How to Elope in BC

Introduction

Congratulations, you’ve decided to plan your elopement in British Columbia. Arguably the most beautiful place on earth. We are here to guide you through the process from start to finish of planning your ultimate British Columbia elopement. This is the ultimate guide on how to elope in BC.

The question you need to ask yourself is, what don’t we have? From our long fjord shoreline which could easily pass for Norway or Iceland, to the rainforest of the coastal mountains. Or the Swiss style alpine villages of Pemberton and Whistler. Head to the dry, desert like interior of Kelowna and Kamloops. Or go to the far east of the provence for the unique geological features of the Rocky Mountains and they’re frontier spirit. We also have all four seasons, so each of these locations are vastly different depending on where you go.

Can foreigners elope in BC?

Yes! Absolutely, to get married in BC, you’ll need a marriage licence. You can get one from the BC Marriage Licence website. They are open Monday to Friday 8am – 4pm. Make sure you bring with you the $100 licencing fee, this can be paid in cash or by card. Please check the website for the most up to date info on the pricing for the licence.

Where is British Columbia?

British Columbia (BC) is Canada’s westernmost province, and one of the largest regions in North America. The province borders Washington State, Idaho, Montana, Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The main international airports are Vancouver International and Abbotsford International. The Trans Canada Highway runs through the provence from Calgary to the east. The US interstate connects Seattle and Washington.

The provence is absolutely massive, the pacific ocean is to the west, and the rocky mountains to the east. There are flights to more specific and remote locations in BC, but be prepared to fork out if you’re plan is to fly. We’d recommend renting a car, enjoying the drive and taking in all the beauty this province has to offer. With nearly the entire provence being rugged and mountainous, there are quite literally vistas everywhere.

Book a BC Officiant

Anyone who will be officiating your wedding in British Columbia will need to be registered with the Vital Statistics Agency They do have a handy tool you can use to find people who are on their register, so you can double check anyone you book through their website. We have a couple of recommendations for officiants in BC that we’ve left below.

• Young Hip and Married
• Heart and Soul Weddings
• Captivating Moments

Couples coming from outside of Canada (USA & rest of the world)

Depending on the laws of your state or country you can legally get married at home, then come to BC and still have your elopement, without having to deal with the legal side of things. From our experience, some countries this can be a little tricky to arrange. So this is an option for you. Generally couples coming from the United States have no issues getting married in Canada.

Can our friend marry us in BC?

So this one is a little tricky, technically no. They would need to go through and become registered with the Vital Statistics Agency to be able to marry you two. Their criteria is quite strict and thorough. So this option can be time consuming and difficult to obtain, but don’t worry. If you are really wanting your ceremony to be conducted by someone you know, you can always have a formal legal ceremony at a different date, say the day or week before the wedding. And then have a ceremonial ceremony performed by someone you know, this in our opinion is the more important ceremony, when you two make your promises to each other.

Pick a date

This one can be a little tricky if you’ve not done this before. But we are here to help. So theres a couple of factors to consider when picking your wedding date. If you can do a week day, you’ll have a better time finding vendors. We are all usually booked up for Fridays and Saturdays usually years in advance, but a Tuesday in June? You’re way more likely to find us free then. This is also a consideration for people who are flying into BC from out of provence, from our experience, flights tend to be cheaper through the week as opposed to the weekends. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days to fly, in general. But we will go through this more thoroughly in our getting around BC section.

You’ll also want to consider time of year, BC is pretty far north, so we do see dramatic changes from season to season, this is one of the best aspects of choosing to elope here. For the areas around the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island. You’re not going to see a huge temperature change, as the sea regulates the temperature on the coast, that being said. Move north a little bit and you’re in snow territory from around November through to March. Snow does reach Vancouver, but only in short bursts, so if you want a snowy winter city elopement, id suggest either being able to drop everything and head to Vancouver, or take a look at Calgary or Edmonton.

Each season has its pros and cons, which we will also cover in more detail. But our opinion for the best compromise on crowds, weather and aesthetics would be autumn, which is best from early October through to late November. You’ll get a little snow on the peaks, amazing golden leaves, and still some moderate warmth. Just note though the further into the interior of the province you go, the bigger the extremes in weather, both warm and cold.

