This intimate Squamish wedding was the perfect combination of sweet and beautiful. Though I didn’t get to spend the whole day with Alex & Crystal, every moment with them was spent smiling and laughing, despite the rain that poured throughout the day.

A couple stands on a stock on the little pond near the cheakamus centre in Squamish, BC on a rainy day

These two met on Tinder originally, and while that may sound like a weird way to meet your forever partner, I would say probably about 30% of my couples initially meet this way! So if you’re looking for your future husband or wife, just keep swiping! Crystal had to return back to Korea, and they kept talking through long distance. Later down the road, Alex travelled there to surprise her and ended up proposing in a local museum in Seoul. He caught it all on camera by asking to take a selfie which made everything sound much less suspicious (a great tip for anyone looking to propose!).

They always wanted a small wedding that would be intimate and beautiful. Originally, they looked at having photos taken and even the possibility of having their ceremony at the Sea to Sky Gondola. You might remember back in August how the lift cables were cut early on a Saturday morning by an unknown person. While nobody was hurt, it meant the gondola was closed indefinitely, causing tons of events to be relocated, even one for that same day! Ironically, I thought at the time how big it shook the local wedding industry that month with couples and planners scrambling to find replacement venues (who knew the coronavirus would soon be coming to cause so much more damage to the whole industry). Well, this meant Alex & Crystal couldn’t take advantage of the beautiful view from the gondola and had to find another location. Luckily, there are tons of beautiful places in the Squamish area; just look in any direction and there are gorgeous mountain views!

The Cheakamus Centre provided the perfect place for their small ceremony as well as some portraits afterwards. While they had planned to have their ceremony in the middle of a wooded area, to take cover from the rain they had to settle for underneath the main building. While rain is usually not what couples are hoping for, the peaceful sound of raindrops and the freshness of the air is rather incomparable. Of course, selfishly I always enjoy rain because of the beautiful lighting it brings for photos, and the chance to wear my Hunter rain boots!

Just before Crystal headed into the ceremony, Alex had a gift and a card delivered so she could read a few words from him before walking down the aisle. When he saw her for the first time he was blown away, and they were completely overwhelmed with emotion when they first greeted each other. My favourite part of the ceremony was when Alex promised in his vows that he would “be there to wipe away all her tears”, and as he said this, he actually wiped away one of her tears (there is a picture in the blog of this moment). My heart always melts during moments like this. After the ceremony, they gave all their family and friends big hugs and we took family/friend photos. A trick of mine to get great lighting and keep people undercover is to direct the group to stand under the edge of a covering or awning so it looks like they are completely outside, but without getting wet! Of course, this means I am in the elements the whole time, but it’s so worth it!

For portraits, we wandered around the property and took photos in the forest and by the little pond/river. Since this was the beginning of autumn on the west coast, the cycle of the salmon was coming to an end meaning dead fish in the pond here and there. They did not smell nice, so I tried to stay away from the dead-fish zones.

Luckily, by the time we were ready to head to the next location, it had stopped raining for the most part, and the clouds started to lift. On the drive to Squamish Estuary, I could see snow on the mountains and as an answer to my prayers, most of the Squamish Chief! One thing to note about the Estuary is that it is constantly changing both seasonally, and hourly! The tide flows up and down the flatlands, meaning it looks different throughout the day. The tide was up quite high, and I had to move a log and help them both across while standing in the water. Just another time where my rubber boots have saved me!

At the end of the day I said farewell to them and they headed into Vancouver for a little dinner celebration with their favourite people. I loved that this whole day was very much “them” in every way. Alex enjoys photography and they both really prioritized beautiful pictures for their elopement. Even though not everything went as planned, it was clear they enjoyed every minute. And isn’t that the ultimate goal? I always want to encourage couples that the best thing they can do is intentionally enjoy the day from start to finish! Now enough of my babbling and onto the pictures! Thank you to Paula Cline who did such a great job with officiating the ceremony, and Cheakamus for the beautiful setting for Alex & Crystal’s intimate Squamish wedding!