Are big weddings a thing of the past?

Step aside large-scale weddings. Elopements are becoming the everyday norm according to leading Canterbury celebrant Kineta Booker.

Booker, who has been one of Canterbury’s most-booked celebrants for the last couple of years, runs several elopement packages throughout the year on any day of the week, for up to 10 guests.

She told chrislynchmedia.com, “Our packages have become so popular because we make getting hitched easy… and fun!”

“It used to be that every engaged couple thought they had to invite over a hundred guests to their large, traditional wedding to make it magical and meaningful, but more couples are now realising they actually have a choice,” Booker said.

She said that with so many gathering restrictions during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic, Booker made a conscious decision to pivot her celebrant business to roll with the restrictions.

“I started creating celebrant and photographer elopement packages, and when they started to become popular, with more vendors wanting to work in with us, I created all-inclusive micro wedding packages – for up to 40 guests,” Booker said.

But it was the smaller gatherings she loved and now only officiates elopements.

“I have an awesome community of wedding vendors I work with on our packages – photographers, caterers, venues and a picnic set-up business. Working with all the right vendors really makes for the best experience for our eloping couples, and I love that!”

Some of Booker’s couples want to invite just a handful of people, while others want to invite none – which she can help with by providing the two witnesses.

“I’ve officiated elopements from the top of Mt Sunday (for a Lord of the Rings-loving couple from the States) through to elopements on a boat, chapel and picnic elopements, helicopter elopes, almost being blown off the side of all the local hills, and lovely elopements in the couple’s own backyard. I just love helping our couples make such beautifully special memories,” she said.

“I’ve had weeks where I’ve officiated five elopements and sometimes up to three in a day,” Booker said.

She said that people choose to elope because “it’s an utterly authentic, ‘just us’ experience, less family drama, valuing experiences over stuff, far less stress and anxiety, less planning – and life is meant to be an adventure and not worry about what other people think!”