Pick two witnesses

You will need two witnesses for the wedding, they can be friends and family. Or even your photo and video team. We have done this for eloping couples many times and don’t mind at all signing as witnesses! The only stipulation here is that your witnesses need to be 19 years or older. The same principle applies here as your officiant, if you want to say your vows to each other in a spot that is really in accessible, just have the formal ceremony somewhere else, and then head out.

Whistler

Whistler is fairly well known, and for good reason. The town was inspired by Swiss architecture, so if you’re looking for a slice of europe in Canada, this is your place. The landscape and the buildings do really come together, and we’d recommend considering Whistler. You’ve got the choice again of whether to go with the town centre, you can get married up Whistler or Blackcomb mountain, or you can choose to head out to the lakes all around. We also have a full guide on getting married in Whistler, which you can find here.

Kootenay National Park

This is one of our favourite places in all of BC. The Kootenays are like Banff but without tourists, we have also wrote a full guide in our alternatives to Banff for avoiding crowds without skimping on the scenery, you can read it here, Kootenay National Park features a lot in the guide. We’d recommend heading to the town of Golden on the north end of the park, there are plenty of places to stay and lots to do. Plus you can actually get married at the top of a mountain there at the Kicking Horse.

Vancouver Island / Tofino

No list about eloping in BC is complete without a mention for Vancouver Island, one of the most beautiful places in the world. With mild weather and a rugged coastline, the island really is one of the best year round locations for eloping couples. You’ve got the urban centre of Victoria in the south, which offers a much more european feel that most other North American cities, just north of the city is Shawnigan Lake, which offers so many amazing elopement spots.

But for the best location, we’d recommend heading out to the west coast of the island, to the resort town of Tofino. There aren’t many places that compare to this, with some of the most dramatic views we’ve ever seen at a beach. Honestly there are parts of the Vancouver Island coast that could pass for Bali.

Vancouver / Lower Mainland

Vancouver for us is very unique. Sure, plenty of cities have a couple of mountains around them. But from all the cities we’ve been to, none really compare to just how dramatic the mountains are in relation to the city, so many locations around the downtown area have the most amazing backdrop because of these mountains, and of course the ocean.

Where do we even begin? There are so many amazing urban spots in Vancouver to choose from, we’d personally recommend the Waterfront area. You’ll have to settle for an established venue to elope here, as we are in a city a lot more rules will apply. We’d also recommend taking a trip across the water on the sea taxi over to Granville island for some couples photos. And then going on to Wreck beach for some dramatic scenery. Some other locations around Metro Vancouver would be: Iona Beach Park, Cleveland Dam, Deep Cove, Burnaby Mountain Park and Stanley Park.

Choose your time of year for eloping in BC

In British Columbia, we do get all four seasons. However, they are going to pronounce themselves much more depending on where you go in the provence. For example, Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver and Kelowna all have much milder climates than the rest of the provence. This applies both in the summer and the winter. This is usually to do with proximity to large bodies of water, which influence the surrounding areas to be much milder in their temperatures. Each season is going to have its advantages and disadvantages. We will list them below.

Spring

Spring is a great time to see the cherry blossoms coming out, great for crisp spring mornings and less crowds. A lot of the really popular spots (with exception to the lower mainland) will have way fewer tourists. So if you’re looking at say Tofino, this is a great time of year to go. Spring is still going to be chilly. So you may be restricted in some of the activities you can have on your wedding day. Some of the roads will still be closed. Snow will likely be on top of the mountains until mid May.

Summer

Summers in BC can really vary on where you are in the provence. Generally speaking the biggest difference you’ll notice is from the coast to the interior, with the interior on average experiencing much higher temperatures than Metro Vancouver. There is actually a desert out in the interior, in Osoyoos. The interior is also a lot dryer than the coast, but bare in mind. From our experience, Vancouver and the island get most of their rainfall in the winter months.

\Summer will give you a wide range of activities to choose from. From sailboats, hiking and wine tours. We’ve also got a guide on BC adventure elopement ideas, you can read it here.

Autumn / Fall

If you’ve read a few of our blogs, you’ll know we are all about Autumn, this is our favourite time of year to shoot. We’d highly recommend heading to the Kootenays for fall, you’ll want to time your trip for early to mid October, as the provence generally works north east to south west in terms of fall leaves coverage. Meaning fall comes later in the year the more south west you are. There are a ton of amazing waterfall locations that look absolutely amazing in the fall. A lot of the best ones can be found on the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver up to Whistler. Generally speaking across the provence, the temperature in fall will be moderate, making for a great balance between the crowds of summer and the amazing scenery in Autumn.

