20 Years in the Making: An Intimate Golden Ears Forest Elopement
Photography by Chelsea Abram Photography.
How Courtenay & Shawn eloped among the trees at Alouette Lake and Spirea Trail in Maple Ridge, BC — with their two dogs, their families, and none of the traditional-wedding noise.
Courtenay and Shawn spent twenty years building a life — and then gave themselves one perfect day in the forest to make it official.
They met at work 24 years ago. Shawn will tell you he fell for Courtenay the moment he walked in for an interview. Courtenay will tell you she fell later, over long phone calls while he was on the road as a sales rep and she was the sales admin — hours of talking and laughing between his customer visits. Twenty-one years together, twenty of them under one roof, one son, two dogs, and a passport full of stamps later, they were finally ready to make it official.
Courtenay even had a bag embroidered with the phrase that summed the whole thing up perfectly: "about f*cking time."*
What Courtenay & Shawn wanted from their elopement
When they first reached out, their vision was refreshingly clear: private, relaxed, organic, low-key. "All the drama is in the backdrop," Courtenay told me. They wanted to be surrounded by trees and water, they wanted their families there, and — non-negotiable — they wanted their two dogs, Lou and Dre, included.
Lou is a Cane Corso (and yes, he is enormous). Dre is a boxer. They're the couple's other two loves, and a day that didn't include them was never on the table. As private people who'd rather spend on a bucket-list honeymoon than a one-day event, an intimate forest elopement wasn't a compromise for Courtenay and Shawn. It was the main event.
Why we designed a split-location timeline
Here's where planner-led planning earns its place. Courtenay and Shawn wanted two things that can pull against each other: deeply private moments just the two of them, and their families fully included. The answer wasn't picking one. It was sequencing the day so they could have both.
So we built the day in phases:
Phase one — private vows at Alouette Lake North Beach. Just the couple, their photographer, and me. Water, quiet, and space to say the words meant only for each other.
Phase two — the forest ceremony at Spirea Nature Trail. A mossy spot in the trees where their families, their officiant, and the dogs were waiting.
Phase three — an intimate reception back home, where they could host their people in a relaxed, non-traditional setting and end the night on their own terms.
We also made one small timing change a few days out. By driving to the beach instead of walking it, we bought back about forty minutes — and spent every one of them on extra couple portraits in the best light of the evening. That's the planner math of a good timeline: little decisions that hand you more of the moments you actually came for.
Photography by Chelsea Abram Photography.
The morning of: coffee, a garage workout, and two dogs underfoot
Courtenay and Shawn wanted their morning to feel like any other good day at home — and it did. Coffee together, a workout in the garage, a slow lounge with the boys before anything official began.
When Hanna arrived to do Courtenay's hair and makeup, the dogs decided they were part of the glam team too — bumping into Hanna, sitting squarely on her foot, supervising the whole thing. Hanna was a complete trooper, and it set the tone for the entire day: relaxed and a little joyfully chaotic.
Photography by Chelsea Abram Photography.
Private vows by the water at Alouette Lake
Courtenay and Shawn got married on the Sunday of a long weekend, and Alouette Lake's Beach was, predictably, busy. As we pulled in, the lot was packed and I could feel a little nervous energy in the other cars.
This is exactly the kind of thing a planner is for. Between local knowledge and a bit of on-the-ground problem-solving, we parked close, skipped the long walk, and headed straight for a spot I was confident would give them privacy. As we came down the hill, passersbys called out congratulations — and then we tucked around a corner, behind a single tree, and it was as if the beach belonged only to them.
They read their private vows there, from beautifully embossed vow books, with a clear-lid ring box catching the light. Earlier that morning, when she had her portraits with her dogs, Courtenay had joked to Chelsea and I, "Can you please remind me to look this lovingly at Shawn when we're at the lake?" She needn't have worried. She'd also warned us she "ruins every photo" — which turned out to be the biggest lie of the day. The two of them were naturals. After Chelsea showed them a few frames on the back of her camera, Courtenay grinned: "Huh. I guess we'll keep you around."
Photography by Chelsea Abram Photography.
