Urvi + Chris
Built their adventure on: The Mid-Mountain Package
Why they loved it: Adaptable + Quick
If you’re wanting a quick timeline for your wedding, keep reading. Let this quick Chattanooga elopement prove that an intimate and stunning wedding can come together in just 19 days!
Urvi (she, her, hers) and Chris (he, him, his) chose to have a Mid-Mountain Package and used every minute of it! Their day was filled with special moments, sweet family connections, and happy accidents.
Where it all began.
Urvi and Chris have spent years together, about 12 before they decided to get married. Together they’ve celebrated growing into a unique family, cultivated memories, and created a life waaaaayyyyy before the marriage. But they used this elopement as an opportunity to make it “official” and celebrate their love with the ones they love.
My story with Urvi and Chris started a few years ago when they found me on Google. They reached out wanting a climbing elopement but decided to shift into something more traditional. In the end (and thanks to Covid), an adventurous Chattanooga elopement won their hearts.
Making their quick Chattanooga elopement feel good to them.
It was important to Urvi and Chris to prioritize THEIR important things. If they were going to go through the legalities of marriage, they wanted it to feel like them and feel good to them.
Honoring their family was a crucial part of their elopement. This meant an elopement with a crew was right for them. Their older kids, Urvi’s parents, and their two best friends were able to be in attendance.
Urvi wore her grandmother’s shawl and a family heirloom ring.
Chris’ daughter “M” did Urvi’s makeup and hair. Urvi’s mother helped her get ready in her dress.
“D”, Chris’s son helped him get ready.
Chris’s mom was caregiving for his grandmother, so she couldn’t be there, but we did find an opening in the outlook that had enough cell service to FaceTime them. It was a very special moment.
And they honored a loved one who passed with a special flower.
Their celebration showed that an elopement isn’t about being alone, it’s about celebrating thoughtfully ❤️️
The nod to tradition
Seasonal hurricane rains were threatening their elopement day so we stayed nimble. We were able to skirt the main rainy day by pulling everything forward one day. Thankfully, by choosing an elopement this was possible, whereas if you have a huge wedding with a ton of vendors that would be impossible because there are just too many logistics. But for them, it worked and meant that, even though it misted delicately all day, it wasn’t a full-on deluge of rain that the following day was hit by.
Even thought their quick Chattanooga elopement had a quick turn from idea to adventure, Urvi and Chris wanted it all: nods to tradition, fun adventure, the elopement experience, and the family around. We made it happen!
They gave a little nod to tradition with a stay in a super cool hotel in Chattanooga, the first look at the hotel’s antique library, and a spontaneous quick spin in the ballroom. They twirled, danced, laughed, and smiled in this huge open ballroom. It was a fun and silly moment that brought their wedding “story” with the formal wedding that never was and their adventure in nature into one day together.
And then we all went to the trailhead. We grabbed umbrellas, the beautiful, ready-for-rain elopement bridal bouquet, filled our packs with all kinds of goodies, and headed out on our 3/4ths of a mile hike into the woods.
Getting Adventurous
The anticipation when we were hiking through the woods was one of my favorite parts of the day. You could feel the trees melting away to the overlook. Everybody’s face lit up the moment we popped out onto the open rocks. The sweeping views of the gorge in front of us made things real.
Arriving at the overlook was a surprise and delight for everyone because Urvi and Chris had chosen this site from my list of recommendations, without ever having been here before! Their request was a wide-open feeling with expansive views. This location ended up being spot-on to what they wanted.
We took our sweet time as we got to the location and set up “camp.”
The ceremony itself was sweet and tender. It was led by their friend Bobby and specially written to incorporate all the beautiful pieces of their story. I signed the legal documents (a perk of me being around- I’m ordained!) After the ceremony and group hugs, Chris, Urvi, and their guests pulled fun little packages out of the backpacks that they had carried out to the overlook for an “on the go” picnic reception. They celebrated with Nothing Bundt Cakes for their portable wedding cakes, a sweet and delicious surprise to this little clifftop party.
Before the crew headed off, we had fun with some formal family portraits. As the parents and guests headed back out of the forest, Urvi, Chris, and I stayed for some private portraits. Together, we soaked in the moments and beauty of the wedding that had finally happened.
Rain, rain, go away?
Even though we had originally planned for the day to feature climbing as well, with rain sprinkles throughout the ceremony, we decided to ditch the climbing and create a beautiful happy accident. While it was just us three on their clifftop, they decided to do a little urban exploration for some portraits instead.
This was a wonderfully happy accident because they had–despite their years together–no formal pictures together!
I did some quick recon to confirm where we should go. We loaded up and headed out for a slow & easy hike back to the car. Taking a quick break in the early evening, I rejoined Urvi and Chris leading into the evening’s sunset for a city walk. It was lighthearted and casual fun. There were lots of smiles and exploration. We ended up enjoying the views from a park along the river near these beautiful bridges as darkness set in on the rainy sky.
I loved that they were able to finish this elopement adventure together- just enjoying each other’s company, nice and easy, with no pressure, huge smiles, and lots of laughs. Once dark fell, we joined the family for a sit-down, family dinner as the official close to their Chattanooga elopement.
A fast elopement is still a special elopement
From start to finish, we planned this quick Chattanooga elopement in 3 weeks and it was a huge success! Having a quick planning timeline does not mean that you need to sacrifice what you want. It is possible to have everything you could want and execute it quickly.
The day included everything and everyone that they wanted there. As well as, had a lot of juicy breathing room to soak in each other’s presence.
Nobody could believe how quickly the day went, or how much we had ultimately packed into every hour yet it still felt fun and relaxing.
A huge success!
Despite the changes to their previously planned wedding and the quick adaptions we had to make for their cliff-side day, this couple experienced the magic of what each wedding day should include- sweet, soft moments together surrounded by the things that made them feel happy! Nothing else mattered, as long as they were surrounded by love, had some awesome views, and were able to spend the day together.
If you’re wanting to have a right-hand gal in planning your adventure elopement, one that is nimble and ready to adjust as needed, I would be honored to talk with you. I’m booking 2023 now!
You can schedule a call with me here!
