This elopement, located in Pemberton, British Columbia, caught Rocky Mountain Bride’s eye because of its stunning simplicity. Julia, a wedding florist herself, designed the arch for the ceremony with leftover materials and florals from her own personal garden. Her and her partner weren’t going to stop a global pandemic from ruining their big day. We hope you love this special day as much as RMB does!
A wedding in wild times. In February and pre-pandemic, I was surrounded with loving girlfriends in Yucca Valley beside Joshua Tree National Park, California to celebrate my upcoming wedding. A packed itinerary of guided sound baths, private yoga classes and beautiful hikes. A beautiful Airbnb with the most glorious sunsets, we were able to cap off the nights dancing under the stars. On our last day together we even hired a Los Angeles photographer to come and take boudoir photos and shots in the sunset – professional photos against beautiful backdrops with all of your closest friends, I couldn’t have asked for a better memory. At the end of our few days together, with big hugs goodbye, we all went our separate ways back home – not realizing of course at the time, that this would be the last time we would see each other in person in quite some time.
My partner and I have been together for 10 years and engaged for five. Between us, 3 businesses built, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 1 fish and 3 acres of land in the small town of Pemberton, BC. Like many, the universal pause button brought upon us evoked a new found perspective and sense of what was truly important. Our September wedding of 140 people no longer made sense, on many levels, nor did a need to wait any longer to be married – so we eloped.
On a perfectly sunny day in March, we had a private ceremony with four guests, our loved family and friends joining us in spirit & video calls. Our amazing photographer friend and her officiant husband made this day happen. As a wedding floristmyself, the impact of COVID-19 caused many cancellations & reschedules in my own calendar, which meant that I had flowers on hand to work with. Our property was blooming with pussy willows and cherry blossom trees which I was able to bring together with the pompous grass, dried ferns and bleached ruscus left over in my studio. I wouldn’t say that these were the flowers that I would have chosen instinctually – but in the end, everything was pulled together in its own perfectly unique way.
I had a beautiful wedding dress I bought at a local consignment store in Vancouver called Hunter and Hare. I found two of my Sunday school dresses hanging up in the basement which my two girls wore. My husband to be, wearing warm mustard pants and a handsome tweed vest he had bought in Edinburgh – my high end wedding quickly transitioned to quaint, vintage local finds pretty quickly once I realized I could not shop. Our wedding rings, graciously arriving by mail just in time. It was a beautifully simple ceremony, beginning first with the tradition of smudging, using west coast greens and fresh willow to act in purifying the space and cleansing the soul. A lovely aroma filled the room as we ended with the exchange of our vows. We had a social distancing champagne toast with our neighbors across the fence and a home cooked, local meal.
Our wedding was small, sweet and simple. It was not anywhere close to the one we had originally envisioned, it was better. During these difficult and unimaginable times – we were able to find the space to just be together and celebrate our love for one another. And for that, we are forever grateful.
– Bride, Julia
Rocky Mountain Bride is always on the hunt for creatives + pretty things in the Rocky Mountains. Feel free to submityour own Rocky Mountain wedding, today!
