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Enter a Heading
EATURED IN THE GUARDIAN
In the past year I’ve been exploring something different in terms of weddings...
Elopements.
How is it different from a traditional wedding?
Well, firstly, it is about the size of the event. This is a micro-wedding where the focus is solely on the couple, their love in the context of the place. The location is another biggie for an elopement - unlike the legal
restrictions for a civil wedding, the location for an elopement can be absolutely anywhere
An elopement can be a symbolic union, or it can include a civil ceremony on the day. What’s most important is that the couple isn’t constructed by the need to be somewhere by some point, worry about external factors and next things on the list - and truly have a day just for themselves. It can be a ceremony on a honeymoon, starting
“early”, an adventurous hike or a beach walk in beautiful attire, or a cozy day in the city packed with your favourite things to do (and eat!).
Sunset in a lavender field? Elopement.
Timeless chic in the heart of London? Elopement.
White Cliffs and the sea? Elopement.
Waterfall valley in Iceland or a vineyard in Italy? Elopement.
But honestly, it doesn’t have to be a crazy location, what it does have to be - about you two.
What about closest friends and family?
They can come too! The point of an elopement is that it is different from a traditional large wedding in terms of the events, activities and number of people. So you don’t have to just do a sit down meal or canapés - some couples and their 2–15 guests chose to do something different - from an immersive experience to outdoor activities like boat rides and even tour buses!
So it has become a mission of mine to help create the best unique experience possible for the couples who want something different. And I’m excited to share this with you. But not just that…
Something unbelievable happened to me on my birthday in April.
I was interviewed by The Guardian on the new trend for elopements! The interview came out on the 18 June as a part of a large article on wedding photography industry. You can read the full article here, while here is the part of the interview with me:
In the growing trend for micro weddings, or “elopements” – where there are few guests or sometimes none at all – the photography can take on an even bigger significance. “Your friends and family are only going to experience the day from the photographs,” says Alina Pullen, a London-based wedding photographer.
Sometimes it’s just her and the couple. “A photographer becomes way more than just the photographer,” she says. “I don’t consider myself just someone who comes in on the day and observes from afar.” She is often there from the start to help a couple to plan their elopement, with extensive meetings to talk about their interests and what kind of day would suit them. On the day, she says, “it’s not a photoshoot, it’s not a styled thing where people are static; it’s all in motion, it’s all happening”. One of her favourite weddings – a symbolic, rather than legal marriage – was last summer in a lavender field, where the couple went for a walk and had a picnic, then said their vows at sunset. “And then we walked back through the fields capturing more of a twilight look as well. So that was a whole day of an intimate experience, with the two people just by themselves.” She is booked for a sunset beach wedding and treehouse ceremony next year, but she says an elopement doesn’t necessarily have to be in a dramatic or remote location. Last week, she shot a couple, their maid of honour and best man, in a city wedding in London. “A lot of couples just want to do something in the city that they love.”
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