Stephanie & Jim's Elopement | Metro Bis, Simsbury, CT - New England Wedding & Boudoir Photographer

Planning a wedding in a month, impossible right? Not for Stephanie! When she first reached out to me about photographing her outdoor elopement, I was super excited! It’s been awhile since I’ve done an elopement and I was really looking forward to shooting a smaller, more intimate event.

Stephanie was looking for a photographer who could capture the natural beauty of her wedding day between her and her fiancé Jim and their 13 guests. They were planning their outdoor elopement-style wedding at Metro Bis in Simsbury, CT and luckily, I was the perfect fit for her vision! She picked a date that both her venue and I were available and the rest is history!

Metro Bis is a super cute location! I’ve driven by the venue so many times and never considered it for a wedding. There were so many nooks & crannies perfect for photos. The building itself is gorgeous, so I loved that Stephanie walked right out the front door for her “first look” with Jim. And the pond around back that they used for their ceremony location was great as well! I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect location or a more adorable couple. Yay for intimate weddings!!! Who’s next??!! 😀

I know that wedding planning can be rough, but does anyone ever talk about planning an elopement??!! I wanted to share the knowledge, so here is what Stephanie has to say about her planning process!

Why did you decide to elope?

Eloping was never really on our minds, but when we wanted to get married with only a month or so notice, we were really able to decide what was important to us (having our families there, making the atmosphere joyful, and getting to be married!) and let the rest go.

How did you plan your elopement?

We were really worried about getting married with a month notice in the middle of wedding season. However, knowing that the only guests were us and our immediate families lowered the stakes a lot, and increased our flexibility. We started with a photographer and venue we loved, found a time they were both available, and went from there! Since it was so small, we got to skip a lot of details that traditional brides have to decide on. However, I still got my dress altered, made place cards, put favors together, selected flowers for the bouquets, chose a cake flavor — just on a much smaller scale 🙂

How did you pick your elopement location?

We considered doing a destination or a tent in my parent’s backyard, but were glad we ended up at Metro Bis. They were SO wonderful to work with, Courtney has so much experience with how weddings work so all the details I didn’t even consider were planned out ahead of time. It was so reassuring to know we had a backup ceremony location indoors in case of rain. We also stayed overnight at the 1820 House (at the same site) before leaving for our honeymoon. It also allowed our (mostly local) families to easily be there and just enjoy the day, instead of feeling like they had to help prepare.

What made you choose Alison Marie Photography for your elopement?

I love Alison’s style, and her natural/relaxed but beautiful vibe was exactly what we wanted. Photos were really important to us, especially since our friends and extended family wouldn’t be there in person, and we wanted someone who could capture our mood to share it with them.

Do you have any advice for other couples who are thinking of eloping?

Do what makes you and your partner happy, because in the end that’s all that matters! I worried it may not be “enough” of a wedding, but the day was so perfect and full of love — in retrospect, we wouldn’t change a thing.

Congratulations Stephanie and Jim! Thank you for letting me be a part of your celebration and capture these special moments for you!

Invitations: Vistaprint

Hair & Makeup: Blo Blow Dry Bar, West Hartford, CT

Dress: Tiffany Rose

Groom’s Attire: Banana Republic

Florist: Flowers ‘n Such, Granby, CT

Ceremony & Reception Location: Metro Bis, Simsbury, CT

Cake: Metro Bis, Simsbury, CT