Bec Kilpatrick, a Banff-based elopement photographer, and her partner, Andrew Pavlidis, offer helicopter elopements for couples who want to exchange vows in the middle of the Canadian Rockies – starting at $9,200. Pictured are Erin and George Weaver, in Kananaskis, Alta.Willow and Wolf/Supplied
Last summer, Jasmine Marianayagam and her partner had a pile of save the dates ready to send for their wedding. Then, the evacuation alert went out. Wildfires were raging through the boreal forest that surrounds Yellowknife, just steps away from their home. “Planning a wedding seemed so trivial,” she says.
The couple evacuated to an Edmonton hotel for 26 days, where they had ample time to reflect on their priorities. They decided to cancel their Toronto wedding and instead made a plan to elope. But their idea of eloping wasn’t heading to City Hall for an afternoon. In March, 2024, they married in a strikingly picturesque ceremony in Florence, Italy, overlooking the city’s enchanting skyline. The only witnesses to the splendour were the photographer and organist – and everyone else who saw and double-tapped the photos on Instagram.
The modern wedding is breaking all the rules
The word “elope” can be traced back to the early 14th century, when it meant a wife leaving her husband for a lover. In the 1800s, it came to convey a couple stealing away from home and marrying in a furtive state, often because of family disapproval. These were bare-bones events with just the couple, officiant and witnesses in attendance.
Today, more partners who want to avoid the typical big formal affair, limit their guest list or plan an adventure-themed wedding are eloping, rebranding it as a deliberate and empowered choice rather than a hasty or rebellious act. As Jeff Maeck, a Kitchener, Ont.-based wedding officiant, puts it: Today’s elopements allow couples to “treat themselves to their flavour of extravagance.”
In March, 2024, Jasmine Marianayagam and Brooks Skyers eloped, with a strikingly picturesque ceremony in Florence, Italy.Gianna Bautista/Supplied
The only witnesses to Ms. Marianayagam and Mr. Skyers's ceremony were the photographer and organist.Gianna Bautista/Supplied
Elopements experienced an uptick when people were prevented from gathering and banquet halls shut down en masse during pandemic restrictions. “I saw a large increase in elopements in mid-2020, which has yet to trend back down,” says Amber Shurr, a Cambridge, Ont.-based wedding officiant. Shurr officiates about 100 weddings a year and says at least half are elopements. This shift also reflects a broader trend of millennials seeking to balance personal fulfilment and financial stability, leading to a redefinition of traditional life milestones and the order in which they are achieved.
These days couples are choosing elopements as a way to live large, says Esther Lee, deputy editor at wedding planning website the Knot. This can mean choosing “swoon-worthy, remote and romantic destinations,” like Marianayagam did, or opting for an out of the ordinary adventure.
Bec Kilpatrick, a Banff-based elopement photographer, and her partner, Andrew Pavlidis, offer helicopter elopements for couples who want to exchange vows in the middle of the Canadian Rockies – starting at $9,200.
“Many couples tell us the money they spend on their adventure elopement is still less than they would have spent on a traditional celebration,” says Pavlidis. The average cost of a wedding in Canada hovers around $30,000, according to Statistics Canada.
“You’re at the whim of the weather and nothing is perfect but that is the magic of it,” says Pavlidis.
'The emphasis on documenting personal narratives has made elopements more appealing,' says Jeff Maeck, a Kitchener, Ont.-based wedding officiant.Willow and Wolf/Supplied
Capturing that magic with the help of a professional photographer – someone you wouldn’t typically see at an elopement – is key. And while today’s elopements don’t include endless guest lists, some couples are inviting their nearest and dearest. “Since close friends or family are more involved in elopements now, there is an added desire to still ‘host’ your loved ones in an intimate setting that is documented professionally,” says Lee.
It should come as no surprise that photos from such nuptials are often shared widely online after the fact. Filled with emotion, wanderlust and intrigue, they have “all the ingredients needed to do well on social media,” says Pavlidis.
Maeck and his wife started Elopers&Co., a specialty service for couples who want adventure weddings. They offer elopements on boats, cliffs and private islands (reached by helicopter), mostly in Ontario.
“The emphasis on documenting personal narratives has made elopements more appealing,” says Maeck. The elopements they plan are “more intentional and designed,” signalling a shift toward creative expression, not convenience or budget.
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Internationally, couples are choosing picturesque vistas and well-serviced resorts (often both) for intimate elopements. Many to-be-weds are using them to provide a getaway for select loved ones, and themselves, according to Lee.
Couples are always surprised at the feeling they’re left with when they’ve stripped everything away, says Maeck. “It’s the most beautiful feeling in the world, isn’t it?”
For Marianayagam and her partner, deciding to elope didn’t feel isolating, even though they had no guests. They viewed the absence of their friends and family as a form of support for how they chose to get married.
“That feeling carried us all the way to the altar.”