They Told Everyone It Was an Engagement Party. It Was Actually Their Wedding Reception! Ashley & Aidan's Cleveland Dam Elopement
Photography by Madi Takes Photos.
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.
Ashley and Aidan came to me with a vision and with a plot twist!
They had already booked their engagement party for July 4th. Invites were out for the party at their parents house in Deep Cove. Their families and friends were coming. And somewhere in the middle of all that planning, Ashley and Aidan looked at each other and thought — wait. Why are we doing this twice?
A big engagement party, then a year of planning, then a big wedding, with the same people, the same speeches, basically the same everything, just more expensive and more stressful.
So they made a decision that I think was genuinely brilliant.
They would elope that morning…privately and intimately, with just their closest family, and then show up to their own engagement party and tell everyone they were already married!
The engagement party became the reception and the guests became the surprise! And July 4th became one of the most clever, most personal, most joyful wedding days I have ever been part of.
How It Started
Ashley & Aidan reached out to me in early April. We met four days later. Six days after that, they were booked.
That is how fast this came together and that speed matters, because July 4th is one of the busiest Saturdays of the year. Not just in the wedding industry. In the tourism industry too. And what I did not know yet was just how hard that date was going to make the location search.
More on that later. (Scroll down if you can’t wait!)
First, the vision. Ashley and Aidan wanted something calm and easy.. Not too much walking for their grandparents. A spot where Ashley could still have her aisle moment with her dad walking her to Aidan, chairs on either side, a real processional. They wanted their dog Moose there too alongside their closest family. And they wanted it to be a complete secret to everyone else showing up to that party later in the day.
Simple enough concept. Wildly fun to execute.
Photography by Madi Takes Photos.
Nine Locations. Three Permit Rejections. One Strike.
Here is the part of the story that Ashley and Aidan are finding out right now, reading this blog. (SURPRISE!)
Finding a ceremony location for July 4th was one of the hardest location searches I have done.
We looked at 9 locations total. The challenge was not just finding somewhere beautiful that fit their vision — it had to be available. Permittable. Accessible for grandparents. Not overrun with tourists on one of the busiest summer days of the year.
Our first choice was Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver. Permit denied with too high a predicted tourist volume for that date. Some parks simply will not issue permits when they know the area is going to be packed.
Our second choice was Strathcona Park. Also denied.
So I tried Cleveland Dam. This one I tried to see if I could get a permit for, before even bringing it up to Ashley & Aidan, because I didn’t want them to feel this feeling of denied…again!
And then, while I was in the middle of applying for the Cleveland Dam permit, Metro Vancouver announced they were going on strike. Insert melting face emoji!
Fortunately, I have a contact at the city that I have built a relationship with over years of doing this work. The moment the strike was put into motion, my contact reached out to me directly via text. We fast-tracked the permit. It was processed within 30 minutes. I was even texted during the strike to make sure everything was confirmed and ready to go.
A couple doing this on their own — with no relationship at the city, no one watching for that kind of thing — would very likely have lost that permit window entirely. It would have fallen through the cracks during the chaos of a municipal strike.
Ashley and Aidan had no idea any of this was happening. They were just living their lives, waiting for their wedding day. That is exactly how it should be.
Cleveland Dam Ended Up Being the Best One Anyway
This is the part that never gets old for me.
When I told Ashley and Aidan that Cleveland Dam was available for them, they were not disappointed. They were excited. Because they already loved that spot and had walked Moose there in their first few months of dating. Aidan also fishes there so it already meant something to them before it became their wedding location. Now tell me that’s not meant to be.
The views of the Capilano Lake and the mountains behind it, the Lions visible in the background too…were exactly what they had been hoping for visually!
This isn’t the first time that I have seen doors close for my clients just to see the right door open right afterwards. This has happened enough times now that I have stopped being surprised by it. It doesn’t stress me out at all anymore. The power of love somehow ALWAYS pulls through, and I’m a HUGE believer in it! I’ve 100% BOUGHT IN to this.
Aidan built the arch himself and showed up early that morning, set it all up, and had everything ready before anyone else arrived. Destinye, our coordinator, said he was just so excited to have it done and ready to go. A keener, ready to be wed! So sweet.
