How to Elope in Whistler

Introduction

Whether you’re coming from Canada or from abroad, in this guide we will show you how you can elope in Canada’s favourite ski town, Whistler. Located an hour and 40 minute drive from Metro Vancouver. Whistler is a mountain town located in the Cascades on Canada’s west coast. The town offers spectacular alpine views and germic inspired towns (along with Banff, Whistler was actually designed by Swiss architects brought in during the westward expansion of British North America).

This is all coming from the perspective of a husband and wife elopement video and photo team. We shoot and help a ton of couples looking to elope in Whistler and all over British Columbia, so we know our stuff! If you’re looking for that Swiss Alpine Wedding but don’t want to go all the way to Europe, Whistler is absolutely your answer.

Getting a Whistler marriage licence

To get married in Whistler, or anywhere in British Columbia for that matter, you’ll need a marriage licence. You can get one from Whistler Municipal Hall. 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.

Do I need a permit to Elope in Whistler?

Most places in Whistler will require you to have a permit to elope. You should definitely research into your specific location prior to picking your spot. As some spots will be more difficult than others to gain permission. Even if your spot is in the middle of nowhere, its best to avoid any potential issues on the day. Ask your planner, photographer or videographer for information on permits in your specific location, they should have the info you need.

Can foreigners get married in Canada?

Yes. Absolutely, two foreigners who do not reside or have citizenship in Canada can get married within Canadian territory. You will need two forms of Government issued identification for your marriage licence.

You will get a temporary visa for your entry into Canada if the Canadian government requires a visa from your country or territory. Residents and citizens within the United States of America do not need a visa to enter Canada. Residents in countries with visa free access to Canada, such as the United Kingdom will need an ETA (Electronic travel authorisation).

Do I need Witnesses and an Officiant?

Yes. In Canada your officiant will need to be registered with the Vital Statistics Office. Which usually rules out any family and friends from officiating the wedding. They can go through the process and gain the necessary legal requirements to officiate the wedding. You will also 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!

Pick your time of year

Don’t get us wrong, Whistler looks amazing no matter what time of year you are heading up there. However, depending on when you choose to go, you’re going to have different crowds, tourism levels and activities. We will go over not just the perspective of film and photo but also activities, accomodation and feel for each season.

Spring

Spring in Whistler is an awesome time to elope. The sun is shining, all the plants are beginning to awaken. There will still be snow on the mountains and maybe even on the ground depending on how early into spring you decide to come to Whistler, spring runs from March to mid June in Whistler. The earlier into spring you head up the more likely the lakes are to be frozen. So this would be a good time to get the frozen winter wonderland look, without the freezing temperatures.

Spring is a great time to head up to the top of Blackcomb mountain, to either say your vows or to take some amazing couples photos and videos. We’d also recommend the hike up the Joffre Lakes to get an amazing alpine mountain view for your vows.

Summer

Summer comes with a couple of pros and cons. The biggest being the crowds, Whistler gets super busy in the summer. Especially on weekends, if you absolutely want the summer Whistler wedding but want to minimise the crowds, try to plan your elopement on a weekday. A lot of folks from Vancouver visit Whistler on the weekend, so going during the week will help reduce the crowds you’ll face. Summer in Whistler runs from mid June to mid September, but we’d recommend not coming during the height of the summer and either trying for early or late summer. As the crowds do really peak in the middle.

We’d absolutely suggest involving the lakes on your elopement day. Whether that’s renting a paddle board or renting a boat. On the turquoise blue waters of Green Lake. We’d also recommend staying in one of the many Swiss themed alpine lodges or airbnb’s.

Autumn / Fall

If you’ve read any of our other blogs, you’ll know we absolutely love autumn, the colours, the weather and the vibe. Autumn in Whistler is no different, the fall colours up there are unreal. During fall, heading up to Pemberton is our recommendation, the town is a little quieter than Whistler but still has lots of options for elopement locations, places to eat and things to do. We’d recommend considering One Mile Lake. There’s a path that goes around the lake that is very easy to walk. There’s a ton of spots to choose from to get married, all offering stunning views of the Cascade Mountains in the background.

