When Shelby and Simon came across Dope Elope, an event by Sarah Marie Celebrancy in Canberra that hosts eight mini-elopements over two days, they weren’t even officially engaged. But the bold, non-traditional vibe called to them, and having already discussed marriage, this felt like the perfect sign. The catch? They had to plan everything in just two months.

“We truly just wanted something that reflected our personalities and our BIG love,” Shelby explains. “Dope Elope did all the hard work bringing the inspo and the vibe. We hardly had to do a thing. We chose them to plan and host our big day and just trusted their vision and process, and boy, were we not disappointed!”

Traveling from out of state and narrowing their guest list down to only ten people proved to be their biggest challenges, but they were thrilled to marry in such an unconventional way. “It was small, but the vibe was huge,” Shelby says. “Sarah Marie’s way of putting everything together was unreal—funny, personal, poetic.”

Shelby walked down the aisle to Luke Combs’ Beautiful Crazy, and they exited to High by Lighthouse Family. Every moment felt meaningful, right down to the personalised vows they’d written. After the ceremony, photos, and cocktail hour with their guests, the couple went to a tattoo studio, where they got matching clown wedding tattoos. Later, they reunited with friends and family at a bowling alley for an afterparty that transformed bowling lanes and arcade games into their own private dance floor.

Looking back, Shelby and Simon are thrilled with their decision to go with a pop-up wedding. “If there’s one thing we learned, it’s that your wedding day should reflect you, no matter what anyone else thinks,” they say. “We had the space and freedom to really soak it all in, hang out with our favourite people, and celebrate us. Hand on heart, there’s nothing we’d change about our wedding. Do you—it’s YOUR day, YOUR love, YOUR wedding!”