Marriage License Signature Services, Elopements, Intimate Ceremonies, Micro-Weddings and “Minimonies”
What is an elopement?
This is a great question and one that is sometimes hotly debated even amongst wedding industry professionals. It was once when a couple ran away to be secretly married. Now, not so much. The defining characteristic of an elopement is that it is a smaller event planned on shorter notice, often with flexibility as to the date, time, and location. This is where we can help!
Elope Long Island also makes it more convenient to get married. We’ve got extended hours and greater flexibility than at Long Island’s Town Halls and have full time officiants in Northport and Old Bethpage, with satellite officiants subject to availability in Glen Cove, Centerport, Westbury and more!
Is there a ceremony performed during an elopement?
Only if you want one, though an exchange of marriage vows is a legal requirement to be married in New York State.
Some people use the term “elopement” when they have a marriage license to be signed, but are postponing or not planning a formal event. These are the couples who don’t want to “get married” as much as “be married”. There are many reasons to choose this option and we celebrate that by offering everything from the five lines that make you legally married, to something a little more in depth.
For other couples, it’s about a small gathering at home or at a local park with a gazebo with a lunch or dinner to follow. There are many such beautiful locations on Long Island – Northport Harbor, Argyle Gazebo, Garden City Gazebo, Bayard Cutting Arboreteum, Bailey Arboretum, Old Westbury Gardens – and lets not forget our beautiful beaches!
Of course if a meal is in the plans, perhaps getting married at your favorite restaurant would be the perfect choice? The Country House in Stony Brook has a ceremony site and fabulous food. Morton’s Steak House in Great Neck is a classy choice too! Many of Long Island’s premiere Catering Halls have public restaurants too and are happy to provide access to their ceremony areas on Monday through Wednesday. The Polo Lounge at Westbury Manor, Volpe at the Fox Hollow, and Mirabelle at the Three Village Inn are all great choices for small events.
Long Island and NYC also have many hotels with amazing suites. An intimate wedding ceremony can easily be set in the suite’s living room, with dinner to follow downstairs in the restaurant, and then cake and coffee back at the suite set up by room service. A stunning place for this is of course, Oheka Castle. The Three Village Inn also has Cottages with cozy fireplaces perfect for ceremony and your first night as a married couple.
Are you thinking Guerrilla or Surprise Wedding? Absolutely Fabulous! This trend is where your witnesses or guests don’t know that you are getting married. We can blend in with guests at any family or holiday gathering till you are ready to let everyone know! Then we slip in at your table between the appetizer and the main course and ask for the license. Some people invite their loved ones to an engagement party where they surprise announce that this is the wedding date! That’s a personal favorite of us as it’s a lot of fun and stress free to plan.
How about something a little more along the lines of a traditional elopement? Just the two of you with your photographer as witness somewhere in the Hamptons, Montauk, or on Long Island’s North Fork? Discover Long Island has links to some of the most beautiful places to come for a Romantic Getaway and go home as Newlyweds.
For fuller ceremonies and larger events see our sister site, churchofancientways.org
