Ever wondered what an adventure elopement in Squamish could look like?
When Kristin and Justin reached out to me, they expressed their desire for images that would reflect their love for the Sea to Sky Corridor scenery and more specifically of Squamish.
A few years back as Justin was surfing on the web in following his passion for tiny homes vacation, they discovered this amazing location and although already reserved during their first trip to Squamish they vow to come back get married there when the time felt right.
Fast Forward 4 years later…
Count on tourist to make me discover a beautiful location I had never explored. After a bit of research and discussion with them both it was clear to me that these two lived a very active life back in Colorado and were ready to have a memorable experience highlighted by beautiful couple photos that were representative of their values, their passion for hiking and their deep love & commitment to each other.
Back on their initial discovery trip, they had dreamt of saying their vows on a cliff right next to the tiny house overlooking Howe Sound and if time and weather permitted follow their union by a hike… well, I had a few ideas and my skills and fitness were going to be front and center to make this happen for them. I was all in.
We planned on an intimate vow ceremony on the exact cliff where 4 years ago they had made the promise to come back.
We knew a sunrise would be exquisite and magical for the type of Squamish Elopement they had in mind. We also knew that the following hike would take us a bit of time but would be worth it.
There is really quite nothing like repelling off a rope from your ceremony site to head on over to start your hike as a newly married couple!
Our past conversations allowed me to establish quickly that both of them would be capable and keen on hiking up Squamish most famous summit; Stawamus Chief.
CLIENT LOVE:
The Stawamus Chief, officially Stawamus Chief Mountain (often referred to as simply The Chief, or less commonly Squamish Chief), is a granitic dome located adjacent to the town of Squamish, British Columbia, Canada. It towers over 700 m (2,297 ft) above the waters of nearby Howe Sound. It is one of the largest granite monoliths in the world.
The Squamish, indigenous people from this area, consider the Chief to be a place of spiritual significance. The Squamish language name for the mountain is Siám’ Smánit (siám’ is usually translated as “chief” though it is really a social ranking).
I will admit that we turned a few heads along the hike as I image it is not everyday you come across a couple carrying a wedding dress in their backpack, balloons ( more on that later) and a photographer with all her gear on her back! It made for amazing stories, encouragement and a few sweat beads despite our best effort to go slow and steady.
I remember during our initial consultation by phone, we instantly connected with our common love for the Disney movie UP. The movie came up as a conversation during Kristin and Justin’s first date and definitely added a few bonus points in Kristin’s eyes for her attraction and curiosity regarding Justin. Let’s face it any boy publicly not only knowing but announcing it to be one of his favorite movie is bound to have our interest. Needless to say visuals started flying in my head the moment it was brought up with the potential of colourful balloons as props with such a significance.
So off we went with Wedding dress, camera gear, snacks and balloons. We paused, enjoyed the view and the adventure with a crow that made sure to follow us from bottom to top, we felt it was good fortune and an acceptance for the sacred land we were journeying (but perhaps and most likely, it was his attraction t the colourful balloons we did our best to keep intact along the adventure).
Once at the top, we had a quick wardrobe change (in all it’s glory 🙂 and we had to pinch ourselves with the amazing scenery we were so fortunate to witness and enjoy. We all celebrated with a cheerful toast at the very top and of course images to last a lifetime.
“These images are PHENOMENAL! I love how you captured the small details that make our relationship unique and special to us. Honestly, they are all breathe taking. I have been trying to say I love something specific in them but I can’t narrow any down as better then the next. You have gone over and above with these visual memories.”
– Kristin + Justin
Kristin & Justin’s Squamish Adventure Elopement had me to inspired that upon looking back at their experience and mine, I realized the desire from others to experience similar adventures. Talk about the perfect blend of my past life and experience as a high performance adrenaline sport athlete and my passion for visual storytelling surrounded by picturesque nature.
If you have questions about my new Adventure Couple Photography & Adventure Elopement service, reach out and go read a bit more in my FAQs Page (see question 1) and I am happy to share ideas and explain the service and see if it would be the right fit for your wishes and dreams.
Thank you Kristin & Justin for trusting me to capture your Squamish adventure elopement.
