Overnight Backcountry Elopement
My friend Jeremy, The Whistler Wedding Pastor, reached out to me this past summer in August about a potential overnight backcountry elopement that he was officiating. He said the couple hadn’t planned on hiring a photographer mostly because they didn’t think anyone would want to commit to the adventure. The plan was to bike 10k and then hike 4k up to an alpine lake, sleep overnight then hold the ceremony in the morning with a few of their closest friends, then hike back down to the valley to celebrate with family and friends. This was pretty much a dream come true for me and I was so excited to be invited along.
I met up with Moira & Nathan and a few of their friends on the side of the road in Vancouver. We all had our big bags on and road bikes and got ready to head to the trail head. I was probably the most nervous about the biking portion of the experience, as I mainly run/ hike in the summers and was not in the best bike shape. Turns out I was wrong and very much over estimated the difficulty of the bike. It was a cruisy 10k down a beautifully forested, paved road. Having spent most of the summer hiking and scrambling in the alpine 4k was the least intimating part of the journey. Turns out, this 4k was straight up a not so well trodden path and took us so much longer than we expected. One of my favourite things about hiking and doing pretty much anything outdoors is how much time you get to spend with the people you are with. Even though I didn’t know anyone personally before setting off on the journey by the time we reached the lake I felt so comfortable with everyone. You really get to know people when you hike up a trail with them.
When we arrived at the lake the sun was setting and we all ran around barefoot looking at the views and setting up camp. We also got to jump in the lake before the sun set behind the mountains. After setting up camp while running around trying to capture the light Moira, Nathan and their friends cooked us all dinner. We then ate homemade carrot cake in weird costumes their friends had brought up to the lake with them. I remember sitting beside this group of people who were strangers in the morning, in a leprechaun outfit, eating carrot cake and looking at the stars and thinking how strange but wonderful life can be.
Moira, Nathan & I woke up before the sun rose in the morning so we could take some photos! Moira had hand sewn her dress which was beautiful and they both looked stunning in the morning light. I could not have loved this session more. I just ran around the lake capturing as many angles as I could. The light was absolutely incredible I feel so happy with the images we got together. After about an hour we drank some coffee as the bugs came in to say good morning.
Jeremy held the ceremony at one end of the lake and it was absolutely perfect. I could feel how much this group cared for each other and supported Moira & Nathan. Their one friend read out a poem she wrote for them and it brought a few of us to tears. It was a really special moment to be able to capture. I love how present everyone is when outside with no phones or distractions.
After the ceremony we all went for a quick dip in the lake before walking back down to the valley. I got to meet Moira & Nathan’s family and friends in the city before driving back to Whistler.
This overnight elopement was an absolute dream come true for me and I couldn’t believe I was hired to come along. Moira, Nathan and their friends and families were so welcoming and warm and I loved getting to know them all. I feel so lucky to call this my job and get to meet so many wonderful humans along the way.
