Thursday, October 28, 2010

Christine and Steve of Elope San Diego volunteer to support "Wish Upon a Wedding"

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We are excited to support and share our talents with Wish Upon A Wedding, here in Southern California as "wish granters".


For those of you that don't know about the incredible work they do for couples... let me just tell you.  In a nutshell, they are the first nonprofit wish granting organization that provides weddings and vow renewals for couples facing illness and serious life altering circumstances,
regardless of sexual orientation. 

Consider this a shout out to our colleagues
to join us by signing up to provide services for this amazing organization!

xoxox
christine and steve

Please take a minute to check out some of the fulfilled wishes right here

Their contact information: 
PO BOX 1141 Santa Clara, CA 95052
877. 305 . WISH
email:  cwo@wishuponawedding.org 

 

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Steve and Christine Haslet, Circa 1987 Hotel Del Coronado, THE HONEYMOON and THE MULLET

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A stroll down memory lane....





We thought people might like to see us or NOT in 1987 when we traveled from Seattle to honeymoon on the beaches of Coronado. Who knew that 20 years later we would be calling it our new office and spending tons of happy weekends there.
Here's a secret:  I knew, but it took me twenty years to talk Steve into it.  These days he can't stop thanking me. 
We love our new office, Coronado Beach, Coronado California,
right behind the Hotel Del Coronado.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

See what Summer and Jeff from North Park Vaudeville Theater and Candy Shoppe are up to!

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Several years ago we married a couple in the North Park Vaudeville Theater and Candy Shoppe, here in San Diego.  It was a small wedding, right there on the stage.  Steve officiated and I photographed it.

But it wasn't just any couple, it was Summer Golden and Jeff Bushnell, the owners. 



We've loved following their work over the years. We've had the opportunity to enjoy several performances over those years.

The theater is well known for their amazing "Stars" program that Summer and Jeff offer.  It's a program that offers acting and playwriting opportunities for actors with both physical and cognitive disabilities.  They also do a Playwright festival each year.  This afternoon, we were honored to be part of their closing show of their world famous 8th Playwright festival.  It was fantastic!


We love being able to stay in touch with couples like Summer and Jeff,
it makes what we do even more special than it already is.

x0x0
christine and steve


For those of you who don't know about the theater,  it's wonderful 35 seat theater located at
2031 El Cajon Blvd here in San Diego,
one of the last local theaters around.  
Check out their schedule, there is always something really fun and inspiring going on there
(619) 220-8663.




Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Originality From Our Couples, We Love And Appreciate it .. Thank You!!

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Step away from the Bridal Shop
and no one will get hurt, WE PROMISE! 





When we started Elope San Diego years back, Steve and I wanted to give couples an alternative to the traditional stuffy wedding scene. The UnWedding Wedding!  Low stress, fun and relaxed elopements on the beach.  Tiny guest lists, or no guests at all, word of mouth invitations, carpooling, barefoot weddings, flip flops, casual beach wear, lots of surf and sand, kissing and laughter.  We make no secret of our love for the casual beach elopement and the money you can save.

We (mostly me)  are still a bit horrified surprised by the number of brides who arrive dressed in a cathedral length wedding gown and 4 inch high heels for our super casual beach weddings... stressed and dressed to the max. The groom not far away, in a rented tux and shiny shoes...usually sweating profusely. Family members dressed to the nines, friends in stiletto heels.  Then begins the process of making our way to the ocean,  about a block and a half walk in the loose sand. All the way down to the ceremony site.... we often hear, "I had no idea we were going to have to walk on the sand!"


Sometimes brides go as far as to have someone carry the train for the entire walk to the beach, then on the sand and during photo session while I try to take "romantic" photos with a third person hovering in the background.  Somehow the groom looks a though he's the third wheel, instead of the rock star he is! There have been times when brides are surprised and sometimes even really upset when sand got on their dress.





At that point, we can just forget about getting near the water or damp sand!  Soooooo many brides look at our website with all the beautiful pictures of couples walking in the water or kissing and sitting in the sand... and tell me that's just what THEY want.  They love the photos... then comes the huge disconnect.  By the time the elopement day rolls around, they have somehow gone a completely different direction.  They seem to have forgotten the wedding is on the beach.... the ceremony, the photos, the whole thing.. on the BEACH.  That place where there is sand, wind, water, bugs... seaweed...our wonderful beach.

Yes, my lovelies...there are bugs, there is wind, there is sand, there are slippery rocks and yes, there is water, and if you're lucky there is a bucket of sunshine.  And sometimes it may even smell beachy.

Just so you know,  if you want to take a fly swatter to my creativity and beat the crap out of it, there is no better way then showing up in "church dress" stressed to the max, with a flinching groom. Take it a step further and then spend the entire session focused on your gown and your shoes instead of your groom, your ceremony, your family and friends -your fun, low stress elopement ceremony has just taken an ugly turn down stress lane for everyone. 



We feel you should wear what you like--of course, it's your elopement....but we also ask couples to think things through and know a that casual beach wedding isn't for everyone.   Just sayin'.... a big fancy church dress really goes better in a big fancy church--(or hotel or mansion or winery) honestly....that's not what Elope San Diego is all about.   We know there are lots of other beach wedding companies out there and that we're not for everyone.


Above all, we really strive to let couples know that we want our services to be a good fit for all of us.  We want you to be happy, we want to be happy too, we want everyone to have a good time. 

We're about having fun, doing a great job, offering a low stress, relaxed, no drama, affordable alternative.  If that is what you had in mind, we really don't care what you wear, we just hope you are up for having a fun, happy day and are focused on your heart, and being in the moment.... not on what you are wearing.

We just love when it's a good fit for what we have to offer!  There I've said it.

The post today  has some of the couples who totally "got" we what do.
Thank you!






Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Not On MY Wedding Day! Wow ! Over 2000 Views Of Our Wedding Image on E-Coronado....

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Sometimes there are wedding surprises, not always good.   You capture the unperfect, the unplanned,  the unwedding moment and never know how people are going to react.  This photo was taken at an elopement ceremony that Steve and I did several months ago.  Alas, just a quiet Monday afternoon, ... then out of the blue, dozens upon dozens of Navy Seals, or were they Buds?  Dash on to the beach and into the ocean. They begin rolling around in the water, yelling at the top of their lungs. This can't be good...I say to myself under my breath.

Then, as you can see, everyone did their very best  to pretend wasn't really happening.  But it was, and now we have the photo to remember it by.



The photo was placed on E-Coronado.com, Coronado's on line newspaper.....then it was placed on their Facebook page, and in just a few days over 2000 people have not only just looked at it-- but given lots of fun comments.  So, like I said earlier, you never know what's going to strike a chord with people... just part of the fun of capturing weddings.

...they lived happily ever after....
Here is one of the last photos of the day to go with it, as they say..





















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