Love Is Not Cancelled - Canmore Mountain Elopement

We’ve all been touched by Covid in some way but all of the changing restrictions have been especially stressful for couples trying to plan a wedding. When the world shut down last March my inbox was filled with emails from my panicked couples trying to decide what to do about their upcoming weddings. Everyone was asking my opinion, but what do I know, I’m just there to take the photos. All I could do was be flexible and offer my support as everyone struggled to come up with a Plan B and C.

Emily and Jon had initially planned to have their wedding at a beautiful golf course in Canmore with all of their friends and family. With everything locked down and their day fast approaching they had to make a last minute change of plans. It was really important for them to get married on their original date so they scaled everything way back and went ahead with it. All of their guests were able to watch them exchange their vows over Zoom and after popping a bottle and taking some amazing photos they headed home to share pizza on the couch with their cat. It didn’t quite work out how they envisioned but honestly, I think it was perfect just the way it was.

As we enter the second year of Covid restrictions, many couples are being faced with the same decision, to elope or postpone with the hopes that things will change by their new date. I asked Emily and Jon to share their feelings about their decision to cancel their big wedding and elope instead.

What was the best part of eloping?

Jon: There was a lot less planning and hassle.

Emily: I thought I would have preferred to celebrate with all of our friends and family, but having an elopement actually made everything feel much more special. It was just me and Jon. We didn’t have to worry about putting on a show or anything.

Jon: That too.

What did you miss the most?

Emily: I definitely missed my parents. They live in BC so I didn’t want them to risk their health by coming. My bridesmaids are also both healthcare workers in Edmonton so we couldn’t risk them coming and I missed them a lot too.

Jon: I missed being able to get married with all the other people that I care about. Zoom was a good replacement but it obviously wasn’t the same.