Welcome to the elopement capital of the world.

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“No regrets,” says Paul Hoegh-Guldberg, about his decision to elope with Sam Hoegh-Guldberg, nee Evans, in Big Sur. “I knew it would be fun, with Sam, but I wasn’t prepared for…” his voice trails off. “It was a warm, friendly experience even though it was bloody cold.

“All of my friends who have been married in a more traditional way most definitely talk about it from the point of view that the celebration was for everybody else. This was more relaxing. It was just Sam and I, and when we walked down that little path to the wedding area, it was just the two of us. We didn’t have to worry about anything other than experiencing that moment together.”

The couple, who live in Los Angeles, married on March 17 at Ventana Inn. At the time, Sam was seven months pregnant. The couple’s family members were spread from Southern California to Sydney, Australia.

“It’s a huge financial burden to ask someone to get on a plane,” Sam says, “It’s a long way from Australia, and we didn’t want to get married in LA and only invite my family. Plus, we’re pregnant, and it felt like this is something we wanted to do on our own. We’re both 40 now. We’ve taken a long time to meet each other. This would be special, our day, about us.”

The couple considered eloping to New York or Hawaii, but then, on a drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles, they fell in love with Big Sur. It reminded them of home—Sydney—but with redwood trees.

At first, they weren’t going to tell anyone that they were going to elope, Sam says, but eventually they decided to tell their immediate families.

“We’re not excluding you,” Sam remembers telling them. “Look, we’re pregnant, you are all around the world. We’ll do something after.”

They’ve had one post-wedding reception already, in Los Angeles, and will fly to Sydney for another one after the baby is born. “A big wedding after all,” Paul jokes.

The stylish couple both wore English designers, a Paul Smith suit for Paul, “something he could keep forever,” and a white, fluid Ghost gown for Sam. “I must be the only seven-month pregnant woman to try to find a wedding dress,” she says. Sam also wore a cashmere coat, but only out of necessity. No one had warned the So Cal couple about springtime on the Central Coast.

Aside from the bride and groom, the only other people in attendance were photographers Jane Morba and Kevin Gould, and Rev. Colette Cuccia.

“You are in such a cocoon, just three people around you whom you’ve never met, and you’re going through such a personal experience,” Sam says. “There is this connection, because you are going through this experience of being married with perfect strangers.”

Sam and Paul Hoegh-Guldberg eloped on St. Patrick’s Day, in the early evening. Cuccia read an Irish poem and blessed their unborn baby, and then the couple recited their vows.

“I highly recommend eloping,” says Sam, a newlywed of less than a month. “About an hour before the wedding, we were sitting there eating chocolate-dipped strawberries. We must have been the least stressed bride and groom ever.”