From dictionary.com:

e•lope

–verb (used without object), e·loped, e·lop·ing.

1.	to run off secretly to be married, usually without the consent or knowledge of one’s parents.

2.	to run away with a lover.

3.	to leave without permission or notification; escape.

—Related forms

e·lope·ment, noun

e·lop·er, noun

Well, I guess it is #2. But it’s not #s 1 or 3 because our parents know and are happy for us. It’s not really spur of the moment, like some elopements. We started planning it last month and are doing it next month. And it sure isn’t secret as I’m posting it to the internets.

We’re really just running off to get married. The point of a wedding is supposed to be the commitment of 2 people to each other. And I’ve seen brides flip their shit on the day of their wedding because they wanted PEONIES in their bouquet and these are ROSES! Or hyperventilate in the limo because she got claustrophobic and the 1794 church she was getting married in didn’t have a bride’s room. Or mothers of the bride flip their shit because the bride got her hair chopped off 3 weeks before the wedding.

I don’t want any of that negativity. So the week after Easter, we’re driving out to west Texas and staying at the Thunderbird Hotel for a few days. On one of those days, we’ll swing by the Presidio County Courthouse and exchange rings and vows. And then we’ll play. There’s the Marfa Lights, the Davis Mountains, Big Bend (flickr search it, people), etc. We’ll hike, bike, maybe canoe, who knows.

Most of all, we’ll relax. We won’t worry about flowers or tuxes or seating arrangements. The most weddingy thing we’ll do is have a photographer (and friend) fly out on the last day and take pictures of us so we can have wedding pictures.

And that’s that. We will have a reception a month or 2 after, but we haven’t even started planning that.

Maybe some of you are asking, Wait, did I miss the part where he proposed? No. You didn’t. He didn’t.

Just now I asked him, “When did we decide to get married?”

“When you first made homemade lavender ice cream.”

I’ve been engaged before and that was a weird time for me, growing and changing yet trying to fit into the old mold of myself. I’d been sort of a commitment-phobe for years after that, subconsciously only dating unavailable men, whether that meant emotionally, mentally or just in another country. I’d say I was anti-marriage, but I was really just anti- the marriage I’d been about to enter in 2000.

After dating Dave for a few months, the thought of a wedding still made me nauseous, but strangely the thought of having his kids, getting a joint checking account and growing old with him did NOT. (Okay, the joint checking thing still has me a little freaked out.) Over time, people began asking when we were getting married. People don’t do that when you’re dating someone bad for you. I’d been dating him for 6 months and my dad was trying to talk me into marrying him. Then there’s this from a year ago.

It also helps that Dave gets more excited about marrying me and having kids together than he does about fonts, bikes, Underworld or even this combined. But I still didn’t want a wedding. I didn’t even want an engagement because then people are all, “So when’s the wedding, where will you get married, have you picked out colors, when can I expect my invitation?” So we decided to elope. Having our parents meet at Christmas was a big deal and their approval, which they gave, was sort of the the wax seal on the envelope.

We didn’t start planning the elopement until the Holiday Crazy at home and work began to die down. And things have been falling into place. My sister inherited my great-grandmother’s wedding ring (from her second marriage) as she’s her namesake. My dad found it before she was leaving for the convent and she was like, “I have no use for a diamond ring, give it to Jennifer and Dave.” It was in a yellow gold setting, so we decided to reset it.

My cousin told Dave, “You should use my jeweler to make the new rings, he’s great.” Dave was like, “Uh, okay, sure,” until he heard the jeweler’s name. It was THE SAME GUY HE BOUGHT HIS BIKE FROM OFF CRAIGSLIST. When Dave bought the bike from him, the guy even told him, “If you ever need jewelry or diamonds, let me know.” At the time Dave dismissed it.

Also? My mom brought me the ring and it has ELEVEN diamonds. My all time favorite number. (With a birthday of 11/11 how could it not be?)

So we went in to discuss the design I’d come up with and he’s super cool and I can’t wait to see the final product! (You can’t see it, though- I have to keep something a surprise!) Right now I’m looking at dresses- something simple, maybe not even a wedding dress per se, but nice nonetheless.

And that’s where we’re at. More to come!