Well, this was funny. The Star called to ask me about eloping - so I sent them a zillion pages of notes - but they ended up with a just a snippet of text about Toronto, and not much info. I did offer them some LOVELY stories about creative elopements,
(today we took a limo + parents down to Polson Pier, where the couple met at the Night Market - voila! Great time, great view!)
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| Polson Pier, morning elopement (before the nightclub pool rocks out) |
Anyway, here is an article on Eloping in Jane Austen's day :
"The Marriage Act of 1753 made it increasingly
difficult for upper class men to “marry down,” and for women to marry men
outside their rank. To get around this law, a desperate couple could obtain a
special license from the Archbishop of Canterbury, or elope to Gretna Green in
Scotland, where English law held no sway and marriage at 16 was legal...
Over the years many
couples would run away to Gretna Green for their
marriages to take place. The ceremonies were usually performed by one of the
village blacksmiths who in those days were at the heart of the community and
held in suitable regard. Even today, many of the Ministers refer, in their
services, to the similarity of a blacksmith joining 2 metals over the anvil to
the marriage ceremony joining 2 people as one.