STAY
STAY WITH
STAY WITH BIG TRADITIONAL WEDDINGS PUT ON HOLD FOR A WHILE.
IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT MORE
COUPLES ARE CHOOSING TO ELOPE.
BUT WHAT IF YOU COULD TAKE THAT
CONCEPT, THAT IDEA OF A LOKMAN
AND APPLY IT TO THE REST
OF YOUR LIFE?
WELL, THAT'S THE IDEA BEHIND A
NEW BOOK BY SAM STARNS, A
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER WHO AFTER
HER OWN BIG DAY DECIDED TO
DEDICATE HER BUSINESS TO
COUPLES WHO CHOOSE TO ELOPE.
I RECENTLY TALKED TO SAM ABOUT
THIS IDEA OF A LOPING YOUR
LIFE.
IT REALLY HAS.
>> I FEEL LIKE A GREAT STORY
BEHIND IT.
I HAD DONE PART TIME WEDDINGS
SINCE 2013 2014 GIVE OR TAKE
AND I GOT ENGAGED AND GOT
MARRIED IN 2016.
AND DURING THAT ENTIRE TIME I
WAS YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO ELOPE
AND WASN'T SURE HOW TO SAY IT
AND I SORT OF GOT STEAMROLLED
BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY SOCIETAL
PRESSURE THAT I FEEL LIKE
EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO SOME
LEVEL.
IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTERWARD THAT
I REALIZED THAT THERE WERE
OTHER PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO WANTED
TO ELOPE AND THEY MAYBE JUST
NEEDED A CHEERLEADER OR SOMEONE
TO HELP EMPOWER THEM AND BE IN
THEIR CORNER.
SO I DON'T GO FULL TIME INTO
SOLELY PHOTOGRAPHING INTIMATE
WEDDINGS, ADVENTURE WEDDINGS
AND ADVENTURE ELOPEMENTS AND IT
EVENTUALLY LED INTO THE
CREATION OF THE RESORTS YOUR
LIFE FOR ANYONE WANTING TO USE
THAT EMPOWERMENT THAT COMES
WITH ELOPING IN ORDER TO
TRANSFORM THE REST OF THEIR
LIVES.
SO THE BOOK SERVES AS
EMPOWERMENT AND INSPIRATION AND
TONS OF ACTIONABLE ITEMS THAT
YOU CAN USE HELP CRAFT YOUR
DAY.
AND IT'S ALSO GOT STORIES
TESTIMONIALS FROM PAST COUPLES
WHO HAVE ELOPED AND LOOK AT
THEIR LIVES.
I LOVE THIS.
I LOVE THIS.
TALK TO ME REALLY QUICKLY ABOUT
WHAT IT MEANS TO ELOPE YOUR
LIFE ELOPING TAKES COURAGE AND
GROWTH AND IT TAKES STANDING UP
TO PEOPLE SOMETIMES AND IT
TAKES REALLY DISCOVERING WHO
YOU ARE AND WHO YOU ARE WITHIN
YOUR RELATIONSHIP, WHO YOUR
PARTNER AND YOU ARE TOGETHER
AND YOU BECOME STRONGER AND
MORE AWARE OF YOURSELF AND YOU
BECOME WHO I PERSONALLY THINK
YOU WERE MEANT TO BE AND YOU
KNOW WHY IT SHOULD THAT
EMPOWERMENT AND THAT INDIVIDUAL
AND CONFIDENCE STOP ON YOUR
WEDDING DAY.
>> AND SO WHY NOT USE ALL
OF THAT TO NOT JUST ELOPE BUT
TRANSFORM THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
WITH THAT SAME SET OF ENERGY
AND THAT CAN BE ANYTHING FROM
STANDING UP FOR YOURSELF IN
SITUATIONS SAYING NO TO THINGS
THAT DON'T MENTALLY OR
EMOTIONALLY STIMULATE YOU AND
FILL YOUR CUP DOING THINGS THAT
YOU WERE TOO SCARED TO DO,
STEPPING OUTSIDE OF YOUR
COMFORT ZONE.
AND GROWING THERE.
SO THE LIST UNLESS IT'S REALLY
AN AMAZING THING AND I THINK SO
MANY OF US ARE NOW OUTSIDE
OF OUR COMFORT ZONES BECAUSE
OF CAUVIN AND IT'S KIND
OF CHANGED.
>> I BELIEVE IT IS CHANGING THE
WAY WE THINK AND FEEL ABOUT
THINGS FROM HERE ON OUT.
I THINK IN A LOT OF WAYS
THERE'S NO GOING BACK AND MAYBE
SOME PEOPLE FEEL LIKE HEY
LISTEN, THIS IS THE WAY TO DO
IT.
DO YOU THINK THAT THE ELOPEMENT
WILL BECOME THE NEW NORMAL?
YEAH, SO.
GREAT.
GREAT QUESTION.
AND LET'S BE HONEST FIRST THIS
WHOLE SITUATION IS LESS THAN
IDEAL.
IT KIND OF STINKS AND IT.
>> YEAH.
BUT I THINK THERE ARE SOME GOOD
THINGS TO COME OUT.
