Donegee Media

Why Eloping Is For You

Does the idea of having all your extended family and friends you haven’t seen in years at your wedding chill you to the bone? Are you dreading that family reunion and years of family resentment surfacing on your wedding day? Do you find the whole traditional wedding thing rather–well, silly?

If so, eloping may be for you.

Not Everyone is a “Wedding Person” And that’s Okay!

I personally never dreamed of my wedding day, I wasn’t one of those type of people. Some of my friends knew even before saying “Yes!” what their wedding colors were going to be.

And I was like, “What is a wedding color?”

I love throwing parties, but hate being the center of attention. The mere idea of not being behind my camera kind of terrifies me.

And honestly, isn’t a wedding suppose to be a commitment between two people and a witness? Why is Aunt Sally, who I haven’t seen since I was 13, suddenly invited to the best day of my life?

We already struggle with coping with our normal day-to-day balance between stress and good vibes mannn–and here we are, adding even more to our life. Call the Dj? Call the caterer?

For wedding people, this planning process is the fun part! They thrive on the details.

For non wedding people? Stress.

I can’t even be bothered.

Eloping Can Save You Some Money–And, You Get an Immediate Vacay!

The average couple spends over $27,000 on a wedding. Yes, there were three zeros and a comma after that twenty-seven. People always joke, “Imagine where we could go with all that money?” Elopers say, “Yeah, let’s go somewhere awesome AND save money.”

And you don’t have to worry about your Aunt Sally judging your mother about the florist she used when your cousin’s florists for her wedding was just OH SO MUCH BETTER. **cue eyeroll**

Ditch Aunt Sally and all the family drama and why don’t you say your “I Dos” on top of a mountain top?

Maybe high altitude or pinon pines isn’t your thing, but what you’re really into is beachside in Big Sur for your potential elopement?

Embrace the love between you and your partner, intimately and leave behind the stress of having to deal with everyone else. And when you’re done? It’s just the two of you snuggled away somewhere enjoying the vacation you’re on.

Cheers to love and romance!

You’re ready to Elope, but Wait! How????

First off, congratulations. You have chosen a radical act of love. You have chosen adventure. Now the fun begins!

Choose your location

Yes, it sounds pretty simple. Go ahead and choose where you want to get married. You can go over to Lonely Planet and look at their list of best places to elope. Or think about what kind of setting you want to be wed in. You can choose to be surrounded in the pines in the Los Padres National forest, one of my favorite elopement hidden gems. High up on the mountains, surrounded by trees and views for days. What a wonderful location to say “I do!”

You can choose an international route, why not amongst the green coastal backdrop of an Irish coastal town? Why not? Am I right?

Or you can always go for a classic, Las Vegas.

Either way, the choice is yours and that is what makes eloping so great.

Be cautious however, some countries still do not allow same-sex marriage. Make sure to look up the laws in the country you’re hoping to elope to.

Find an Officiant

You’re still going to need someone to marry you both. If you want a friend, it’s a 15 minute process online. Probably the easiest route.

If you want someone professional, and believe me, it pays to have someone who knows what they’re doing marry you, there are plenty of amazing options and great people who are easy to find on Wedding Wire!

Don’t Forget Your Marriage License!

There can be some confusion depending on where you plan on eloping to in regards to marriage license. It’s better to be safe and sorry and just go down to your local registrars office and get the paperwork out of the way there, but if you insist on not actually marrying each other until your ceremony, make sure you understand the rules and requirements for marriage. For instance, some places require more than one witness. Whatever may be your location of choice case, make sure you research that state or countries requirements beforehand.

Don’t forget when you’re back from your awesome elopement, to file that bad boy so you’re official and legally married.

Hire a Destination Photographer!

Even if you’re eloping you’re going to want to capture the love and story of your day. Some people want the entire process documented, from the travel, to the ceremony and a special couple’s session the day after. I happen to know a pretty great photography and videography team.

If you’re looking to elope and want a down to earth, adventurous, fun, and introverted photographer and videographer, you can look no further! Head over to our contact page and send us some details and let’s get the ball rolling!

Cheers to Love everyone and looking forward to talking to you soon!

Love and Light,

Victoria

How Boudoir Helped Me Feel Empowered and IN LOVE with my Body

Hi! My name is Victoria. I’m a photographer and I am riddled with self doubt. Despite how I may appear on the outside (“She’s so together! She’s so fun and confident!”) sometimes on the inside I really can’t stand myself. Ugly, fat, annoying, self absorbed.

We’ve all been there, right?

Despite how great everything in our lives are going, we focus on one small thing that we can’t stand in that moment: my hair, my hips, my too big of boobs, my skin. Whatever it may be. It seems, at times, a never ending cycle of negative self talk.

This is something I struggle with on a weekly basis. My body hate is not as severe as it was when I was younger, but it still creeps its ugly head in every so often and stays much longer than it should. It’s such an uncomfortable guest.

You’ll never find me talking about other people’s bodies, if anything, I’m the biggest hype woman out there. “Damn girl! You’re on fire! Rock it!” And yet, despite how I talk to others, filled with confidence and encouragement, saying that to myself feels, at times, almost impossible.

As a boudoir photographer I am blessed with the ability to make women feel beautiful, sexy and confident.

I am inspired when my models want to take their pictures out in the natural world, surrounded by the beauty of mother nature, a physical reminder of our divine feminine. Boudoir photography in the forest is my favorite thing to shoot ever and Kern county offers some stunning backdrops.

With every shoot I did with my beautiful clients I felt as if I was a fraud. Here I was telling my clients how empowered they’d feel after their shoot and I had never done one myself. I was talking my truth, but I was not living my truth. So I decided to change that.

When Kelly said she wanted to start offering boudoir films as an option for our clients we started having the same discussion, “What model should we use?” And something deep inside me said, “I’ll be the model.”

And I was so happy that I volunteered.

At first, I was nervous. I’ve known Kelly since I was 13 years old, but as I got down into my bra and underwear I suddenly felt very exposed. But she made the experience so amazing for me. Within 10 minutes I stopped thinking about my body and started LOVING my body. The feedback from Kelly that I got about my modeling felt really good. I felt sexy, confident and empowered. No longer was I hearing society telling me about the things I should fix, instead, I only heard Kelly’s encouraging words. And then, something magical happened.

I started hearing my own encouraging words to myself.

We did three different types of boudoir and 3 different looks. Two in my bedroom and one on the top of Mt. Pinos. Getting down to my lingerie out in the wild was my jam! I felt so incredibly empowered, full of power and strength. I felt the strength in my body and the power in my curves. I could feel the natural world energize my entire being and whispering to me, “You’re beautiful. Your body is full of wisdom.”

I absolutely loved every minute of it after that. And it was through my own experience that I really felt the importance of boudoir. Beauty in boudoir happens when something transformative comes out of it for the model.

I am not saying that I’m 100% body positive all the time with myself, that’s not the case, but what I can say is that I have a new renewed and appreciative look at my body. I am kinder to myself, my flaws and more than ever have found the beauty in my strength. My body allows me to hike mountain tops, to travel the world. It allows me to have a physical relationship with the world and people around me. It gives me strength and wisdom. And for that I honor it.

I highly recommend that everyone participates in a boudoir in your life. Treat yourself. Who knows, maybe you’ll come out of the experience with a renewed sense of self.

view my Indoor boudoir below:

Boudoir Shoot – Ethereal from Donegee Media on Vimeo.