Real Weddings
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Yoonie and Jason’s Elopement

Posted on November 02, 2020 by Ariana Baio


We first met in college at Rutgers University. We were both on our way to an art history class, I had chosen that that class as s an elective grade booster at the time. I remember seeing her first, walking towards the building from half a block away and thinking that she was beautiful. The next thing I felt I had to do was get ahead of her just so I could hold the door open for her.

Yoonie and Jason Elopement


The proposal happened over a short weekend getaway to Brooklyn. Yoonie was about to start a new job and we were planning on moving in together soon. Planning for an extravagant proposal didn’t seem to pan out the way that I wanted to, the more details I added to the plan the more difficult it became. In the end, I decided that simple is best and I would just rely on my feelings. The weather that weekend was forecasted to be cold, rainy and windy. I remember wishing for the weather to improve. It was not my idea of how I wanted it to go. Despite the crappy weather, we managed to make it out to a nice bar/restaurant that was further walking distance than we anticipated. During dinner, I remember the thing that stood out the most was that we didn’t let anything bother us that night- we didn’t let the weather get us down. We still had fun because we focused only on each other. In that sense, nothing else mattered and it gave me the confidence to propose later that night.

Yoonie and Jason Elopement


We are both private people, so our small wedding reflects us perfectly. We wanted it to be intimate, romantic and simple. We decided to exchange our own vows, just the two of us, prior to the actual ceremony. We wanted several minutes to ourselves and bask in that intimate moment before joining the rest of the family. Being able to exchange vows in our own words makes the whole experience feel more personal and very us.

Yoonie and Jason Elopement


I had been searching for an ivory, mid-length dress for many months and was so happy to finally find this dress online! It has all of the features I love: cap sleeves, semi-sheer lace and mid length. I didn’t want anything too long or too formal to wear for our simple outdoor ceremony, but still wanted a dress that felt bridal and romantic.

Yoonie and Jason Elopement


Where to begin? Getting ready and glammed up with both of our moms and my sister-in-law was so much fun. Their presence soothed my nerves and set the tone for a relaxing morning. When I arrived at our meeting spot for our first look, Bri (our photographer) had me briefly hide behind a tree so that she could let Jason know I was here. I’ll never forget Jason’s reaction during our first look, he’s calm and level-headed by default, so to see him nervous and even a little emotional was really endearing. Our officiant accidentally called us by each other’s names at one point during the ceremony. I thought to myself, “yeah, okay, I guess I go by Jason now, I could be cool with that” before she did a quick ‘wait a minute’ and corrected herself. I love that everyone laughed and it lightened up the mood. While standing at the altar, I remember glancing at each of our family members’ faces and feeling overwhelmed by the love radiating back. It made all of the planning well worth it to see our families happy and excited for us.

Yoonie and Jason Elopement


The whole day felt so surreal. Especially since we began planning over a year ago and then had to postpone our original date, it felt like the big day was never going to happen. Finally going through all of the motions that only existed as plans was surreal and fascinating. Even so, we were both able to stay focused in the moment and enjoyed every second of our wedding day. We loved keeping our wedding intimate, and getting married outdoors with the beautiful weather was a huge plus. We honestly had so much fun and are very happy with how the day panned out.

Yoonie and Jason Elopement


Everything went better than I had hoped. The entire process went smoothly thanks to Bri. I don’t think I would’ve changed a thing except maybe practice a few of the lifts.

Yoonie and Jason Elopement


Throughout the whole planning process, we took some time to reflect on what we felt were the most important aspects, and to use that as the driving force. Ultimately, we decided on a low-key, stress-free wedding because we didn’t want to get swept up in the small details. Our motto has been if we aren’t even going to remember some minor detail in five years, skip it!

Yoonie and Jason Elopement


Unfortunately, our honeymoon plans have been postponed, but we would love to explore Hawaii when it becomes safer to travel again.

the details

Photographer

Bri Johnson Weddings

Officiant

Carmen Arias

Bride’s Gown

Foxiedox

+ more