Is This the New Millennial Alternative to Eloping?

published 12 January 2016

It used to be that when it came to wedding planning, to save money (and headaches), you said "screw it", ran away with your love, hit up Vegas or a chapel, and said "I do." But now—in the world of Pinterest boards and Etsy favorite shops—it's a little more complicated. Feelings of missing out are at an all-time high (FOMO came into existence just a couple of years ago for a reason), while bank funds are at an all-time low (thanks, student loans). So what's a couple with big, grand wedding plans and a tiny budget to do?

Enter: Pop-up weddings. PopBliss (opens in new tab), the first ever luxury pop-up wedding, is taking place in New York City in 2016. For $5,000 per couple, PopBliss presented by wedding expert Racquel Kristi will give 10 couples the wedding of a lifetime with Instagram-worthy details for them and 10 guests of their choosing.

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So how does it work? After the couples sign up and are chosen, they'll be given instructions to a secret location. Hotel accommodations, a welcome party the night before for the couples and guests, separate brunches for grooms and brides, a glam suite to get ready with a makeup and hair team and bridal stylists, and the actual wedding with reception are all included in the big event price tag.

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Kristi often puts on pop-up weddings for her clients, but this yearly event will give a luxury take on the experience, and she hopes to offer the service to other cities soon.

"Millennials care more about the experience than the brand name," Kristi said in a press release. "In an age where Millennials value unique experiences that align with their core values over lavish price-tags, PopBliss offers the solution so they can have their cake and travel the world too."

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Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.