You know what truly makes a perfect and beautiful wedding? Just two people, choosing to share vows of love with each other and celebrating their journey as a couple, past, present and future. This is exactly what Shawna and Johnny did and the result is intimate and breathtaking. Here at GWS, we love elopements and this one is super special! These two world travelers chose to wed in the stunning landscape of the El Dorado Dry Lake Bed and then they took off for a month-long Hawaiian retreat to kick off the rest of their lives together! From the gorgeous wedding dress and boho bouquet to the Groom’s stylish look and the killer white convertible getaway car, we are loving every second of it!!
Shawna shared their inspiration for the day and how they made their celebration super personal and meaningful:
I believe that if you see it differently and have a truly different point of view of what something like a wedding or a home or a vacation means to you – do it differently – not for the sake of being different but to honor your desires and radically prioritize them. We were pressed for time & overwhelmed at the prospect of out-of-town guests so we traded an elaborate wedding for an elopement & a one-month off-grid yurt in Big Island, Hawaii as our honeymoon – that’s us. My husband and I have traveled the world together (we had our third date in Cuba!) and traveling to Las Vegas to elope felt like a natural extension of all the adventure we’ve shared together.
Aimlee Photography was there to capture each adorable moment. Let’s take a look!
The most memorable part of our wedding day was truly the the adventure & wonder of it all from riding drop top in a '76 Cadillac convertible to finding our wonderful officiant & photographer just with coordinate points in the desert to trading vows in a melange of languages. We didn't know quite where we were going and we didn't allow time to sweat the small stuff. I just remembered we giggled our way through our wedding day.
Desert Romance
First up, the attire! How stunning does Shawna look in this Saldana Vintage wedding dress?! The dress is called “Robin” and excuse us while we pick our jaws up off of the floor! We’re also loving her sweet and simple but totally boho bridal bouquet by Flora Pop! With flowers like protea, peonies, ranunculus and olive, it’s the perfect touch to pull her whole elopement bridal look together!
Dancing the Night Away
Total cuties!!! S + J’s photographer Amy tells us that after they shared their vows, they danced, cried, giggled, and sipped Haitian rum from J’s home country! Sounds absolutely perfect to us!
Sip, Sip, Hooray!
We took the time to create our own elopement cards with the help of a Medellin-based graphic designer. With handwritten notes, we explained what we were doing, why we were doing it, and made sure the most important people in our lives knew we felt their love & blessings from afar. Elopements can be tricky as people do want to spread love and celebrate you, so finding a way to express your gratitude (however you choose) is my word of advice.
Their Happily Ever After
Driving off into the sunset like a real-life fairytale!! S + J wanted to give a special shoutout to mama Lois for her love, support and for helping make their dream day a reality! Shawna and Johnny, the GWS Team sends our congratulations! Let us know when we can travel the world together, ok??
Planning your own elopement? Check out this Minimalistic Sunrise Elopement for some more gorgeous inspo!
photography: Aimlee Photography // venue name: El Dorado Dry Lake Bed, Boulder City, Nevada, USA // florals: Flora Pop // wedding dress: Saldana Vintage 'Robin' // officiant: Flora Pop
The photos took my breath away! So candid and charming.. Kudos to the team!