Whistler elopements are an exciting and memorable way to celebrate your love story in one of the most remarkable and beautiful places on the planet. Every Whistler elopement has its own unique feel and vibe sure to surprise and delight you as you experience your day. And while every Whistler elopement is unique and custom built, there is a certain rhythm to the day that helps us create these beautiful moments.

With that in mind, I thought it would be cool to walk you through a day in the life of a Whistler elopement. The elopement I am going to show you was photographed by Logan Swayze Photography and is from the Heli GOLD package which includes a 25-minute scenic helicopter tour, 45-minutes alpine or glacier landing for the ceremony, champagne, and photos, 3-hours of professional photography, 2-hours of professional videography, in-suite hair & make-up, transportation to-and-from your local accommodations, dinner reservations for 2 (dinner not included), and of course the wedding officiant, custom ceremony design, and legalization.

The morning of a Whistler elopement kicks into motion all of the planning pieces that we have done previous. These elopements are designed to be really simple & turnkey for you and so after you has answered a few brief intake questions and we have a vision for what we plan to do for the day, we take all of those responses and we build out a timeline, contract and secure all the vendors, make sure everyone knows what they’re doing and we take care of all of the little administrative details so that you don’t have to. Simple, easy.

First up on the timeline is usually in-suite hair & makeup. Inviting a talented hair & makeup artist into your day is a really fun and special way to start the day and you’ll be very happy you did. The very talented Colleen Conroy provided HMU for our bride on this day and I am constantly amazed (and thankful!) for each of the vendors I get to work with in creating these Whistler elopements. All of the Whistler hair & make-up artists I work with are very talented, full of energy, and just a real pleasure to work with!  

While hair & makeup is happening I check in with my florist over at Senka Florist, a Whistler flower house with a large and dedicated team of florists who provide floral design for all kinds of occasions and events in the Sea to Sky corridor. I love walking into the shop to pick up your floral package because the Senka team is always smiling and you can tell they’re having fun. As a side note: Senka is often closed on Sunday’s because they all head up the hill to ski and snowboard together. How cool is that? The team that plays together, stay together!

Once I have your floral package I head over to your accommodations to check in with you guys, deliver your bouquet and boutonniere, sometimes we arrange for a first look, and generally I or my assistant are there to help in anyway we can.

Speaking of accommodations, there are many accommodation providers in Whistler and my favourites include Nita Lake Lodge, The Fairmont Chateau Whistler, The Westin Resort & Spa, and The Four Seasons Whistler. Also, friends of mine host a beautiful (and legal!) ski-in ski-out AirBnB rental that is perfect for a couple. Check it out and get 10% off your stay when you tell them I referred you to them. 

Anyhow, after hair and makeup is done, your dress is on and his tie is tied and you’re all set and ready to go, you guys will jump in my vehicle and we’ll head out to the helipad together where we will sign waivers and go through the safety briefing. In the featured elopement, the couple actually rented a sports car from Vancouver and drove it up to Whistler along the Sea to Sky Highway and drove themselves to-and-from the helipad, a pretty cool option.

Once in the helicopter and the rotors begin to spin, you know you’re in for something special! The cool thing with flying in a helicopter is that it’s much smoother than a small airplane, we fly nice and close to the mountains, check out mountain peaks and glaciers, pause to look at things a little longer, and occasionally we’ll even spot wildlife like caribou, bears, and mountain goats. The scenic heli tour is a breathtaking flight showcasing the grandeur of the Coast Mountain range in all of its rugged glaciated beauty and no matter how many times we do this tour it never gets old!

After we’ve completed the scenic tour we’ll land the helicopter on a mountain peak, glacier, or other remote alpine location with huge vistas. This is where we’ll get out of the heli and do the actual ceremony.

The thing I love about officiating ceremonies in the mountains is that there is a “mirroring” effect happening between the couple and the mountains. The beauty, intimacy, & majesty found in your ceremony and vows is reflected in the beauty & majesty of the mountains surrounding you. It’s a moment you will never forget….and you’ll have the epic photos to prove it!

As we come to the end of the ceremony and I’ve said “You may kiss the bride!” we’ll pop some bubbly, pour some champagne and celebrate, and then the photographer and videographer are going to get rolling with your mountain top photo & video session.

The images from the alpine photo shoot are something you will cherish for a long time and will blow up your instagram feed! The depth of talent found in the photographers who participate in these Whistler elopement packages runs so deep and I am constantly blown away by the stunning images they deliver. I am so thankful to have a tight crew of photographers who are loads of fun to work with and who I trust to bring the right vibe to your wedding day. You’ll love them.

Next we’ll get the word from our pilot that it is time to load back into the helicopter and head back to the helipad. Once at the helipad we’ll do the administrative and legal work of actually signing your marriage license and marriage registry before sending you with the photographer for your valley photo session.

The valley photo session usually lasts about 60-75 minutes and provides a really cool contrasting set of images to the mountain top images. Each of the photographers who work on these elopements have their own secret or go-to photo locations somewhere around the Whistler valley and you will definitely enjoy this element of the day. Upon completion of your valley photo session, your photographer will drive you back to your local accommodation where you can have a bit of rest and refresh before dinner.

Whistler has many fantastic dining options and we’ll work with you on finding the menu, atmosphere, and table that works best for you guys to celebrate your new marriage. Some of my favorite fine dining establishments include Alta Bistro, Araxi, Bearfoot Bistro, The Rimrock Café, Hy’s Steakhouse, Aura @ Nita Lake Lodge, and the Red Door Bistro. Of course there are also many great pub and lounge style dining options for a more casual meal with live music and a fun atmosphere where the staff are going to be stoked to have a bride and groom show up in formal wear!

 After dinner, the evening and night is yours to do what you like. Some people go dancing, others will go for a walk and a cocktail, some will Facetime family, and other’s will settle into a quiet & romantic evening back at their hotel. Whatever you choose to do, the night is yours and you will have had a full and fulfilling day.

For a short teaser highlighting a winter elopement, check out this awesome short video by Calling Mountains Productions and then make the choice, “Do we elope in the summer or in the winter?”

A wedding officiant for 18 years, I’ve married hundreds and hundreds of couple’s in all kinds of settings and I can tell you that these Whistler elopements are something really special. With 100+ 5-star reviews from couple’s who have absolutely loved their simple, stress-free, and memorable Whistler elopement, it is something you should definitely check out…..I’d love to celebrate with you!

Click here to find out more about a Whistler elopement package that works for you or contact me here and we’ll start the process today, get your date locked in, and get ya hitched here in Whistler!

Talk soon,

-Jer