Guess what? We eloped! A Very Green Wedding.

When my then boyfriend proposed I admit I was a little taken aback.

Me? Get married?

Turns out I had never really thought of it before. We told our parents and from there, “getting married” quickly switched to “planning a wedding.” Rushing, rehearsal dinner etiquette and registering… Apparently, bridal knowledge requires a serious commitment to the wedding section at the local bookstore.

A lot of it was really fun. Yeah, I’ve watched “Say Yes to the Dress” and maybe cried a little. So what? Part of what I liked about this whole getting married thing was that it was a chance for me to explore a more “girlie” side of myself that I’ve always kept on the backburner.

But even beautiful princess fairy ballerinas have their limits.

A couple of weeks ago we just looked at each other and said “this isn’t us—let’s elope!” All the stress of picking table settings and trying to convince our families that an alcohol-free vegetarian meal was ideal evolved into the thrill of planning an eco-elopement in a pinch.

In short, we had a fabulous time!

Question: Why are wedding dresses so expensive?

Answer: Because you want them to be.

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Elise Espat lives, writes and teaches in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has just opened the Albuquerque Ashtanga Yoga Shala.