“I had just finished my senior year of college (virtually of course) and had to move back home where Garrett was already at with his parents. I was struggling to find a job for MONTHS then finally I was blessed to have an offer extended to me. With this, Garrett and I were obviously looking to move. We had been looking at rings and talking about getting engaged for about a year, the only issue being the cost of an engagement ring wasn’t really ideal for a recent graduate who was in debt and lost his job due to COVID. With me getting this job and us having to move, it brought up the idea of eloping. In the grand scheme of things, we both really just wanted to be married.”

“When the idea first came about, we thought big like The Caribbean Islands or California.. however, with COVID, we needed to look a little closer to home. Traverse City and The Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes are the main attractions of Michigan (according to Google). Once I started researching weddings there and the process that is needed in order to get married in a different state, I knew that Michigan was going to be our destination.”

“Google became my best friend. I searched the best places to elope in The Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, the best photographer and videographers in Michigan, officiants in Michigan, resorts in Traverse City, etc. Next, it was making sure the things I wanted to do while we were there were open… although masks were a requirement everywhere, everything was open.”

It was stressful planning a wedding in a month, but everything worked out exactly as I could have hoped and I honestly wouldn’t have changed a single thing… not even exchanging it for a big wedding. An intimate ceremony with just our parents was perfect.”