Elope in the Forest with the Vow Cabin

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Updated January 2023

Kyle Joinson Photography

Psssttt!  Yes you!  Are you nature folks?  Does sun sparkling through a forest canopy feel more like you than overhead lights in a hotel ballroom?  Want something small that feels natural and real?  Want to really enjoy getting married without the fuss and hassle of planning all the details?  Want to invite your family along but keep them out of the organizing?  (ha ha)

The Vow Cabin has become the favourite package of couples who want a wedding experience that is relaxed, natural, sustainable, personal…and a little adventurous.

This marks Year 4 for this wonderful package and it just keeps getting better every year. Trust me on that.

The team includes the best of the best on Vancouver Island.   Caitlin, our exceptional organizer has come up with a few different packages:

  • You can come by yourselves, or bring up to 8 witnesses.
  • Or you can bring up to 20 people and have a wee celebration in the forest.

Because the space is so large and so private, it feels like your own private getaway.  In actual fact, you share the day with up to 2 other couples, but it simply doesn’t feel that way.  And that makes the package waaaayyy more affordable. 

So, if you don’t have time to plan, but you still want to get married in a meaningful friendly way, maybe check out The Vow Cabin.  Some 2023 dates are full…but there are still good open dates on their website.

Modern Metaphysical Minister/Celebrant and Wedding Officiant, Vancouver Island. Including Victoria, Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville, Courtenay, Comox Valley and Campbell River.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ways to Elope on Vancouver Island

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There are lots of elopement packages out there, but what I do is very different…I help you celebrate your partnership fully, whole-heartedly and actively. (Although chocolates on the pillow are a nice touch too…:) 

Out in Nature

There’s something very profound about getting married on an endless beach, the peak of a mountain, amid giant trees who have seen countless cycles of life unfold in their presence. It reminds us how big and beautiful this universe is. This life is. How fortunate we are to be in it.

Since the beginning of time, many of the elements of nature have been used in ceremony in countless ways. that make perfect sense.  (We’re not talking about dancing around in the forest draped in vines, but if you’re really into that, I’ll give it my best shot…:)

in Cathrdral Grover, a bruide appreciated the tall trees and a groom appreciates the bride

 Chelsea Dawn Photography

 

Have an Adventure

Has your life so far been an adventure?  Is running away and doing something completely different your cup of tea?  A helicopter elopement?  Scaling a waterfall?  Feeding your bouquet to a bevvy of  adoring baby goats?  Getting married in a lavender field?  Or on a bunjee jump? (I’ll stay on land for that one and use my PA..:)

Or maybe you’re open to adventure. Below, after 11 years and 2 kids together, B&D said “surprise us!”  So we did…both ceremony and setting!

Lupin Falls_in Strathcona Park_a couple elopes at their wedding ceremony_image by Chelsea Dawn

 Chelsea Dawn Photography.

 

Do what you are

Is there something that personifies your partnership? Something that feels right and true to you?  It will likely come out while we are brainstorming your ceremony. Trust me…:)

www.fb.com/jessehollandphotography

N&K like to walk in nature, so we did a walking ceremony.  Since a wedding ceremony has 3 steps,  we did each step in a different location.  “It was truly magical. It was everything we imagined it could be…. exactly what we set out to achieve in the beginning.”

 

Modernize your Traditions

There many be centuries old traditions in your family that want to be honoured but don’t seem to fit a modern elopement on the West Coast. We can make them fit you perfectly.

We blended Northern and Southern Hindo traditions in a modern west coast way.  Unforgettable images by Tulle and Tweed Photography.

 

The Perfect Day

What did you do on your first date?  Your first anniversary?  Are there any rituals that are yours and yours alone?  What’s something you’ve always wanted to do together? What might your most perfect day include? Could include a ceremony in it?

Part of the Air Force in Europe, Ivo asked if their witnesses be Air Force folks? Voila, ex-CFB Commander couple (showed up in uniform and even took pics) started a new friendship over a wonderful afternoon.

 

Have  a Handfasting

The original elopement, centuries ago, was often a handfasting ceremony. If you are eloping now and having a large party next year, check out this post.

Elyse Anna Photography

Modern Metaphysical Minister/Celebrant and Wedding Officiant, Vancouver Island. Including Victoria, Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville, Courtenay, Comox Valley and Campbell River.

 

 

B&D: Surprise Us!

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Say you’ve been together for more than a decade; you’ve been meaning to get married, but then the kids came along..and life got busy..and…and…well, you know. Now you’ve decided to catch your breath and make everything legal. Run away  to Vancouver Island and tie the knot.

Howver, B&D aren’t exactly “chocolates on your pillow/elopement package” folk.  They weren’t sure how they wanted to get married, but they wanted it to be as much of an adventure as their life together has been.  They said “wilderness and a waterfall.” The rest they left to us.  

When a couple gifts their pros like that, you can bet that we take extraordinary effort. Especially that Chelsea Dawn…who was as ruthless  as a bloodhound in her search for the perfect spot (and Chelsea, as a dog person, I hope you know this is offered as the ultimate compliment..:)

Right up to the end, the couple had no idea where they were going. No blindfolds or anything like that, just a “follow me” and some texting got us all into place at the right time.

And oh, the ceremony. We made it a surprise, too. Although I asked them some questions in advance, so they got to hear some pretty awesome stuff about one another. I sent them off at the start to gather nature’s elements; they used them to marry one another.

And once married, they just kept on communing with nature.  Because what is life, if not an adventure?

Chelsea Dawn Photography, your sense of fun and magical talent captured B&D’s awesome adventure elopement so superbly. Thanks for sharing these images.