Say "I Do!" Elope To The Hotel Viking

has seen plenty of weddings in its 85-year history. Some were extravagant and some were simple, but now the elegant hotel is hosting a newly-popular variation of getting hitched.

According to Marlen Scalzi, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Hotel, their “I Do- For Two” package is a perfect blend of economy and stress-free luxury for both bride and groom.

“There are a lot of reasons that couples want to elope,” she said. “For some it’s to escape the high stress of organizing big weddings, and for others it’s just the need to have their special day be private. Also, full weddings now average over $25,000 and that can be a real issue in this economy. So elopement is on the increase.”

Eloping isn’t just for kids who climb out back windows and race to the nearest Justice of the Peace anymore. According to national sources, most people who elope are older than 25, and some of them are on their second marriages.

Scalzi said that they have had some couples who were in the middle of preparing for their wedding and found they just couldn’t take the stress.

“One of the advantages of eloping is that we can book the package with just five days notice if we need to,” she said.

The Viking’s package includes a two night stay in their Marble House suite, welcoming champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries, a couples massage at SpaTerre, breakfast in bed each morning, a gourmet wedding dinner for two, and the use of the 1869 Kay Chapel for the ceremony. It costs $3,200, or about 12 percent of a typical wedding's budget.

Though the hotel doesn’t provide a clergyman, they can offer couples a list of Justices of the Peace who are available to do the ceremony. They can also provide information on how to obtain a Rhode Island Marriage certificate which they can pick up at City Hall. And they have a list of photographers the couple can contact.

The Viking can’t provide witnesses for the couple, but people generally bring their own along who can also book a room at the hotel. Brides must provide their own dress, though many marry in special street clothes. 

“It’s really a romantic solution for the right couple. Weddings can often end up being for other people rather than the bride and groom. By eloping, the couple can keep the focus where it belongs, on themselves and their love,” Scalzi said.

Couples who elope follow a timeless tradition. Betsy Ross, the nation’s first flag maker, eloped with her husband John. Romantic poet Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley scandalously eloped to France, and one of the most legendary couples in modern history, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, eloped to Arizona.

They should have known about the Viking.