Just before sunset, in the summer of 2022, Kristy, Dan, Peyton and Paxton Roux, and a wedding officiant named Brenda Lee, climbed to the top of Valentine Mountain.
Once at the top, looking out to an ocean view, Kristy and Dan said their wedding vows to each other with daughter Peyton, nine years old, and son Paxton, six years old, by their side.
“We were all dressed-up in our wedding outfits with walking shoes on to climb up,” said Kristy. “Once at the top and a little out of breath we changed into sandals.”
Kristy and Dan decided they wanted to have a simple ceremony with just the four of them; no family or friends.
Getting married is usually a special moment shared with others. However, they felt that their wedding plans could easily get out of control, especially with the cost of flowers, clothing, catering and juggling the guest list. Instead of an intimate, affordable affair, their wedding could easily have become an extravagant money pit, and not something they wanted.
The couple was determined not to let that happen.
“We didn’t like the idea of having all this attention on us,” said Kristy. “Rather than spend $20,000, and that’s minimum, on a big event, we would rather spend that money on a vacation for the family.”
The qathet region couple wanted a stress-free ceremony without all the baggage that comes along with a big wedding; such as “deciding who to invite, and paying more attention to what others think, rather than focusing on the purpose of the ceremony.”
Instead of all that stress, “we laughed, our kids made funny poses, and that’s what I love; we are casual, laid-back people,” added Kristy.
The pressure to put on a big show for a wedding was real, and not inviting family and friends to an important life event, such as a wedding, can be stressful.
“Our parents were a bit upset, but in the long-run it worked out; it was exactly as we wanted it to be,” said Kristy. “I found my dress online, same with my kids’ outfits.
“Dan wore a simple white shirt and dress shorts. I grabbed some flowers from the grocery store and made my own bouquet, and I made my daughter’s headpiece.”
Not many people can say they had a stress-free wedding day, but Kristy and Dan, along with their kids, made it happen.
“I think this is a growing trend to have more intimate, low-cost weddings, that reflect one’s values, instead of trying to please everyone and end up with something you never imagined,” explained Kristy.
The couple was invited by some friends, who didn’t know they had gotten married, to stay with them on Savary Island for a few days after the ceremony.
“That was a happy coincidence, that we could have a mini-honeymoon on Savary,” said Kristy. “In April all four of us are going to Mexico, for more of a post-wedding vacation.”
