We’re not sure where to begin with this one. A Tofino elopement. More like somewhere south of Ucluelet. Our first, and for two very dear friends to boot. Do we talk about how a nondescript island in Barkley Sound became the ceremony site only moments after we discovered it? How the two-man crew of a private vessel rowed us out on a dinghy in pairs and instructed us to wait for the right moment to hop onto and off the rocky shore? We would have had more than our shoes wet if we hadn’t timed our movements with the waves.
It was a Tofino elopement like no other. An adventurous and intimate wedding at sea.
Or, we could talk about how before all of this went down, when Brittany & Sam first approached us last year about their elopement, we felt shocked and humbled and a high that returned in the days we got to spend with them over meals in a stunning home in Tofino; chats about video games and starting up food trucks; and walks that led us into classic Tofino elopement and beach territory. For half of us, it was our first time in this part of the world.
Do we talk about being late to the ceremony because of burritos and tacos? Or the beautifully ordinary process of two people preparing for their elopement together? We weren’t here with just anyone though—we were here with Brittany of the Canadian Rockies in a century-old dress with pussy willows in her bouquet, and Sam from the land of Texas, lover of Brittany and the beautiful sheen of the majestic mackerel. Two extremely talented photographers and kind, thoughtful humans.
We teared up when the first look happened and when they exchanged their gifts. We cried when they exchanged their vows. This is the way to do it, we told ourselves. And there was laughter, so much of it, on that tiny island near Tofino.
Here’s to you, Brittany & Sam, our dear friends.
Tomasz & Amy
