Santa Cruz courthouse elopement followed by beach photos

Nicole and Marlene’s courthouse elopement was “casual and fun” and filled with “lots of love,” says the couple. They had a 3-month engagement after Nicole proposed to Marlene at sunset on the beach. The pandemic then led them to the courthouse in Santa Cruz to elope.

“We didn’t want to wait an undetermined amount of time to get married,” says Nicole, “especially because a lot of my family is on the east coast. We told the people in our lives we were going to get married, but they unfortunately couldn’t attend. We really enjoyed the intimacy of just us (and our photographer, Victoria) at the wedding though, and it was really nice.”

Following the ceremony, the couple took photos on the beach and enjoyed a small cookout with close family.

“Now that things are safer and people are getting vaccinated, we’re excited to eventually have a wedding with both sides of the family and our loved ones. It was a beautiful day though, and we wouldn’t change it!”

What advice would you give to engaged LGBTQ+ couples?

Do your engagement exactly as you want it. Don’t feel pressured to share on social media if you don’t want to, make the engagement as long or as short as you want, and don’t feel obligated to be “traditional” if you don’t want to be. Engagement is about committing to each other because your love is strong.

Advice for vendors and venues working with LGBTQ+ couples?

Let people know they are safe, and that as vendors you enjoy working with all types of couples from all walks of life.

What challenges did you face as an LGBTQ+ couple planning your wedding?

We are very fortunate to live in a place where LGBTQ+ acceptance is relatively commonplace. However, as we think about having a wedding with guests and a reception, we are very mindful to make sure that the vendors and venue we choose are LGBTQ+ friendly and hopefully have experience catering to queer couples. It’s an added step to feel safe at our own wedding that straight couples don’t have to think about.