Elizabeth Hasier and Holden Blanco wed at their housewarming party.Photo:Alyssa Rose Photography
Alyssa Rose Photography
In the video, Hasier, 27, and Blanco, 29, stand on their roof as they announce their big surprise. “You all mean the world to us,” Hasier said. “Thank you for being here… we didn’t want to wait to get married… so we’re actually gonna get married right now!”
Hasier tells PEOPLE the moment following her family and friends' excited reaction is one she’ll never forget. “My favorite part of the day was after we told everyone, we went in our bedroom and got changed into our ceremony attire,” she says. “It was just the two of us, and it was surreal.”
Elizabeth Hasier snaps a photo of her groom, Holden Blanco, before their wedding.Alyssa Rose Photography
She continues, “Because we hadn’t really told anyone we were getting married, we didn’t have the time before the wedding to process the fact we were getting married. So after we made the announcement and everyone knew, it was kind of the first time it really hit us that we were actually getting married. It was really beautiful and surreal and magical and a moment I’ll never forget.”
As a wedding photographer, Hasier has been to her share of elaborate weddings, but when it came time for her own big day, she knew she wanted to do things her own way. So she and her groom decided to turn their housewarming party into their wedding day — without letting their guests in on the switcheroo.
Both Hasier and Blanco work together photographing weddings nearly every weekend, so they knew that a traditional wedding wasn’t for them.
“A traditional wedding was just not something either of us wanted, it would feel like going to work in a way,” Haiser tells PEOPLE. “It’s also just not our style.”
Elizabeth Hasier hugs a surprised wedding guest.Alyssa Rose Photography
Hasier explained, “We kept coming back to wanting our community to be present for it. We had already wanted to plan a big housewarming party for the summer so we started toying with the idea of getting married at the housewarming party. Once we said that idea we both really liked it — it felt right to us.”
Holden Blanco, Elizabeth Hasier and their dog, Paul.Alyssa Rose Photography
“Weddings are how people showcase their values, their taste, their style, and with that comes a lot of pressure and expectations and judgement,” Hasier explains. “By surprising people, people came in with no preconceived notions about our wedding. It allowed us to purely focus on our love and our community.”
She adds, “For me and Holden, we really wanted our love to be the most emphasized element of the day.”
After seeing her unique wedding day, Hasier hopes more couples will embrace the joy of anontraditional ceremony.
“I think it’s important for couples to think about their values, and what are the most important things for them,” she says. “For myself and Holden, it was our community which is why we had it at our home with our dog and all our favorite local things… Weddings can look however you want them to. Remember your values and plan your day around that!”
source: people.com
