ELSEWHERE: About us - elopement team Kahani (celebrant) and Ryal (photographer)

Elsewhere packages in regional Victoria - Geelong celebrant and photographer

Elsewhere offers curated elopement experiences combining three essential ingredients:

~ An epic celebrant - to get you married memorably
~ An exceptional photographer - to capture every emotion
~ An incredible place to stay - a place as special as your love.

But actually, Elsewhere offers more than that. It takes the researching, planning, and stress out of your hands. It says: trust us. We’ve got you. We’ve done this together before and we’re here to make getting married as cruisy and enjoyable yet remarkable for you as possible.

escape

Our exclusive accommodation partners have each been hand-picked for specific reasons. The spaces are a true labour of love from each of the owners – what they have created are among the most unique and unforgettable to be found in regional Victoria. They each have a sense of connection to nature, situated away from the ‘noise’ – the noise of the city, of people, of the hype or commotion associated with ‘weddings’. Of course, each accommodation also shares a cosy and rustic yet luxe style, making them the perfect romantic escape for newlyweds.

Alternatively, our ‘Anywhere’ package allows you to choose your own location and accommodation in regional Victoria; we accept bookings for this option with care, when the couple’s vibe and vision aligns with our own.

connect

Our offerings are distinct from ‘microweddings’. We’re about elopements in their original, stripped-back, intimate-as-ever sense, and for this reason we strictly limit guests, if any, to 2-6 (max 10 for our ‘Anywhere’ package) inclusive of your two legal witnesses. This is part of an agreement with our accommodation partners and it’s because of this agreement that we have an exclusive partnership to provide elopements in conjunction with them. We think this is pretty cool.

But this guest limit also exists to sculpt the experience into one that is truly focused on just you two. This gives us the capacity to really slow the pace and relax into the flow and spontaneity of the day. In our experience, the best marriage-making moments are the most present, connected-feeling ones which unfold organically. Such moments more readily do when it’s more or less just us and you.

immerse

It’s particularly satisfying knowing that couples not only get to make a meaningful morning or afternoon out of their marriage, but a memorable mini trip out of it. To turn it from a blink-and-it’s-over moment into a few days’ experience… or even beyond, with the opportunity to return and stay at the beautiful site of your marriage on future anniversaries or milestones!

For us, it’s not about an in-and-out, quick and dirty, 'no-frills' version of marriage. It’s simpler and smaller-scale than a wedding, yes, but it’s about the creation of an immersive experience around this exciting milestone nonetheless, one that goes an extra step beyond your ordinary elopement and one that feels no less special than getting hitched any other way.

Our elopements (and the nights of accommodation with which they are packaged) are offered exclusively from Monday – Thursday. The only potential exception to this is Winter if we have any gaps in our calendars remaining at short notice.

We recommend eloping on the second day of your stay (the day after check-in) in the afternoon (edging towards sunset for best photos) but we’re super flexible and open to whatever you might be thinking. We're here to guide you towards your own perfect plan.

We accept bookings a minimum of 6 weeks out. This is because your pre-marriage paperwork, the Notice of Intended Marriage, must be completed, signed, and lodged with Kahani at least one month before your marriage.

If you’ve got a specific date in mind, let us know, however a preferred month or two will give us the best chance of aligning availability.
You’ll meet up with Kahani (either in-person in Geelong/Lara or online via Zoom) to chat through which elements you wish to include to structure your ceremony. Short and sweet as elopements may typically be, we believe they can still be as tailored and as meaningful to the two unique individuals getting married as any other type of ceremony. Kahani also uses questionnaires to help her get to know you two so that she can infuse your ceremony with your history and/or whatever is important to you both as a couple.
Yep! A gorgeous 2 minute professionally-edited Super 8 video, in fact. Let us know if this style tickles your fancy and we can quote accordingly.
If you wish to extend your stay beyond the two nights (Coast) or three nights (Forest) set in the package, please ask before locking us in. We’ll let you know if it’s possible and quote accordingly.
For your elopement marriage ceremony to be legal in Australia, there must be two witnesses in attendance. These two people must be over the age of 18 and understand spoken English. They will also be required to sign your marriage certificates.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to invite guests as Ryal can act as one of your witnesses and we can supply an additional witness for a small fee.
You could also invite just one guest (Ryal as the other witness) or we’ve even had more random witnesses such as cafe staff we befriended on the day in a cafe elopement or a make-up artist who stuck around for the ceremony.
In sum: if you’re keen to keep your elopement just for you two (or with your children but the children aren’t old enough to be witnesses!), we’ll find a way to make it happen.
Our offerings are distinct from ‘microweddings’. We’re about elopements in their original, stripped-back, intimate-as-ever sense, and for this reason we strictly limit guests to 2-6 (or max 10 for our ‘Anywhere’ package) including witnesses.

This is part of an agreement with our accommodation partners and it’s because of this agreement that we have an exclusive partnership to provide elopements in conjunction with them. We think this is pretty cool.

But this guest limit also exists to sculpt the experience into one that is truly focused on just you two. This gives us the capacity to really slow the pace and relax into the flow and spontaneity of the day. In our experience, the best marriage-making moments are the most present, connected-feeling ones which unfold organically. Such moments more readily do when it’s more or less just us and you.

In sum: afraid not.
Depends on the package - chat with us first if this is key for you.
Most likely! Depends on the package though so chat with us first if this is key for you.
Absolutely. As our elopements are the super pared-back sort, we anticipate you might be after some flowers, possibly makeup, maybe a platter or somewhere to go for a celebratory drink or a feed, but likely not much more. Upon booking, we'll send recommendations your way for suppliers relevant to your chosen location who can fill these small gaps. We’re also only ever an email away to help guide you through anything that might complete your elopement experience.
Step 1: Suss our availability if you haven’t already. If it’s aligning splendidly, you might like to book a time for a quick phone or Zoom call with Kahani to make sure we’re the right fit.

Step 2: Sign our contract and pay your first invoice to secure the booking. Your first invoice (40-50% of total) covers the accommodation and celebrant portions of the package.

Step 3: Pay your second invoice, due one month before your elopement. Your second invoice (remaining 50-60% of total) covers the photography portion of the package.

the duo

Ryal and Kahani have been making magic at far too many weddings to count both individually and as a duo, but through Elsewhere they relish the chance to slow it down with couples, to enrich their experience of getting married, and to bring the focus right back to the most important, most special, most marvellous part of it all: you two.

Kahani Motiani - elopement celebrant from Geelong

marriage celebrant
Kahani has a refreshing and relaxed ceremony style. She likes to think of her personality as excitable yet relatable, and she loves to infuse a seamless blend of humour and romance into the words she weaves. She’ll legally marry you but perhaps more importantly, her approach to both the prep process and each couple’s ceremony itself is a highly personalized one. She’s also Elsewhere’s Admin Queen. Kahani is rather terrific at being (or seeming) sophisticated and eloquent one moment and an absolute dag the next, and she’s rather terrible at keeping earrings in her ears.

Also found at @kahanicelebrant.

Ryal Sormaz - elopement photographer from Geelong

photographer
Ryal brings such warmth both to the photos he produces and through his personality as a photographer which makes all the difference to a couple’s special day. He loves capturing the little in-between moments just as much as the big ones, and while offering guidance, his approach is ultimately to represent a couple exactly as they are rather than imposing on them a constructed style of his own. This lends itself extra beautifully to an elopement-style celebration. Ryal is rather terrific at mumbling silly things to make people laugh and he’s rather terrible at abstaining from cake the moment it’s served at a wedding, almost before anyone else gets a piece.

Also found at @weddingswithryal.