Coney Island Elopement with a Gorgeous Gold Kimono Style Dress

Diana Rothery

June 17, 2019

There is something so freeing and romantic about deciding to bite the bullet and elope. Getting rid of all the stress, anxiety and COSTS that can some with planning a big wedding means it’s an appealing idea for many Rock n Roll brides and grooms! Today we’re meeting Yvette and Rob, who did just that. Originally from the UK, they decided to leave everyone else behind and travel to New York to marry on their own terms.

“Our wedding theme was ‘gold and freedom!'” said Yvette. “We wanted the theme to be no pressure, just free and for ourselves. We got engaged at Coney Island, Brooklyn in 2015. This became the inspiration for us to return to Brooklyn to get married. We wanted it to be very much about marrying each other for the right reasons and starting married life in a stress-free way.”

Both lovers of vintage style, this was also reflected in the outfits they both wore. Yvette’s stunning gold sequin dress was made in a kimono style by Hayley at Glory Days in York. Her shoes were rose gold Vivienne Westwood x Melissa numbers and her jewellery was a 1930s gold locket (with a curl of Rob’s hair inside) and an opal 1930s ring which was a gift from Rob. Rob also matched the gold theme by rocking a gold pinstriped suit from Vivienne Westwood.

As this was an elopement they didn’t need to bother with any decor, props, catering or cake, but they did host a big party for their friends and family when they returned to the UK. “All décor for the UK party was was made by hand by myself, Rob, family and friends. The theme was also gold – we had gold tassels, gold fringe, gold backdrops and gold sprayed donuts!”

“We created our own photo booth with a gold foil backdrop and our lovely friend Henry took Polaroids of our guests throughout the night. We made a pact not to look at them until the morning so Henry stashed over a hundred Polaroids in his suit pockets and we looked at them the next day with a cuppa. I highly recommend not looking at your photos at the time, there’s such an urge these days to delete photos if they’re not ‘right’ or people don’t look ‘perfect’. By waiting until the next day we could reminisce over moments, instead of looks. It was wonderful.”

“Our favourite part of the wedding was that it was just us two, eloping was the best thing we did!” she concluded. “From getting our marriage license from City Hall two days before to eating pizza on our wedding night. We also saved a lot of money by eloping. We did look at venues in the UK but none felt right. Our advice for other couples would be to do exactly what you want to do. You’ll be guided a lot by those around you, because they want the best for you, but it’s your wedding, your day. Do what makes you happy!”

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