The Morning of July 4th
Ashley spent the night before at her parents' house so she could get ready there in the morning since it was an early start! Hanna from our team arrived just after 4:30am to start hair and makeup on Ashley's mom, then Ashley followed after her slow morning with coffee on the deck.
Aidan got ready at their house and drove to Cleveland Dam with Moose. Destinye picked up florals in Langley on her way and brought the bows for the chairs. Laurie set up the seating — four rows of three on each side, and Destinye fashioned ivory bows on the aisle chairs, giving them a little trim because the length was NOT GOOD for what we had going on.
By 9am, the field was set. The arch was standing. The guests were arriving and finding their seats. Capilano Lake was glittering behind the ceremony site. The Lions were right there in the background.
There was also a surprise espresso martini station that showed up unannounced which was a genuinely brilliant and extremely fun surprise that Destinye quietly helped navigate; where it all went, how it got organized, and how to keep everything moving when the station caused a slight delay to the schedule. Somebody has to make a decision in those moments which is why an on-site dedicated planner is crucial - Destinye made those decisions for them. The guests enjoyed a sweet toast, and the ceremony stayed on track.
One more small detail worth mentioning: Aidan was wearing one Canada sock and one USA sock. Because Canada was playing FIFA and because it was July 4th!
Photography by Madi Takes Photos.
No First Look. Just the Aisle.
Ashley wanted the very first moment Aidan saw her to be when she walked down the aisle on her dad's arm.
So that is what we built into their day.
Aidan walked in first with his mom which began the processional with music carefully selected — a Bridgerton-style cover of Enchanted by Taylor Swift (timely since Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce were just married the day before)— and Ashley came down the aisle with her Dad.
Destinye started the music, set a timer, walked back to Ashley and her dad, and queued them at exactly the right moment. The timing was perfect. You cannot cue a bridal processional from the ceremony site and the hiding place at the same time without someone physically there to make it work. That kind of detail is something that only happens when you have a dedicated person filling that role.
Something that I see many of my clients wanting is having a family member or close friend be the one to marry them. For Ashley & Aidan, this was their uncle Chris. Though he couldn’t legally marry them, Chris ran the ceremony and facilitated their handwritten vows, ring exchange (that were brought down the aisle by their respective moms), and Moose sat at the side, cheering them on! We brought in a government officiant to legally marry them quickly after their family photos. This is a fantastic way to incorporate this detail.
They kissed. The recessional started — Can't Take My Eyes Off You — right at the 1:18 mark, exactly as planned.
Next they were on to their family photos which Destinye assisted in calling out as there were a lot of them. Without someone actively calling the shots and keeping the group moving, that list could have taken twice as long. Maddy, their photographer, kept the camera moving. Destinye kept the people moving. It all flowed. YAY TEAMWORK!
Beach Portraits
After the ceremony, the plan was to head to the beach in West Vancouver for couple portraits. Aidan was actually leaning toward Deep Cove, but his new wife Ashley persuaded him to go to the beach, and good thing she did!
They had the whole beach to themselves, and the light was so perfect!
The wind was blowing — enough that Destinye spent a good chunk of the portrait session physically behind Ashley, holding her veil and keeping her dress in place so Maddy could capture the exact shots Ashley had in mind. In a lot of those photos, Destinye is right there just out of frame, making the shot possible.
You see the photos, and we see the people making them happen! We think they turned out FLAWLESSLY too! Good job Maddy!
The Surprise
After their portraits they drove back to Ashley's parents' house, changed and freshened up.
And then they walked into their own engagement party and enjoyed the mingling for a while. About an hour in, they actually CHANGED BACK into their wedding attire and came down and and told everyone they were already married that morning!
Thus ensued the informal celebration of speeches, cake cutting, first dances, parent dances, and a full reception with all their favourite people, who thought they were there for an engagement party and found out they were at a wedding.
It was everything Ashley and Aidan wanted all wrapped up into one day. One celebration. All the people they love. None of the stress of planning two separate events a year apart.
Photography by Madi Takes Photos.
What Made This Day Work
Ashley said something the morning ceremony that Destinye passed along to me.
She said she did not feel stressed. That everything just went well.
