The Team

Location: Yale & Hope British Columbia

Florals: Lisa Glover Floral Design

Hair & Make Up: Mona Noroozi

Donuts & Drinks: Mello Vancouver

Dress 1: Calla Blanche

Boutique: The Bridal Gallery

Dress 2: Reclamation

Rental: BC Prop Loft

Groom's Attire: Moore's

Rings: People's

Ok let's get it out of the way - this was. THEEEE HOTTEST. shoot. of ALL. TIME. 

I'm not exaggerating, this was the hottest day of summer 2023 and somehow we managed to pull through and not just get it done, but make it gorgeous... in 39+C heat.
 

As someone who likes to putter around the backroads and secret spots of my beautiful province, when I found  these two very special spots in the fall of 2022 I knew I wanted to shoot there, but it's very out-of-the-way of almost any venues! So come the following summer I decided to put together a styled shoot! Luckily the team involved day-of was amazing, especially my wonderful models who you'd never tell were sweating their butts off haha!

 

We set up initially in the handy shade of a cliffside native-built outpost structure along the Fraser River outside of Yale BC. This area is famous for its world-class sturgeon fishing, and you'll find these little structures dotted along the riverbanks for many miles, built as muster points/shelter for fishing expeditions, and to clean and dry the day's catch. With food & refreshments provided by local Vancouver cult favourite Mello and mountain-wildflower-inspired florals by Lisa Glover Florals, I think the picnic set-up was perfectly cozy and pretty against such a stunning backdrop. We wanted the florals to look wild and natural to reflect the mountain setting, like something that might have been picked from a few wildflower patches along the road to get there.

 

As for our lovely couple, we chose two contrasting gowns for our "bride" – a more glamorous and va-va-voom Calla Blanche mermaid gown, and a more bohemian and romantic Reclamation gown. HMUA Mona Noroozi struck the perfect balance between those two dresses for hair and makeup. For our groom, we had a subtle switch-up between a classic white-button down & bowtie under his modern tan suit to pair with the more glamorous bridal look, and a more casual classic white-tee for her boho look. Lisa's eye-catching pocket-florals really brought a special touch and tied both looks perfectly with the bride's. We definitely did not want our groom in a classic black or blue suit, and felt the tan was more modern and allowed him to pop out against the background while still allowing the setting to shine.

 

After sweating it out in the open heat upriver, we packed up and headed south to Hope's floodplains valley for sunset and the welcome shade of the surrounding peaks. As I'd hoped when scouting, the wind was quite strong in this sort of funnel-like valley and gave everything that perfect wild windswept look to finish off with. The way the setting sun coated the trees on mountains across the valley had this beautiful velvet quality to it and created the most beautiful glow heading into twilight/blue hour.

 

I'm so happy with how this shoot turned out, everyone involved worked so hard to make it happen under tough conditions to shoot in and I think the results are really special. I think this gallery would be amazing inspo for a mountain elopement for your readers – something that inspires in terms of setting, but also with the thoughtful modern styling against a very rustic and wild backdrop. My models afterward commented that the shoot really looked like a "real" elopement, not something styled, and I agree – this could have easily been a real elopement and I hope it can inspire folks looking to do their own special thing for their own special day.