A forest ceremony at Spirea Trail — and the first time two families met
From the lake, we walked back to meet everyone in the trees. This part is worth pausing on: the ceremony at Spirea Nature Trail was the first time Courtenay's and Shawn's families had ever met. You would never have known it. Warmth and easy conversation.
I guided everyone to a soft, mossy clearing in the woods, and we began. Courtenay walked in on the arm of her mom, Judy, to "I'm With You" by Vance Joy. Our officiant, Angela, led a ceremony that was equal parts heartfelt and unique to Courtenay and Shawn. And the whole time, one of the dogs kept scooching a little closer to Courtenay — an accidental ring bearer who simply wanted to be near his person. There wasn't a dry eye. When Courtenay's mom pulled her in for a hug afterward, I teared up — and Courtenay, the bride, handed me the tissues.
The moment they were officially married, "All That Really Matters" by Illenium and Teddy Swims came on, and we gathered the families for group portraits, popped champagne, and toasted in the trees. Then everyone headed back to the house for cake, and Courtenay and Shawn lingered with us a little longer for a few quiet portraits, lying in the moss. They both let out a big exhale. "This is the calmest we've felt all day. Take your time."
The details that made it unique
The best intimate elopements are built from small, specific, personal things — and this day was full of them:
Florals in orange and green from Floralista Flower Studio: organic, hand-tied, and exactly the palette Courtenay had imagined against the forest.
A cake with tree-bark knots worked right into the design — a nod to Shawn's genuine obsession with trees.
Matching shoe soles reading "my always and forever" — a detail you'd never notice unless someone thought to photograph it.
A veil that absolutely refused to stay pinned (we won, eventually) — and that both dogs ended up posing under for a few frames.
Two people who, in twenty years together, had never once had professional photos taken. As Courtenay put it, they finally have images of themselves without "selfie arms" in the shot.
Photography by Chelsea Abram Photography.
Winding down, exactly the way they wanted
By the time their guests headed home that night, Courtenay and Shawn did the most them thing possible: they changed into sweatpants, poured a drink, sank into the hot tub, and later danced in their own living room to their favourite song.
Why a planner-led elopement makes days like this possible
Done well, eloping is the more intentional choice — every hour pointed at what actually matters to you.
What made Courtenay and Shawn's day feel effortless wasn't luck (though we'll always take a little "Jocelyn luck" when the sun breaks through). It was design. A timeline that protected their privacy and included their families. A dog handler arranged so Lou and Dre could be part of the day without anyone stressing over them. A location strategy that found stillness in the middle of a long weekend. When the logistics are genuinely handled, you get the one thing you can't buy back later: the freedom to simply be there for it.
That's the whole promise. You exhale. We hold the rest.
FAQ: Eloping in Golden Ears & Maple Ridge, BC
Can you elope with your dogs in BC?
Yes. Many BC forest and lakeside locations welcome dogs, and with the right planning — leash rules, a dedicated handler, and dog-friendly spots — your pets can be part of the ceremony. Courtenay and Shawn's two dogs were included start to finish, including a few frames under the veil.
Can you have guests and family at an elopement?
Absolutely. An elopement isn't defined by being alone — it's defined by being intentional. Courtenay and Shawn had 15 to 20 guests and still protected private, just-the-two-of-them moments by sequencing the day into private and shared phases.
Where can you elope near Vancouver in a forest setting?
Golden Ears Provincial Park in Maple Ridge is one of the most accessible forest-and-lake elopement settings within reach of Vancouver, with old-growth trees, Alouette Lake, and gentle trails like Spirea that suit guests with limited mobility.
Do you need a permit or day pass to elope at Alouette Lake?
Some BC Parks locations require day-use passes in peak season, and larger gatherings can involve additional considerations. This is exactly the kind of detail a planner sorts out ahead of time so nothing derails your day.
What's the difference between a planner-led elopement and a photographer package?
A photographer captures your day. A planner designs it — the timeline, the locations, the vendor team, the logistics, the backup plans. Planner-led means someone is thinking three steps ahead so you can be fully present, not managing your own wedding as it happens.
How long should an elopement day be?
Most intimate elopements flow best with a half to full day of coverage — enough to move between locations, include family, and catch golden-hour light without rushing. The exact shape depends on your locations and priorities, which is what a planning timeline is built to figure out.
