When you have a small guest count at an elopement or micro-wedding, the question of how to include people is worth thinking through deliberately. Guests at an intimate ceremony can feel like spectators — present but passive — or they can feel genuinely part of the day. The difference is almost entirely in the planning.

Here are the ways I've found most meaningful for involving small groups in an intimate ceremony.

This is the part of ceremony planning that doesn't come up in every conversation — and when it does come up, it often comes up quietly, almost like an afterthought. Someone will be partway through describing their ceremony vision and then say, almost carefully: my dad passed away last year, and I'd like to find a way to include him somehow.

The blank page problem is real. And what I've found, helping couples think through their vows over the years, is that the fear usually comes from trying to write something universally beautiful — something that would work for anyone — instead of something that works for exactly one person.

So you want something unique incorporated into your ceremony that compliments your ring exchange - a symbolic ceremony or ritual is a good place to start. No worries if you don’t know what that is. I’ve got you covered!

So your officiant, parents, friends, planner, significant other…reccomended you have a special reading for your ceremony and YOU ARE LOST on where to find one. This blog post is for you!

This blog is the overview of how to think about personalising your ceremony. The rest of this series goes deeper into each element: readings, rituals, vows, honouring people you've lost, and including your guests. But this is where to start!

There are elopement days where you are managing a hundred moving pieces. And then there are days like Sarah and Kaan's where everything is calm, everything is on time, and the two people getting married are so completely wrapped up in each other that you almost forget you are working.

High school sweethearts from Dawson Creek drove all the way to the Lower Mainland to get married on a mountain at 5am. Here's exactly how it went.

If there is one thing that describes Georgia and Vincent as a couple, the people, not the state, it's that they find joy everywhere. In the details. In the puns. In the woods. In each other. This was a wedding day that felt ALL THE WAY AUTHENTIC: warm, funny, deeply intentional, a little artsy, and full of REAL love.

This love story is different. Clint and Karyn's. Going through twenty years of seasons together with a proposal in Florence, Italy (YES!) and a soundtrack that spans Reliant K to Tom Petty to Djo, these two had a wedding day that completely reflected them.

If you're building your elopement by collecting vendors, I'd encourage you to also spend time thinking about the day as an arc. What's the opening? What's the emotional peak? What's the landing?

Elopement packages have gotten harder to compare over the last few years. The market has grown, the offerings vary enormously, and a lot of packages use similar language… So how do you know if what you're looking at is genuinely well designed? Here are the things I'd look for.

Not sure how to tell family and friends you’re eloping? Learn how to share the news with warmth, avoid over-explaining, and handle reactions with care.

Planning a North Shore elopement? Learn what to know about park permits, guest limits, Lighthouse Park restrictions, decor rules, and Cleveland Dam alternatives.

The fact that a lot of people love popular destinations doesn't mean you can't have a ceremony that feels completely private. It just means you have to be thoughtful about it. The couples who feel like they had the place to themselves planned for it.

Wondering what time to elope in BC? This guide breaks down sunset, sunrise, and seasonal timing so you can plan your perfect day.

Eloping isn’t just escaping a big wedding. Learn how to tell if you truly want an intimate elopement or are reacting to stress and expectations.

Stress on a wedding day isn't primarily caused by the number of people present. It's caused by uncertainty, unclear roles, poor logistics, too many open decisions, and the feeling that something could go wrong and no one would know what to do about it.

Stress on a wedding day isn't primarily caused by the number of people present. It's caused by uncertainty, unclear roles, poor logistics, too many open decisions, and the feeling that something could go wrong and no one would know what to do about it.

This is the story of their morning ceremony at Alouette Lake with mountains framing them, glass-still water in the morning light, private vows that stayed private, a bracelet worn for three years finally coming off, and a dog who had absolutely zero respect for the timing of a bride and groom!