This is the story of Alex and Danielle: how they met, the way that Alex proposed, why they chose to elope and what their favorite part was of their Arizona horseshoe bend elopement day – all beautifully told by Mrs. Danielle Javurek.

How They Met:

“Alex and I met on Tinder…I always say that it all started off as a joke and something to “pass the time” while I was sitting in my graduate courses, then I have to follow that statement up with “it was a swipe in the right direction” (I say that while laughing hysterically of course)! 

I had a girlfriend talk me into signing up for Tinder after having been moved back to the St. Louis area for a year with no dating life. I had linked up with and started chatting with Alex almost immediately, and was talking to my girlfriend about him, when she said, “I linked up with him too!” We decided to make it fun and start responding with the exact same answers to him, no matter what he responded back with. He eventually caught on, laughed about it, and asked me out for drinks. Everything from his screen-name to his tagline (a line from Seinfeld) was a joke, and I loved everything about it! 

The jokes and laughter continued through our first (blind) date when I showed up half an hour late (in typical Danielle style) and he ate his chicken caesar wrap with a fork and knife (typical Alex style). Our humor has continued throughout the years and keeps our relationship interesting and fun!”

Their Proposal:

“Alex had it all planned out to be the most romantic proposal ever, and unfortunately, nothing went the way he wanted it to, except that I said “yes”.

I was living in Europe at the time and we decided to spend spring break together in Amsterdam and Paris. He says that he “took advantage of the situation” and decided to propose to me while we were in Paris. He had asked my parents ahead of time for their permission, had the ring, contacted photographers, and tried booking reservations for dinner in the Eiffel Tower. 

On the day of the proposal, I was a mess, it was cold outside (which I hadn’t anticipated), I wanted to look cute since he said that we were going to have a picnic at the Eiffel Tower that day, but I hadn’t packed appropriately for the weather. I probably changed eight different times, all while he is freaking out about what is about to happen. We eventually made it to the Eiffel Tower and he was super bummed because the entire grass area directly in front of the Eiffel Tower (that you typically see in the movies) was blocked off. We walked all over, he kept saying that he wanted to find “the perfect spot”, while I kept telling him that there was no bad spot around, considering we were in one of the most magical locations ever! We eventually landed on a grassy area, right next to a photographer (totally by chance since the photographer he tried booking didn’t work out), he asked the photographer to take our picture, said he would pay him, which he kindly agreed to do so. Then, got down on one knee. Of course, I started crying and have no idea what was said, but it ended in a kiss and a ring on my finger! 

Dinner reservations in the Eiffel Tower didn’t work out either as he had planned, so we found a nice restaurant overlooking the tower and celebrated our engagement in the most romantic way!”

Why Elope? Why Arizona?

“After hours of searching and attempting to plan a local wedding in St. Louis, it was starting to become too much, financially, physically, mentally, and emotionally with planning a big wedding here. We had always joked about eloping and I had always dreamt of doing so in Iceland, or somewhere adventurous. Alex said, “Iceland is too cold”, so after reading a blog on the most adventurous places to elope, Arizona turned up as choice #2. After doing some research, looking at the most beautiful, unique elopement pictures, we decided to go for it! As long as my parents were on board with the idea, then we were determined to make it happen! 

We threw out the idea of the big St. Louis wedding immediately after, along with the $15,000+ price tag, and we don’t regret our decision at all! At the end of the day, and years to come, it is our wedding, our debt to pay for the wedding, and our memories to have for the rest of our lives. We wanted them to be the most memorable, with the least amount of stress.

An adventure elopement blog led me to Arizona, more specifically Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. We loved the idea of having pictures of our wedding that would be unique and absolutely breathtaking! I also loved the idea of having to hike, or go on a real adventure, to get to where we said our vows at, which is exactly what we got!”

Best Memory on Their Elopement Day:

“My favorite part of our elopement day probably had to be the champagne pop at the end! Not only because I love champagne, but because I felt like it officially symbolized the end of our best day ever! The sunset, the bubbly, and our closest family and friends, overlooking the most breathtaking scenery. Everything about it was perfect and exactly what I had imagined and hoped it would be! 

There were so many amazing parts of our day and everyone played such an important role throughout the day. We started off the day by going to pick up our marriage license, then I was able to get breakfast with my dad, alone, which is something we used to do every weekend together when I was younger. I went and got my hair done at a salon, then got to drink some mimosas and get my makeup done with my girls back at the hotel, while Alex drank margaritas and chilled with the guys in another room. We met at a beautiful spot for the first look, with our song playing in the background (thanks Allison!), where I was able to show him how we would be incorporating his parents into our day (his boutonnière pin), a very heartwarming moment for both of us. 

We then went to a Slot Canyon, hiked 2 miles through the most beautiful canyon, while holding hands, dancing, kissing, telling each other secrets, and laughing, lots of laughing. On the hottest day. Ever. But, we made it through and were able to stop at the Fiesta Mexicana for a break before the ceremony with Allison and Matt, who we adore! 

We met our group at Horseshoe Bend, everyone walked down to the ceremony location and took in the views, before getting everything started. Our whole group was in awe as they looked out over the canyon! 

My dad was able to give me away, which was really important to me. Alex’s cousins sent a sweet note to Matt to read to us during the ceremony. Alex surprised me with a new ring I wasn’t expecting. We laughed and cried some more. After the champagne pop and sunset, we partied at our own reserved space at the Canyon Cantina in town. 

It was perfect! Everything about our day was perfect! We still haven’t stopped smiling about it and can’t stopping thinking about how amazing everything was! 

A huge thank you to Allison and Matt for making it such a success!”

And THAT is the story of Alex and Danielle – the new Mr. and Mrs. Javurek.

Cheers!

Allison

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