Destination Elopement? Ask Keith Carradine & Hayley Dumond

There is something to be said for May/September romances, especially those that end in an exchange of vows. The best example of this is the recent wedding between Keith Carradine (57) and Hayley Dumond (32) on November 18, 2006. Keith, the younger brother of Kung Fu and Kill Bill actor David Carradine, met Hayley when they co-starred together in the 1999 film The Hunter's Moon. Keith is probably best known for his role as Wild Bill Hickok on HBO's Deadwood series while Hayley has made a few appearances on television shows like Malcolm in the Middle and Charmed.

A quiet elopement?

Unlike other celebrity couples who tied the knot this month, Keith and Hayley kept it small and informal. Instead of choosing a fancy wedding, the couple were married in Torrino, Italy by the city's mayor. It was a private elopement without the guests, the designer clothes, the celebrity guest list, etc. In fact, the media's only peek at the nuptials was a shot of Keith and Hayley kissing after becoming man and wife.

While not exactly a fairytale wedding, Keith and Hayley's basic ceremony could serve as a lesson for other brides and grooms, regardless of their age differences.

Or a scaled down destination wedding?

Traditionally, second marriages (Keith had been married for 17 years to Sandra Will) should not be huge, formal affairs. Second marriages for either spouse should be a more low-key event with fewer guests. While some advise that there's nothing wrong with having two, three, or more fairytale weddings in a lifetime, it seems that doing something a little different, such as an elopement or a scaled down destination wedding might be a better choice.

More importantly, Keith and Hayley have refreshed the idea of going away for an elopement. Sure, it's not as glamorous as a big wedding, but it can be incredibly romantic. Why not take a portion of the money you'd spend on your wedding and go away to an exotic location to say "I do." You don't have to go to Italy ? although that's been a popular wedding destination this month ? you could go almost anywhere: ski resorts in Colorado, the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, the coral reef off of Australia.

After your elopement trip, you can always come back and throw a reception party for your friends and family including a slide show of photos you took during your trip. That way you can have a special private wedding that you share with everyone you care about too.

And, of course, down the road you can always renew your vows with a bigger, more formal wedding ceremony if you so desire.

Just remember, the important part of the wedding isn't the dress, the ceremony site, or even the cake. The most important part is that the two of you are joining your lives together and that's a beautiful no matter where it happens or who is there to witness it.

Chris Morton ran hotels and restaurants for 17 years - catering for 100's of weddings. His wife Sue is a wedding planner with 10 year's experience. Together they have established http://www.TheWeddingWizards.com to provide unbiased help for brides and grooms.