SIMPLE AND STRESS-FREE
Elopements popular during pandemic
Nicole Lavroff and Sue Cairnie started Elope B.C. in fall 2019. Little did they know, mere months later, that the world — and the wedding industry — would come to an abrupt halt.
But, unlike most industry firms, which have seen mass cancellations and even business closures, the small elopement company has seen a significant increase in the number of couples who are interested in eloping using their service.
“We created Elope B.C. before the pandemic and it was perfect timing because we are seeing a huge increase of interest in elopements as people change how they gather,” Cairnie says. “We’ve had over 60 couples reach out to us via Instagram, Facebook or email, and we have booked in nine of them. We know there are a lot of folks eagerly awaiting our 2021 dates, as well.”
Grown out of a displeasure with the current wedding industry — with its pricey experiences and one-day decor — the Okanagan-based duo looked to offer an alternative for couples who share their interest in a wedding celebration that offers a little something different from the usual bridesmaids and buffet dinners.
“We wanted to offer more ceremonies in nature and also bring back a sense of the sacred to how people wed,” Lavroff explains. “Elope B.C. is about taking love back to its purest form; deep in nature, two humans in love, either alone or with their nearest and dearest … undistracted by over-the-top details and fully in the moment.”
A portion of the profits from each event are also donated to a different non-profit initiative including the Black in B.C. Community Support Fund for COVID-19, according to Cairnie.
For couples looking to trim the financial fat of their nuptials — the average Canadian wedding is said to cost nearly $30,000, according to weddingwire.ca — Elope B.C. offers a two-hour slot at a set destination where they can experience a “personalized ceremony written just for the couple,” along with 1 1/2 hours of photography, a live musician, flowers and a decorative backdrop for their ceremony proceedings, all for less than $5,000.
A handful of other couples share the wedding day and setup, but Lavroff assures that the experience is unique — and private — to each party.
“This is not a group wedding and our couples don’t even see the other couples,” Lavroff says. “The idea is to reduce the cost and environmental footprint by sharing the location, decor and vendors with three-to-five other couples.”
That idea of sustainability — and a sense of seclusion — is what initially drew bride Kelsey Aquiline and groom Brayden Mcewan to Elope B.C.
“There was no waste, none of those one-time-use things that, really, you’re never going to look at or use again,” Aquiline says. “That was really something that bothered me. So, being able to just have nature as our decoration, and have everyone just show up and not have to worry about any of the things that you normally would have to if you were planning a big wedding, that was great.”
The pandemic, of course, also played into Aquiline’s decision to embrace the idea of a smaller wedding, she admits. Preferring the idea of an intimate outdoor engagement over a more “manicured
and structured” experience, but facing family pressure to host a larger event, the bride says that the limitation on gatherings turned out to be more than fortuitous in that it provided the chance to have the wedding she had always dreamed about — without offending anyone in the process.
“I started planning the big wedding and I was getting really stressed out with all of the things that we had to do. I had actually taken a break from wedding planning and thought that I just needed to put it aside and get back into it a little bit later. And that was right when COVID hit,” Aquiline explains. “It was kind of like fate, almost.”
The entire elopement, she says, cost $3,150 after tax. Extra photography and a video cost about $900, so the total for the wedding, not including the couple’s outfits, was $4,000.
The couple paid more to have the photographer put the video together so they can have a reception party where other friends and family — those beyond the 13 guests invited to attend — will be able to view the wedding.
“So they can almost feel like they were a part of it,” Aquiline says.
Pop-up or mini-weddings are popping up in various venues across B.C. because of increased demand due to the pandemic. More traditional wedding venues, such as the Little White Chapel in Chilliwack, are available for small elopement packages, for two-to-10 people, priced from $1,850.
On Aug. 1, Arterra Wines Canada hosted an elopement day offering mini-weddings to couples at six of its winery properties in Ontario and B.C., including the Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, See Ya Later Ranch and Nk’mip Cellars. Accommodating four weddings at each property, the abridged ceremony included a private space at the winery, an officiant and photographer, charcuterie platter and cupcakes and, of course, local wines.
“And a beautiful view,” Sally Sharpe, the regional manager of the company’s Western estates, says with a smile. “We’re not compromising.”
The two-hour slot for up to 20 guests was priced at $1,999, a comparatively affordable price for a winery wedding.
“You don’t have to spend a whole bunch of money. It’s not really about how much you spend on your wedding. It’s about how you spend the rest of your life, right?” Sharpe says. “This actually makes a vineyard wedding, for many that wouldn’t be affordable, affordable.”
Speaking before last weekend’s celebrations, Sharpe said she’s confident the experience will be more than a one-off for the wineries due to its popularity with couples looking to get married in a luxurious setting at an affordable price, without having to wait for the pandemic to be over.
“It’s been really well-received,” Sharpe says. “People just want to be married. These couples want to start their life together. And I think this allows them to do that and really capture such a beautiful day.
“It’s simple. It’s stress-free. I think this could be the wave of the future. A stress-free wedding? Why not!”