There’s been quite a lot of eloping around the Raglan district recently – and it’s largely down to Covid and two enterprising local mums who thought small and foresaw a niche market amid the devastating global pandemic.
As Coastal Elopement Co partner Bridget Millward puts it, the venture “came to life” during Covid.
“Suddenly weddings as we knew them came to an abrupt halt,” she recalls. “They went from large-scale events down to weddings of 10 people only. We needed to think fast and this is where Coastal Elopement Co was born.”
Her comments are echoed by business co-owner and professional photographer Anne Paar.
Couples were being forced to effectively elope, she says, or at the very least to drastically downsize their day if they wanted to get married in the foreseeable future. “I said to Bridget ‘let’s jump in, let’s do it now’.”
Anne and Bridget – whose respective partners are both from longtime Raglan families – now have two seasons of elopements behind them, the seasons typically running from November to April.
They are good friends and have children at Raglan Area School and Let’s Grow daycare.
Each also operates a second wedding business alongside Coastal Elopement. “I have the White Wedding Club and Anne has Anne Paar Photography: we do big weddings with these businesses and then get together with Coastal Elopement,” Bridget explains.
“Once upon a time people would escape their families and secretively marry the love of their life, and that was an elopement,” she adds.
“Nowadays things have changed and people elope to have a different wedding, without the stress, styled beautifully and with a handful of their nearest and dearest who they want to celebrate their big day with.”
An elopement may be an intentionally small wedding, the pair explains, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a “non-beautiful, non-adventurous quick sign of a piece of paper” at the registry office as of old.
For Bridget – who does the planning and styling – it means a chance to coordinate small, bespoke weddings by the sea, not only in Raglan but also Mount Maunganui and the Coromandel, the areas the pair know and can manage best logistically.
For Anne, it means capturing on camera the intimacy of an elopement which is more easily achieved with fewer people, she says. “We feel every wedding should be authentic and about who the couple really is,” she adds.
Because Bridget and Anne coordinate “dream” wedding days from start to finish – sourcing the flowers, arranging hair and make-up artists, booking the celebrant and attending to details like ceremony seating and table styling – their clientele often includes couples from overseas.
“We organise everything so they can just sit back and relax while sipping on champagne,” Bridget says. “We take care of all the beautiful elements.”
Finding the perfect location is one of the first considerations. Out Ruapuke way, The Glass House – a luxurious eco-sanctuary with an infinity pool – is perhaps Coastal Elopements’ most intimate choice of venue, with just six able to stay over.
“Couples love this one,” Anne enthuses.
Then there’s Whale Bay’s bigger Koru Lodge with individual apartments, spas and expansive sea views; and the rustic charm of The Blodge up Maungatawhiri Rd for couples wanting a Bohemian-style wedding venue which can house up to 16 guests.
“Whether you want to marry on the beach, below a majestic mountain or among beautiful toe toe grasses, you’ll find your dream spot in Raglan,” the Coastal Elopement Co promises.
by Edith Symes
