For the longest time, it seemed like there were only two options for getting married: do lots of planning and have a big wedding, or do no planning at all and elope. But then Pop! Wed Co. came onto the scene and said, “Eff that noise. Why can’t you have your cake and eat it too?” (Spoiler alert: There’s actual cake involved. Stay tuned.) Serving D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and occasionally even New York City for $2,900, Pop! Wed Co. will do it all, from filing your paperwork, to actually marrying you, to photographing you and your partner, and making a generally kick-ass time of your nuptials.
Pop! Wed Co. co-founder (and photographer) Maggie says:
We’re one part wedding-in-a-box, but we’re four parts totally custom wedding planned entirely around you guys. We have a very basic formula that works great (officiant + photographer + designer + planner + explorer + maker all smashed into two people), and everything else is completely custom to each of our couples. Robin and Olaf’s elopement in the woods was a completely different experience from Natalie and Ian’s flash-mob-rally wedding, and they both left with giant grins on their faces for days afterward.
Pop! Wed Co. put together this handy video (above) that explains everything you get when you hire them, but in case your work situation doesn’t support video, here’s the deal:
The original Pop! Wed Co. package is $2,900 on weekdays and $3,200 on weekends, and it’s pretty incredible. You’ll get a legal ceremony for up to 15 guests, photography of your ceremony and a portrait session with just the two of you, the digital negatives, an 8″ x 8″ photo keepsake album, wedding day treats (I told you there’d be cake!), and every single bit of the paperwork will be a hundred percent taken care of by the team (where allowable by law). The whole Pop! Wed Co. experience lasts just about an hour.
Planning something bigger than an elopement but smaller than a wedding? (Like maybe an elopement with an after party?) Well lucky for you Pop! Wed Co. also has an appropriately named Giant Package. This package is $4,200 on weekdays and $4,500 on weekends, and nets you everything in the standard package, with the added bonuses of allowing up to 35 guests, getting to choose from any date, plus 2 hours of photo coverage that includes portraits, your ceremony, family photos, and after party coverage. Venue rental costs are not included in the above, but Pop! Wed Co. has amazing pre-selected options—some that include food and beverage options for that after party!—for every budget from just $90 and up.
Maggie (photographer and planning genius) and Steven (humanist officiant) are recently married themselves and plan anything but cookie-cutter elopements for their adventurous couples. They say:
We’re just not “traditional wedding” people. We don’t love the idea of planning huge weddings or strict timelines or pondering over seating charts—that stuff just isn’t us. What we LOVE is planning totally unique celebrations of love for our couples. Our photographer, planner, officiant combo is different from most wedding vendors, and our focus on a balance of aesthetics and practicality is probably pretty cool! Our couples tell us that they didn’t have to worry about a thing, and their wedding still turned out exactly how they wanted—gorgeous, spontaneous, feeling like a really special day, but still pretty chill. And we count that a success!
Now with more pop!
It turns out, folks love Pop! Wed Co. so much that Maggie and Steven now have a team of five of the best D.C. area photographers for maximum availability—and it’s worth noting that unlike traditional wedding venues and vendors that can book up a year or more in advance, Pop! Wed Co. can be booked from anywhere from 1 week to 6 months in advance.As much as we love Pop! Wed Co, it’s important to note that they really love you guys, too—the good vibes are strong here. As Maggie laid it out:
It’s no secret that we superlove APW couples. We’re all about planning weddings that feel right to our couples—and APW couples do what they want to because they want to, not what tradition dictates we must do. And also, just… fuck stress. Weddings should be about love and awesomeness and positivity. But definitely not stress!
And that kind of love is bounced right back to Pop! Wed Co. from their couples, like Alli and Andy:
We loved every second of our tiny pop-up wedding! Maggie and Steven were so helpful and responsive to all our logistical questions, and the day itself was such a blast! Not only did we have a great time, but our guests loved it, too. Rachel did our photos, and not only did she deliver amazing images, but she was really fun to work with, particularly for people like my husband(!!!) and me who are not used to photo shoots at all. If we could do it all over again, we totally would!
So if you’re thinking about eloping, but want to hand over the reins entirely and just enjoy the day, then Pop! Wed Co. is your people. For $2.900, you get a custom elopement, gorgeous photos, and never even have to lift a finger. So go browse their galleries, and then snag one of their upcoming 2018 dates—or lock down your own. Then sit back and… do nothing while you wait for your super awesome wedding. Because that’s the joy of letting someone else do all the heavy lifting for you.
Click here to get your Pop! Wed Co. WEDDING Date, SKip the stress and just get married already!