We’ve highlighted a bunch of things we did behind the scenes already. None of that is visible on the wedding day. That is kind of the whole point. The couple gets to just show up, be present, and get married. Everything else is already handled.
Ashley and Aidan came to me with a wicked idea and trusted me to make it real. I am so glad they did.
FAQ: Eloping in North Vancouver BC
Can you get married at Cleveland Dam in North Vancouver?
Yes. Cleveland Dam is a beautiful ceremony location in North Vancouver, sitting right above Capilano Lake with views of the mountains and the Lions. The field next to the watershed fence is a stunning open-air ceremony space. A permit is required from Metro Vancouver, and availability on peak summer dates is not guaranteed — especially around major tourism events or holidays. Having a planner with an existing relationship at the city makes a significant difference in how smoothly that permit process goes.
What is the Cleveland Dam field like for a wedding ceremony?
The Cleveland Dam field is a flat, open grassy area next to the watershed fence overlooking Capilano Lake. It is accessible, photogenic, and can comfortably hold chairs for a small intimate group. There is a power box along the fence if you need speakers. Confetti, glitter, and stakes in the ground are not permitted due to irrigation lines underneath. It is not a private space — it is a public park — which is why having a coordinator there to manage the space and the people around you matters.
Can you elope in North Vancouver with guests and grandparents?
Absolutely. Cleveland Dam and Sandy Cove Park are both excellent choices for couples who need accessibility for older guests. No steep hikes, no rough terrain, and both have free parking nearby. Ashley and Aidan had grandparents in their late seventies and the whole morning was completely manageable.
What is a surprise wedding reception and how do you plan one?
A surprise reception is when you elope privately with a small group and then arrive at a separate gathering — like an engagement party or family dinner — and announce that you are already married. It is a genuinely fun concept and it is very doable, with the right planning. You need a planner who can keep two separate timelines running on the same day, a vendor team who understands the structure, and a clear plan for how and when the big reveal happens. Ashley and Aidan pulled this off beautifully.
Is Sandy Cove Park a good elopement photography location?
Sandy Cove is one of the most beautiful and underused portrait locations on the North Shore. It is a small beach in West Vancouver with access down a short path from the road, and it photographs beautifully. It is not a permit-required location for portraits. On a summer morning, arriving early means you may have the whole beach to yourself — which is exactly what happened for Ashley and Aidan.
How far in advance do I need to book an elopement in BC for a summer date?
As far in advance as possible, especially for peak summer Saturdays. July 4th is one of the busiest days of the year for both weddings and tourism in BC. We considered nine locations for Ashley and Aidan before landing on Cleveland Dam — and the permit came through in the final hours before a city strike. Summer dates in particular require early planning, early permit applications, and backup location options. A planner who knows the system and has existing relationships with the city is not a luxury on a date like this. It is the difference between having a confirmed location and scrambling on your wedding morning.
Does a family member have to be licensed to marry you in BC?
Yes. In British Columbia, a legal marriage must be performed by a licensed marriage commissioner or officiant. A family member can lead the meaningful, symbolic portion of the ceremony — the vows, the speeches, the ring exchange — and a licensed government officiant can handle the legal paperwork separately. Ashley and Aidan had their uncle Chris run the ceremony and a government commissioner handle the legal signing afterward. It was the best of both: personal and legal.
Can I bring my dog to a BC elopement?
In many outdoor locations, yes. Moose, Ashley and Aidan's three-year-old red lab, was at the ceremony and in the photos. Whether your dog can attend depends on the location, the leash rules in the park, and the dog's temperament. It is worth building it into the plan rather than deciding day-of, so your coordinator can manage where the dog is during different parts of the ceremony.
What does an elopement coordinator actually do on the wedding day?
On Ashley and Aidan's day, Destinye arrived early, helped organize the espresso martini station that showed up as a surprise, cut and adjusted the chair bows, cued the processional music and walked back to queue the bridal party at exactly the right moment, called every family photo combination to keep the group moving, navigated curious park visitors during the ceremony, held Ashley's veil and dress in the wind during portraits so the photographer could capture the exact shots Ashley wanted, and made sure they were packed up and out by 10:30am. None of that is visible in the photos. All of it made the photos possible.
