’s home but it was pouring rain and the whole big wedding thing caused them a lot of stress so they want to do their ceremony – read their vows once again, here in Dubrovnik. Just the two of them, this time for the real – third time it should be the lucky one.

Ceremony spot? They didn’t know, and they didn’t care. ‘We are going to walk around the gardens of Villa Dubrovnik and find a suitable spot along the way.’ 

We were a bit surprised they did not want to go to Dubrovnik’s old city as most of the couples want their wedding photos to be within the city walls. But they didn’t care for that stuff. They just wanted to have a nice afternoon, focus on themselves rather than anything formal, and ‘must’ and ‘should’.

We just loved this experience, it felt so natural and beautiful – just to be present there at the moment with your loved one with no interruptions from anyone. 

They were wearing their outfits from last week’s US wedding and we were walking around the Villa Dubrovnik which, to be honest, offers amazing and romantic spots with little to no people around.

The sun was still harsh so we made a short wine break on the terrace of the Villa, chatting with Annelise and Kevin about their life, and comparing the life of American and Croatian young people. Despite the economical differences between countries, we all agreed that opportunities for us all are mostly the same.

As the sun went down towards the horizon, we went on the Villa Dubrovnik waterfront where Annelise said ‘this is it, we are going to read our vows here’. The moments of their little unplanned and beautiful ceremony are forever going to stay in our hearts. They were reading their vows from the phone, laughing, almost crying, and finally celebrated their real wedding as the Dubrovnik sky became dark orange.

The point of this story was not only to share this beautiful, relaxed sunset elopement in Dubrovnik but also to stress the importance of not trying to satisfy your family’s expectations but rather enjoying love and life and doing things in your way. Years later, you will want to remember good times, and positive feelings and not the negative things and stress that a big wedding often causes couples. Anyway, there is always a third luck 😉

If you are considering Croatia or Dubrovnik for your elopement destination, have a look at our Elopement in Croatia – a comprehensive guide for 2020 featuring lists of wedding venues, ideas on adventure elopement, and useful tips about getting married in Croatia.

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We are Mario & Andrea, a photo+video team, specialised in elopements and intimate weddings all across Europe. Contact us if you plan an elopement or intimate wedding with a pinch of adventure.