AND I THINK ONE OF THEM IS THE
FACT THAT IT'S CAUSING US TO
SHIFT OUR OUR MINDSET AND CAUSE
US TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX.
AND YOU KNOW, WITH THAT BEING
SAID, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE HAS
THIS CONCEPT OF THEIR DREAM
WEDDING AND WHAT THEY'VE BEEN
THINKING ABOUT.
BUT LET ME COME AT YOU WITH
THIS QUESTION.
WHAT IF INSTEAD OF DREAM
WEDDING YOUR BIG DAY COULD BE
EVEN BETTER?
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING
BEAUTIFUL THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO
LOOK AT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, REALLY
THINKING ABOUT WHAT DOES YOUR
WEDDING MEAN, WHAT DOES YOUR
DREAM DAY MEAN AND DIG INTO
WHETHER THAT'S THE PEOPLE
WHETHER THAT'S THE FOOD, THE
TABLE SETTINGS.
IS IT REALLY THAT OR IS IT
SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
AND SO THAT'S SORT OF SOMETHING
TO REALLY TAKE INTO
CONSIDERATION.
AND I THINK IT'S REALLY GOING
TO CHANGE HOW PEOPLE VIEW THEIR
WEDDINGS IN THE FUTURE.
>> I LOVE HOW YOU SAID IT'S A
LOT OF GROWTH BECAUSE I
ACTUALLY USED TO THINK THE
WEDDING DAY WAS ALL ABOUT THE
WEDDING DRESS.
NO ONE THING I REGRET THE MOST
ABOUT MY WEDDING IS SPENDING SO
MUCH I WON'T GET INTO HOW MUCH
BUT I SPEND A WHOLE LOT
OF MONEY ON THAT WEDDING DRESS
AND I REGRET THAT TO THIS DAY
THAT I DIDN'T USE THAT FOR A
VACATION TO TAHITI OR SOMETHING
OF THAT NATURE.
SO I LOVE THAT YOU SAID GROWTH
BECAUSE LOOKING BACK I WOULD
HAVE CHANGED THAT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY GREAT TIPS FOR
COUPLES DOING AN AWESOME
ADVENTURE ELOPEMENTS.
>> THE FIRST QUESTION TO ASK
YOURSELF IS ON YOUR LIMIT DAY
HOW DO YOU WANT TO FEEL BECAUSE
THAT THAT IS A WORD OR WORDS
THAT ARE GOING TO BE WHAT THE
REST OF YOUR DAY IS PREDICATED
ON WHETHER THAT IS WHAT DRESS
IS GONNA MAKE YOU FEEL X WHAT
LOCATION IS GOING TO MAKE YOU
FEEL X WHAT EXPERIENCES AND
ACTIVITIES ARE GOING TO MAKE
YOU FEEL.
SO FROM THERE YOU CAN KIND
OF GO INTO FINDING A LOCATION
WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER AND
PLANNER BASED ON WHAT YOU WANT
TO FEEL ON YOUR DAY AND WHAT
LOCATION REALLY SPEAKS TO YOU
BECAUSE A LOT OF US LOCATION
SCOUT AND YOU KNOW OUR WEALTH
OF KNOWLEDGE WHEN IT COMES TO
THAT.
SO WE WANT TO HELP ALIGN YOU
WITH THE BACKDROP THAT'S GOING
TO REALLY INSPIRE YOU.
AND THEN SECONDLY, I REALLY
FEEL LIKE PEOPLE SHOULD THINK
OF THEIR LOKMAN DAY AS AN
ADVENTURE FIRST AND A WEDDING
SECOND ONLY BECAUSE PEOPLE
OFTEN SELF LIMIT WHEN THEY
THINK OH MY BEST DAY EVER MY
ADVENTURE WOULD BE HIKING UP A
MOUNTAIN AND YOU KNOW, VIEWING
SUNRISE AND THEN COMING DOWN
AND MAYBE GOING ON A HOT AIR
BALLOON RIDER OR SOMETHING, YOU
KNOW, EPIC OR SOMETHING REALLY
SIMPLE AND VERY SWEET AND LOW
KEY.
BUT THEN THEY THINK COULD I DO
THAT WITH A WEDDING DRESS?
OH YOU KNOW WHAT IF I SWEAT?
OH WHAT ABOUT THE MAKEUP?
AND YOU'RE SO YOU'RE ALREADY
LIMITING YOURSELF.
AND SO I WOULD DEFINITELY THINK
THINK OF IT AS AN ADVENTURE
FIRST AND THEN ELOPEMENTS
SECOND BECAUSE WHEN YOU CREATE
THAT IDEAL DAY THAT'S THE DAY
THAT REPRESENTS YOU AND YOUR
RELATIONSHIP AND THAT SHOULD BE
THE DAY NATURALLY OF WHICH YOU
COMMIT YOURSELVES TO ONE
ANOTHER AND BELIEVE ME, I'VE
SEEN PEOPLE HIKE UP THE
MOUNTAINS IN WEDDING DRESSES.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN IF YOU CAN
THINK OF IT.
THERE'S A WAY TO