Elope With Us

About Elope With Us

Elope With Us is run by Christianne Gilbert, known to couples as Christi, a marriage celebrant who came to celebrancy from a very different career. Christi studied marine biology and then veterinary medicine, worked as a snowboard instructor while at university, and has spent years as a vet in Sydney, including volunteer work in Brazil and Fiji. A love of the ocean, sailing, surfing and good food led Christi and their partner to create Elope With Us.

The business is built around small, planned elopements rather than big traditional weddings. Options include a quick legals only ceremony on a platform overlooking the Byron Hinterland, rainforest elopements at South Golden Beach in front of a dried flower arbour, picnic elopements with grazing boards, and adventure elopements to places like waterfalls. Christi prefers to offer experiences rather than packages, so couples can add or leave out elements to suit their budget.

For couples who want more time on the water, there are Sydney Harbour sailing elopements with a private skipper, and a five night Whitsunday Islands sailing trip that combines the ceremony with a honeymoon. A Sydney all inclusive elopement pairs Christi with photographer Stacie Pearce, along with a bouquet, a sparkling toast and a grazing board.

Christi also offers celebrant service for weddings of any size, from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast and from Wollongong to Sydney City. Each partner answers questions about the other in secret, and Christi weaves those answers into a personal story that is revealed at the ceremony. Couples then choose from options for each section of a draft ceremony, with Christi handling all the legal paperwork and the application for the official marriage certificate.