Permits are one of the most searched and least clearly answered topics in elopement planning. Most couples know they're probably required somewhere, aren't sure exactly where or for what, and are hoping someone will just tell them plainly.

The Sea to Sky Gondola is one of the most accessible ways to reach alpine elevation in the Squamish area, and it's a very beautiful setting for a ceremony. The summit area sits at around 885 metres above Howe Sound, with views of the Sound, the surrounding peaks, and the Sea to Sky corridor that are legitimately breathtaking.

Here's how I approach rain planning for Squamish elopements, and why most couples who experience rain on their wedding day end up feeling fine about it.

When couples start researching Squamish elopements, the helicopter question comes up early. The images are everywhere: a couple on a glacier edge, or a ridgeline above the clouds, or a remote alpine lake with no trail leading to it. It looks extraordinary — and it is. The question is whether it's right for you.

This is one of the most common questions I get about Squamish, and it deserves a more nuanced answer than "summer." Every season in Squamish has something going for it — and every season has trade-offs worth understanding before you commit to a date.

I break down the main cost categories, give you realistic ranges for each, and help you understand where the biggest variables are. That way you can build a budget that actually reflects what you want — rather than getting halfway through planning and discovering the gap.

Squamish is one of those places that earns its reputation. Situated between Vancouver and Whistler at the head of Howe Sound, it has a concentration of dramatic landscape — granite walls, fjord water, old-growth forest and open alpine that's genuinely hard to match anywhere in the Lower Mainland.

How Stacey and Wayne planned a private Stanley Park elopement with an English Bay first look and an intimate Rose Garden ceremony in Vancouver.

How Robyn and Vincent celebrated their Whistler helicopter elopement with a Green Lake ceremony and mountaintop portraits at Beverly Lake.

Allie and Blake’s lush Vancouver forest elopement at Cleveland Dam and Lynn Canyon. Complete with family, private vows, and rain.

So many couples picture a quiet spot in the forest. Pat and Elica pictured the open water. On July 25, 2026, they said their vows on a private yacht near Vancouver, with all their favourite people in one place and it turned into one of the most joyful days on the water we have ever planned.

Why meaningful elopement planning goes beyond booking vendors and how thoughtful pacing, coordination, and personal details create a unique wedding experience.

This is the story of an Irish couple, a stone circle beside a lake in Whistler, a Celtic handfasting ceremony, and a walk through Whistler Village that looked like a celebrity sighting. It's one of my favourite examples of what an intimate wedding can be when a couple builds the day incorporating things that matter to them!

A North Vancouver couple, a surprise reception, nine location attempts, a city strike, and one of the best ideas I have ever helped pull off.

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!