Winter

Winters in BC can be very harsh, especially in the interior and the north. So be prepared to bring layers with you. Even near the coast up in Whistler, we’ve been shooting in -25C weather. Whistler however is where we’d suggest for a winter elopement in BC. A lot of services and activities in the town are geared toward winter activities, so makes for some amazing ideas for creative elopements. Personally we love helicopter elopements.

Hire a Photographer / Videographer

So this is something at first glance you’d think you would book towards the end of the process. But hear us out, this could be one of the most important points in this article. Depending on who you book, you’re photographer may offer planning services. We will use our services as an example here, when couples book with us (we are a photo / video husband and wife team) we help them to plan their wedding. Including location scouting, creating timelines and giving vendor recommendations.

If you find someone who has a lot of experience in the local area they can help you find all the best spots, get the best vendors, and help you have the elopement you want, your way. We’ve steered couples away from not having the day they wished for, for example when they’ve chosen a spot that looks great on social media, but in reality, turns out to be really overcrowded and difficult to get married at. So keep this in mind and trust us, its always a win to have someone else helping you out, especially someone with hundreds of weddings under their belt.

Idea for a British Columbia Elopement

Our provence has so much for you to pick from that its really hard to trim down this list into only the best and most fulfilling. The most important element is that your activities you do on your wedding day reflect you two as a couple and involve what brings you two together.

Stargazing in Pemberton

Around 20 minutes outside of Whistler to the north, is the small town of Pemberton. This is one of our favourite spots to take couples for some stargazing nighttime photography. This is truly one of the most unique things you can do for your elopement. And the photos look absolutely incredible. We’d recommend hiking a little into the Joffre Lakes Provincial Park for some stunning views. And using this app to help out with star alignment and getting the perfect conditions. Generally speaking you’ll want to choose times closer to winter for the best nighttime views. Or ask your elopement photographer. This is a service we provide to our couples.

Live music and mountains

We suggested this idea to a couple looking to elope last year, and honestly its one of the best ones we’ve had so far. There are a ton of amazing artists across the provence. We have a lot of personal experience with those in the lower mainland area. We will recommend a few below for you to take a look at. The idea is to book an amazing airbnb up in the mountains, then bring in some live music while you spend time together, maybe include a meal or hire a private chef. Preferably with amazing views and an outdoor fire pit.

Hire a boat

This is something we’d highly recommend doing on the Okanagan lake in the summer. Depending on the type of boat you hire, you could have a meal, live entertainment again or you could go swimming. Yes, this has happened on wedding days we’ve photographed. The whole wedding party jumped into the water, and we got some amazing underwater shots. Not to mention if you do this on the coast, you might even encounter a Whale or two.

Helicopter mountain tour

One of the best ways to see BC is from the air. We would recommend Sky Helicopters for an awesome tour in the lower mainland. You can either stay in the helicopter for some amazing photos and film. Or (which we’d recommend), pick a spot on top of a mountain to say you’re vows. This is especially good for couples who aren’t into hiking through the mountains in a wedding dress. But still want the mountain views. The best time of year for this would be May, because the snow will still be on the mountains, but without the blistering cold.

How to get around British Columbia

The only real way to get around the provence is to drive. Whether that’s with a private rental car company. Or using Turo. From what we’ve seen, the pricing is usually very similar between a private rental and Turo. So take a look on both and make a comparison. We’d recommend checking out Skyscanner to see the best deals. From our experience if you ask, usually you can haggle for an upgrade, which isn’t possible on Turo.

The provence does have rail and bus services. However, you’ll be extremely limited outside of Metro Vancouver for all the best spots, so this isn’t the way to go if you ask us.

Packing and appropriate clothing for a BC Elopement

So this is a very important one, you’ll really want to consider what you’ll take with you on your elopement. But we’ve got you covered on the best things to bring.

Not sure on where to start? Looking for some advice or help? That’s where we come in.

We’ve been helping eloping couples here in British Columbia and across the world to have the most amazing wedding day, to make them feel celebrated. We photograph and film across the world each year, our packages all come with planning assistance, location scouting and general advice. You don’t need to book us to ask for help though, that’s what we are here for. If you have any questions on all things elopements, fill in the form below and we will get back to you.