Eloping to the Greater Victoria area seems to be very popular, and for good reason. Victoria is a beautiful region with amazing food, stunning views, and an escape from big city life. On this page, I’ll talk about how to elope in Victoria, BC, from locations to photography.
Many people choose to have a traditional elopement, where just the two of them run away to a different city to get married, while others choose to include family and close friends in an intimate ceremony.
Having a small group of family and friends at your intimate wedding is a great way for them to have a vacation and celebrate with you. Venues with elopement packages typically also cater to very small weddings as well.
Many people choose to have a ceremony at a hotel or in a public park, followed sometimes by cake and champagne, then making a reservation for dinner at one of Victoria’s amazing restaurants. Some venues do delicious dinners for small weddings, including Sooke Harbour House and high tea at The Empress Hotel. You can have your ceremony, champagne, meal, and cake at those places.
Elopement Photography
I love photographing elopements. They’re so intimate and relaxed, providing great opportunities for amazing portraits and emotional moments. Note: You can get married any day of the week in Victoria. You may have better luck booking vendors (such as photographers) for a weekday when we’re less busy with larger weddings. Elopement photography starts at $1600 plus GST.
Below are links to some of my favourite elopements and intimate weddings that I’ve photographed in at various locations in Victoria, BC.
The following are reviews from couples whose elopements I photographed:
“We are in love with our photos. They brought tears to our eyes — not only were they beautiful, but they were just what we wanted. You captured the details of that day so well! Thank you for the quick turn-around, too — we had family visiting this past weekend to celebrate and it was so great to be able to enjoy them with everyone. You received many compliments! Thank you again for capturing our special moment so beautifully and it was so great to work with you.”
Wendy & Lisa
“Lara captured unexpected & incredibly memorable moments throughout our elopement. She even drove us down to the beach herself to take even more wonderful pictures in front of the ocean. Our photo shoot was so much fun & we could not have asked for a more talented photographer. Lara really knows how to capture those little moments that make a wedding day so very special. We had the most amazing day. Thank you again Lara for helping us preserve every moment in perfect light!!! We’ll definitely be calling you up for our first anniversary.”
Lara & Steve
Elopement Venues in Victoria
There are many great venues for eloping in Victoria, though you can choose to get married anywhere (the beach, the forest, a bed & breakfast, a mountain, etc.) If you’d like to get married in a public space, I recommend booking your officiant and discussing potential locations with them, as they’ve generally officiated weddings in a wide variety of places. Find someone affordable and nearby at the BC Marriage Commissioners. I also love the chaplains from the Unitarian church. I recommend celebrant Barbara Densmore for unique custom elopement ceremonies.
Here are a few choice venues for elopements and intimate weddings in Greater Victoria.
Fairmont Empress Hotel (Venue – Elopement Info – Wedding Info) – Elopements for up to 4 people and weddings of any size. Follow your intimate ceremony with the Empress’s famous high tea and cake from their talented pastry chef.
Inn at Laurel Point (Venue – Wedding Info) – Elopements and intimate weddings for up to 25 guests.
Sooke Harbour House (Venue – Wedding Info) – This is about a forty-five minute drive outside of Victoria, but it’s worth the travel time. Sooke is a more relaxed, natural setting and this small hotel has amazing ocean views from many rooms. They also serve dinner and Sooke has great cake and floral designers.