We also absolutely love the Joffre Lakes up here, which is best appreciated in fall. Just note though this isn’t the easiest hike, especially in a wedding dress, we clocked it at around 3 hours up, 2 hours down. The view of the glacier water at the top is absolutely incredible though and totally worth the hike up. There are also plenty of amazing spots along the way to choose from if you don’t want to go all the way to the top.

Winter

Whistler is a lot further north than Vancouver, and is more inland. So experiences colder winter temperatures that can go down as low as -25C. So be prepared for this when choosing to elope in Whistler in the winter. Though the average temperature in the winter is more like -5C. Winter in Whistler is absolutely amazing. The first time me and Emily visited the town was in December, when we experienced our first “cold snap”. Which saw the temperature drop to -22C. The first time we ever experienced this, definitely was not the last!

If you’re planning on hiking for your wedding when up in Whistler, we’d recommend heading to Evo Backcountry in Whistler town to pick up some good boots. The weather can get quite bad in the winter so take the proper precautions and check weather conditions when heading up. Which you can do here. You can also check the weather for Blackcomb mountain if you’re planning to elope up there, but a good general rule is the temperature is usually 10C degrees lower at the top than at the base.

Whistler elopement activity ideas

As well as all of the amazing scenery, we’ve put together a list of some amazing ideas that you can do in Whistler on your wedding day. We do tailor out wedding packages to our couples, so if you’re looking for something a little more niche or specific. Don’t hesitate to shoot us a message for some suggestions!

Whistler Helicopter Elopements

We absolutely love this, getting married at the top of a mountain or amazing lake. The logistics of doing this are surprisingly simple. Just head over to Blackcomb Helicopters to book your elopement helicopter wedding in Whistler. We’d recommend them for the best spots and service. You’ll also get some amazing shots when you are actually up in the air. If you want to speak to them in person, they have offices in Metro Vancouver, Whistler and Pemberton. Everything can be organised through their website or over the phone.

We’d recommend dressing appropriately for mountain conditions when heading up the mountain, as even in the summer the wind can be brutal and the temperatures far lower than on the ground. The same applies to the actual helicopter ride itself.

Stay in a Swiss style Whistler Airbnb rental

Whistler is known for its Alpine inspired houses, its like our version of Switzerland. We’ve been to Switzerland and can attest to this. If you’re looking for some ideas, we’d recommend checking out this Airbnb just outside the town of Whistler. This is what we picture when we think of Whistler. Amazing mountain views, impressive emerald lakes and the snow on the peaks. No matter what time of year you choose to elope in Whistler, this Airbnb will look incredible.

Go stargazing in Pemberton

So for stargazing, this is heavily going to depend on the current weather conditions, proximity to light pollution and the time of year. This is a service we provide to our clients when booking their elopements, so we usually let them know whether its going to be possible and the conditions will align with their dates. But sometimes this can be a little tricky, it requires you to firstly, be getting married in the winter. Then have a clear night, be away from the town of Whistler, just past Pemberton is fine for this, there are some awesome spots up by the Joffre Lakes on the way to Lillooet.

You’ll also have to take into account the lunar cycle, contrary to what most people think, the moon is really bad for stargazing, as the reflected light from the sun will drown out all of the starlight from the rest of the Galaxy. Thankfully, there are apps to help track the lunar cycle. So as you can imagine, there’s no way to plan this months or years ahead, this is something that can be only be done at most a few days before, but we can still have a plan of action in case the conditions align. Alta Lake is right next to Whistler and offers some amazing views of the Milky Way Galaxy. So yeah, it’s actually a lot of work to go stargazing on your elopement, but don’t worry. You’re photographer will be able to help you out with this and take a lot of the pressure off!

