American couples choosing NI as 'elopement' destination

“It was a literal fairy tale” – that is what one American woman said of her wedding in Northern Ireland.

Many US couples are taking transatlantic flights to exchange their vows on the north coast.

Usually described as an “elopement”, in the wedding industry this is now viewed as shorthand for a small-destination wedding.

Owen Crane began conducting ceremonies for couples in various locations in 2019.

“It started with a handful the first year, then it just grew more and more every year,” he said.

“Last season was really busy. It has been part time up to now but next season looks like it will be full time with the elopements.”

Celebrant Annette Scott has also seen a growing demand, in what she described as a “sea change” in the wedding industry.

“Something is happening with weddings. Many people are becoming less commercial and like the idea or romantic notion of the emphasis being on them and what matters most.

“It is not eloping in the true sense of the word but I believe it is a term that has evolved to have a slightly different meaning.”

Jamie and Corey Barrows, from West Virginia, got married at Dunluce Castle in September last year, which Jamie described as a “most amazing experience”.

Like many, she had dreams of what her wedding should be and had seen photos on social media of elopements in Ireland.

“I didn’t want the wedding with 50 or 100 people – I just wouldn’t want all that attention on me.

“Just my parents, my sister and really close family and I wanted to get married in Ireland.

“I just wanted it to be more about me and my husband, just an unforgettable experience.”

Jamie chose Ireland as it was somewhere she had always wanted to visit and was convinced by photos on social media.

“There are just so many different locations and experiences. I also had the best pictures of my life.

“I can remember sitting with my family having a charcuterie board looking at the castle. It was a literal fairy tale.”

When she returned home, Jamie said friends were blown away by the photos, claiming her experience blew their wedding out of the water.

“I think elopements are becoming more popular. Wedding prices are getting ridiculous – our wedding wasn’t outrageous, it was doable.

“A lot of people get family pressure but no-one in my family was upset. I feel like they just knew it was what I wanted.”

Photographer Rob Dight was first contacted in 2014 by an American couple who inquired about his services for an elopement.

“In my head, an elopement was like Gretna Green and all that,” said Rob.

From there, the demand for such shoots grew year on year before Rob decided to go full time with elopements in 2020.

Initially, most of the enquiries were for photographs at the Cliffs of Moher, but due to the crowds at the site Rob directed many to the north coast.

“It is the best place to photograph by a mile and I have done shoots all over the world and Ireland.

“It is just stacked with places, all within five minutes of each other.”

The majority of couples who contact Rob are American, but he has shot weddings for Japanese, Australian, Canadian, English and local couples.

Clarissa and Devon Tallcott, from southern California, also chose to elope to the north coast in September.

The pair began dating seven years ago, after meeting when they both worked at a tiki-themed bar in nearby Disneyland.

“We always really wanted to go to Ireland and we had talked about an elopement-style wedding since we started talking about marriage,” said Clarissa.

The couple had looked at marrying in California, but the cost was just too much.

“On average it would cost about $50,000 to put on a wedding at home, especially if we’re trying to have the same scenery.

“You could have it on a cliff, but you won’t have a castle in the background.”

Clarissa and Devon did explore more tropical options such as Greece, but they were convinced by photos of Northern Ireland’s landscape.

Some family members were a bit dubious about the location, especially given the weather.

“Both my parents spoke about the rain and asked if I didn’t think somewhere tropical,” said Devon.

“But they just loved it when they got there and saw what it had to offer.”

Most of the 20 wedding guests stayed on to explore more of Ireland following the wedding.

In the Republic of Ireland, former competitive surfer Shauna Ward has also embarked on a career as an elopement photographer.

She recalls seeing images of eloping couples surrounded by “epic scenery” in the USA and Canada online.

“That was my first introduction to what an elopement was, I was just really drawn to these images.”

After some research, she later found that many couples chose Ireland as their elopement destination.

“As soon as I knew this was the thing, I knew this is what I’m supposed to do, I was able to combine my creative background with what I really love, which is the outdoors.”

With many places starting to get busy, Shauna instead takes couples to hidden gems.

“I introduce couples to places they have never heard of, places that are known more locally but equally as beautiful.”

James Rogers and Genesis Reyes are currently planning their elopement in Ireland next May.

The couple, who have been together for 10 years, first met in Boston but spent some time living in South Korea before settling in Seattle.

After getting engaged in May 2022, the pair began to plan where to have their nuptials.

“We wanted to elope but we still wanted it to be more special that a town hall or a park or somewhere local,” said Genesis.

“There is a couple from Ireland, who were our best friends in Korea and we thought it would be cool. We always wanted to go to Ireland and they could be our witnesses.”

James and Genesis also saw Ireland as the perfect option as they loved photographs of elopements they had seen online and are big Game of Thrones fans.

The couple also said that they feel the “traditional wedding industry” is outdated.

“With pricing, its like $45,000 for a venue and $30,000 for food, it’s just who has that money and who is it for.

“We just wanted our wedding to be a surprise without outside influence.”

James added: “It’s really about being present on the day and then we can have a party with everyone when we get home, once the intimate part is over.”