Married on a Monday - a Dunsborough getaway elopement

14 minutes ago3 min read

This top-secret down-south elopement let two high-school sweethearts tie the knot after 16 years together. An intimate ceremony during a family getaway with just the couple, two mates, two babies, plus the celebrant and photographer in an epic location - on a Monday!

7 guests smile and applaud while a bride and groom kiss at their elopement in Fremantle with Sally Bruce Celebrant — Epic bush location for this elopement

Planning a stress/-fuss free elopement

When C & R first contacted me about four months before their ceremony, they said they wanted to get married but also wanted to make it as stress/fuss free as possible, as they had recently had a baby.

They were keeping it top-secret, which is a great way to also keep it fuss and stress free. The more people who know about your plans, the more opinions, advice and uninvited guests you may end up with!

C & R weren’t sure about the venue yet, but knew they wanted to get married while they were enjoying a family holiday away down south, and that they wanted the ceremony to be outside if possible. I suggested they look at booking an AirBnb.

For reasons to consider an AirBnb for your elopement, read this blog post

Four days after their first enquiry, C & R told me they had booked an epic AirBnb in Quedjinup near Dunsborough in the Margaret River region. This property would be both their base to stay at and the location for the ceremony – perfect for a couple with a young baby.

We organised all the initial planning online and then met up in person at a café to sign the initial legal paperwork – the Notice of Intended Marriage – and plan out their simple, beautiful ceremony.

The day of the down-south elopement

On the day, photographer Kat from Red Eclectic and I arrived at the location in the early afternoon. We met C & R and their beautiful baby plus the two friends they had invited to be their legally-required witnesses.

For more about legal witnesses, read this blog post

Their friends had their toddler there too, which meant the only ceremony guests were two babies and two adults (who also took on the roles of legal witnesses, bridesmaid and best man/ringbearer).

We checked out the place, which was even more amazing than the photos had made it look, with a ready-made ceremony space at the bottom of the hill surrounded by Xanthorrhoea grasstrees ! We also checked out the sky, and were grateful that the rain looked like it would hold off so we could have the ceremony outdoors. If it had been bad weather, we would have had the ceremony on the verandah and been protected from the elements but still able to see the bush. You always need to have a Plan B for outdoor ceremonies in case of bad weather.

Intimate elopement in the bush near Dunsborough — Small ceremonies in big spaces are next-level

The Dunsborough bush elopement ceremony

When everyone was ready, the two men waited with the babies in the ceremony space.

A groom and his friend both hold their babies at a bush elopement while waiting for the ceremony to start

The bride’s friend and the bride entered the ceremony space to a special song, and soft music from a playlist they had created played gently in the background throughout the ceremony.

A bride in a green dress walks down a bush path aisle at her Dunsborough elopement — Using the existing path as the aisle to walk down

Promises were made, vows were spoken and rings exchanged.

Sally Bruce Celebrant conducts an elopement ceremony in the bush in Margaret Ricer with a bride in a green dress, a groom holding their baby, while their two friends with their baby are standing either side — Ceremony in our own private bush backyard

We signed the paperwork standing up in the space - and bub really wanted to help!

Sally Bruce celebrant is helping an eloping groom and bride sign their marriage paperwork in the bush and the baby is reaching for the pen — When bub really wants to sign the paperwork too!

Ten minutes after the start of the ceremony I declared that they were now officially husband and wife! After hugs all round they went off with photographer Kat for a photo session.

newlywed couple embracing amongst trees in the Australian bush — Post-elopement photo shoot.

C & R said:

Sally made our special day so seamlessly smooth and relaxed. Everything was asked of us/provided to us very efficiently and when we needed it. This made the day and all the paperwork feel less overwhelming, as we didn't need to think about it.

She was so warm and inviting, that it felt like we were just with close friends during the day, and it made us open up and feel comfortable immediately.

I loved helping these two elope near Dunsborough!

Perth celebrant travelling down south

As an eco-celebrant, I mainly focus on Perth ceremonies to minimise my carbon footprint. However, I do love exploring our beautiful country, so if couples marrying out of Perth think I'm the celebrant for them, like this couple did, I'm happy to see if I can make it work in with a longer getaway. If your wedding or elopement is outside of Perth metro, or more than one hour's drive from East Victoria Park, additional costs to cover travel and accommodation will apply - but don't worry, this will be quoted at the time of enquiry.

All photos in this post are by the amazing Kat at Red Eclectic