Winter Après Tour

This is a great elopement activity for winters in Whistler, as this activity can be done year round. But we’d recommend going in the winter. However Apres Tours only run from November to April. You get a tour guide that helps you around the course, you will both have to wear a harness, but how cool is this?! The whole tour takes two hours, but you do get to have some hot chocolate half way through. Which brings us onto our next idea…

Hot chocolate by the fire in the Fairmont Chateau Whistler

You could get hot chocolate at a few places in Whistler, and we will talk about a couple of them if you want to go a little further out. But nothing screams Whistler more to us than grabbing a hot chocolate together on a cold winter afternoon or brisk fall day. You can either have your hot chocolate inside by the fire or at one of their outdoor fire pits. We always love visiting the Fairmont in Whistler and think its an amazing activity for your elopement.

If you want something a little more out of the way, we absolutely love The Bread Warehouse, which you can also get some great photos in, they do amazing pastries as well as awesome hot chocolate. They are a little outside of Whistler up in Pemberton, but totally worth the drive as you head out to see the stars. You could also have some breakfast here to start your elopement day off without a big meal before a hike up to an amazing snow capped spot.

Go axe throwing

Ok so we get it. Axe throwing isn’t what first comes to mind when you think of a mountain elopement, but hear us out. The first time we did this we were amazed by just how competitive we got, and not to mention you guys having fun and playing games makes for some really authentic, genuine time together for your photos and film. We’d recommend going with Forged Axe Throwing, just outside of Whistler town. They also have a neat bar and seating area for you guys to also get a drink and relax.

4×4 Whistler Alpine Elopement

This one we really love. There are two ways you can go about this, you can either bring your own 4×4 / rent one using a private car rental service or Turo. Or you can go with a company who will supply a driver and take you to a specific location. We see the pros and cons of each one. With going your own way, you have the freedom to stop or go anywhere, it certainly feels a lot more like an adventure. But you do have to consider you’ll be driving and focusing on the road, and less on your wedding day. Plus if you don’t know the area well. There can be risks in driving in mountainous terrain. There are plenty of spots along the Sea to Sky highway to drive up.

Whistler Dog Sledding Elopement

This is really getting into the Canadian spirit. Dog sledding is one of the most fun things to do. We are both big animal lovers, just ask our cat Camilla and her mountains of toys. We equally love dogs, so anything involving dogs and elopements is a big plus for us. We’d recommend using Whistler Reservations to book your dog sledding elopement.

They have some amazing routes that you’ll love. We recommend planning your elopement December – February for optimal snow conditions for the dogs. If you’d prefer to have a similar experience without the dogs though they do have snow mobile experiences available. Of course we can be there as your trusty photo and video team, documenting all the fun and laughs.

If you are looking for more adventurous elopement ideas, we also have a resource on that you can check out here.

Best Places to Elope in Whistler

Choosing your location is going to depend on a lot of the factors we’ve gone through above. Season, amenities, activities and weather are going to play a huge part in choosing your location, we are looking at this from our photo and video perspective, somewhere that’s going to look amazing, but most importantly is what you imagined your wedding day to be, perfectly.

Whistler Blackcomb Mountain

Blackcomb mountain is the mountain you see from Whistler town, its where all the ski lifts and gondolas head up. It’s easy and accessible. You do always have the option to hike up as well, which we’d recommend if you want to get married in more less known spots, as most times in the year there will be crowds at the top, due to the access from the gondola. Once you are married though we do recmmend checking out the Roadhouse Lodge, which you access on the second leg of the gondola ride over from Blackcomb mountain over to Whistler mountain. You could go to the Harmony Hut on Blackcomb. But we find its gets very crowded. Its great for grabbing a drink though.

Lost Lake Provincial Park

This lake during autumn / fall. Is one of our most favourite places to visit. And shoot! The lake offers stunning views from all around the Whistler Valley. And views of Blackcomb and Whistler mountain. There are plenty of spots with different views available. Even if you want the forrest vibe but still want some snow capped mountains peaking through, Lost Lake is the perfect choice.