M & E’s Full Day Prince Edward County Elopement

M & E had been together for about seven years when they finally decided to elope. They’d been engaged since having their first child about five years before, but had kept putting off their wedding. 

They weren’t sure for a long time what they wanted for a wedding, but over time it became clear that they didn’t want a big affair with family. I was so excited when they approached me about having a Prince Edward County elopement!

Why They Eloped

M & E didn’t have a “traditional” relationship timeline, and had two children before revisiting the idea of what they wanted their wedding to look like. One of them didn’t have much family anymore, and the other did. They toyed with having a smaller, intimate wedding, but as time went on the idea of eloping just the two of them became more and more attractive. In the end, they decided to elope with two friends as witnesses, and have M’s uncle officiate the ceremony. 

What They Wanted – Their Vision

From the first time I asked them what the envisioned for their elopement, “relaxed and chill” was a consistent want for their elopement day. Life with two young kids was hectic enough, so they wanted their elopement day to feel special, but more importantly, like a fun vacation. Originally they told me they would just do something locally, and keep it close to home. But I had heard them mention Prince Edward County a few times before, so I told them that we should explore that a bit further. It is their wedding day after all! Just because they weren’t having a big wedding, didn’t mean it shouldn’t still be a special day.

They found a really cool Airbnb just outside of the Prince Edward County area, that had actually been a former church. They started to get more excited about the prospect of eloping in the County, and decided to go for it!

How I Designed Their Experience

After booking their Airbnb, M & E had asked me if I had some recommendations of things they could do in Prince Edward County. My husband and I camp at Sandbanks Provincial Park every summer (I’ve been going with my family since I was a kid) and love to bike and tour around the different wineries and breweries. So, I had lots of recommendations of places for them to visit, and reached out to different locations to check about permits, photography coverage, etc. After sharing my experiences there and some of my favourites places, they decided to book a private car and driver through a tour company to drive us around for the day after their ceremony. 

With my recommendations, the tour company suggested a 9 hour itinerary of different locations throughout the County to visit. I helped them manage their responses with the vendor and suggested timeline tweaks, since originally the schedule was very tight. We landed on a much more relaxed timeline that allowed for longer stops and impromptu visits along the way for when we came across interesting locations. I also connected them with a local floral designer for a bouquet and boutonniere which both turned out beautiful!

One thing I strongly encouraged for their day was ending the day at sunset on a beach, ideally within Sandbanks Provincial Park. Even though it was a bit further out of the way compared to some of the other locations that we would be visiting, it was 100% worth it in end. 

Before their elopement day, we met once more to go over details, answer any questions they had, and I also gave them a list of items to not forget to bring with them. 

Their Elopement Story

M & E started their day at their unique Airbnb, where they had breakfast together before they started to get ready. I arrived about an hour before their ceremony with my husband, who would be their second witness (don’t worry, M and I are childhood friends!). I captured some special moments while they did the finishing touches of getting ready, and checked out their ceremony location for lighting etc. I even moved a step ladder outdoors near the spot they had selected for their ceremony, so that I could get a higher viewpoint for their ceremony coverage. 

Their ceremony was so heartfelt and beautiful. This marriage was a long time coming, and they were finally making it official in the way the wanted it to be done. We even managed to just beat the sun coming up over the house; being August, it was very hot in the sun. We had actually decided to move the ceremony up by 30 minutes after I arrived, to avoid the sun. Luckily, being an elopement we had a lot of flexibility for the day! 

After the ceremony, we had lunch at Signal Brewery. We had a lot of fun taking some photos in their amazing, industrial style building. Someone even offered their old classic truck to us to take some photos with!

Next up, we stopped at the beautiful County Cider Company. After a long drive, everyone was ready for some flights of cider and some time to relax. It was such a bright, hot, sunny day, but the rows of apple trees gave us a little coverage when we were walking around for some photos. 

Our third location of the day was Waupoos Estates Winery and Restaurant for dinner. We had amazing food and wine, and really enjoyed touring around the beautiful grounds right on lake Ontario. 

Our final stop of the day was Outlet Beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park. I had always dreamed of shooting an elopement here, and it did not disappoint! The sunset was all I had dreamed of and more. Sunset photos on the beach were my favourite of the day; I think they were everyone’s favourite, actually.

The beaches at Sandbanks Provincial Park can get so busy in the summer, but luckily the big crowds had cleared out by the time we got there around 8pm. M & E even agreed to splash around the water for photos, which was so much fun. They went way further into the water than I was expecting them to! We had a lot of fun with this shoot, just hanging out at the beach watching the most amazing sunset.

By the time the sun had gone done, we piled back into the car, exhausted, but happy, and headed back to their Airbnb.

There are endless options and itineraries for eloping in Prince Edward County, it truly is a wonderful place to consider eloping.

Think you’d be interested in eloping? Reach out to me to chat about eloping in Prince Edward County, or anywhere else you’re thinking of!