Getting Hytched

Planning the perfect wedding can be challenging with having to “say yes” to the right dress, find the right venue, select the right food and decorations—and find a way to pay for all of it.

That's what Yeliz Berg and her business partner Juston Berg noticed one summer two years ago before they started their pop-up elopement business called The Hytch.

“We were going to a lot of weddings that year and everything was indoors, like casinos and chapels, and then I was reading a lot about elopements,” Yeliz said. “And we didn't have anything like that in the Reno-Tahoe area. I wanted to create something unique, simple, affordable, but at the same time looks really nice—nothing cheesy.”

Yeliz noticed that there were services offered like this elsewhere in the United States but not anywhere nearby. Sometimes referred to as “boutique weddings,” or “tiny weddings,” pop-up elopements are a smaller, more intimate way to get married that's become trendy in recent years.

“I think that elopements are super popular right now,” Yeliz said. “The customers usually tell me they want to spend the money on a honeymoon or the down payment on a house, and it's not about spending money or having an event so big that they're stressed out. This is supposed to be a stress-free celebration, that's what we call it.”

As for the name “The Hytch,” Juston said it represents both “getting hitched” and a trailer hitch, which is part of their signature calling card: a vintage trailer.

Before Yeliz and Juston opened for business, they purchased a vintage 1955 tear-drop trailer they found on Craigslist that was partially restored. Then, after Juston put in about 30 more hours of work to make sure it was wedding-ready as an occasional backdrop for the ceremony, the name and their business' theme was born.

“That kind of got a lot of attention and helped us start the business,” Yeliz said. “And I guess we started at the right time, too.”

The Hytch offers three different packages ranging from “the micro wedding,” to “the elopement adventure,” and finally, “boutique pop-up wedding.” The micro wedding is for just the bride and groom, whereas the boutique pop-up wedding is more closely aligned with what a traditional wedding looks like, and the guest list can include up to 25 people.

The prices for these packages range from $400 to $1800, making The Hytch comparably more affordable than the prices of a more traditional Tahoe wedding venue, for example, which can range into the tens of thousands of dollars for a venue space alone.

Affordability, ease and, most importantly, intimacy were all things Yeliz said she wanted to incorporate into a marriage experience with The Hytch. And she wanted to be able to offer that picturesque Tahoe beach wedding or a snowy mountain elopement for a fraction of the cost.

Since couples often suggest their own venues, Yeliz and her team have conducted weddings in some pretty unique places. She said they have hiked up mountains, traversed over rivers, and even gone to the Black Rock Desert to bring someone's ideal wedding vision to life.

The Hytch offers a variety of extra services, too. A majority of The Hytch's client base comes from outside of the area and wants to have a full wedding experience including hair, make-up and photography.

“Some of the customers we talk to are looking for a quick turn-around, and they need more than just a piece of paper that says they're married,” Juston said. “I think if they call other companies, sometimes the wait list is too long or they won't work with short lead time, and we do. We can turn things around quickly and [Yeliz] is great at picking the right people for each wedding.”

Yeliz and Juston employ photographers, hair and make-up stylists, videographers, bakers, florists and officiants—including Juston himself. Yeliz has a long list of local vendors to help supply the bride and groom with different services, and each wedding has a tailored team Yeliz picks to ensure each request is fulfilled.

Yeliz said she loves being creative with themes, so she usually asks couples for a Pinterest board or any ideas they have in mind. Sometimes it's even something as simple as a color. Then she gets to work decorating the space to create the perfect look for the ceremony.

“They tell me if they like, like, boho or Western,” Yeliz said. “I did an Elvis [theme] … It's very unique and cool. I work with local vendors and I rent everything, and it's different every time … Anything that can inspire them. I create my inspiration board, and that's how I reach out to my vendors (to decide which ones to use).”

A mutual bond

Yeliz is originally from Turkey, but moved to Reno 20 years ago. She went to the University of Nevada, Reno, to study English, and then got her business management degree from the University of Phoenix. She ended up working as a project manager for 13 years before quitting her job in 2018 to devote herself full-time to The Hytch.

Yeliz said one of the best parts of the job is being able to make strong connections with the couples who engage her services.

One bride, Sally Graver, from San Francisco, said within her first conversation with Yeliz she wanted to be friends with her. Graver and Yeliz bonded over a mutual love of Turkey, Turkish design, and the “evil eye,” a popular folk custom in the country.

Graver found The Hytch after she called several venues around Lake Tahoe and someone recommended the company to her.

She said her husband, Matt Gould, loves Lake Tahoe and he wanted to get married there. She and her husband also wanted to include their kids in the ceremony, so the Hytch combined a lot of different aspects they wanted to include in their ceremony for a reasonable price.

“It just felt like she was a friend, like she understood me, “Graver said. “And any sort of idea that I had, she helped with. She's available, and she makes everything feel so good, and it's unique and it's special and it's just us.”

In fact, Yeliz seems to make friends with most of her customers. Her house has thank-you notes scattered around, and the enthusiasm is evident in her voice when she talks about helping two people say ‘I do.' The Hytch was even named the 2019 “Couples' Choice” winner by wedding resource site, Weddingwire.com.

“I just love what I do,” she said. “I could never really say that before, but I do now. And you're seeing this true love, especially when you see people elope. It's just a different vibe, right? Because you're seeing just the two of them and sometimes with their family members or their kids. There's so much love going on … and, I don't know, it's just so beautiful.”