A Spa Elopement

Over the past few years, Niall Reid, general manager of the Inn of the Five Graces in Santa Fe, New Mexico, noticed that more and more guests were requesting to be married on the spur of the moment in the hotel's picturesque adobe courtyards. He took matters into his own hands, acquiring a certification online as a legally ordained priest from the Universal Life Church of Love.

Couples may now choose from a menu of creative wedding rituals inspired by Native American, African American, and New Age traditions. With the Candlelight and Butterflies Package, the bride and groom light their own small candles, representing their distinct backgrounds and values, then light a large candle symbolizing the union of their lives. The flames of the two smaller candles remain lit to signify that although they are now one, they each are still unique individuals. At the ceremony's end, ten monarch butterflies are released in an uplifting and colorful expression of joy and hope.

Eloping in the Land of Enchantment is economical as well as charming and romantic. Those who stay at the Inn of The Five Graces for three days or more receive the wedding ceremony as a gift; there is a $200 ceremony charge for couples staying only one or two nights. For more information visit www.fivegraces.com.

—Gina Hyams

July/August 2007