Canadian Winter Elopement on the Rideau Canal

On a cold winter day in January, myself and Nicole of Piper Avenue met in a local coffee shop to discuss our ideas of a styled winter shoot. We shared our visions of a true Canadian winter wedding and quickly realized we wanted to capture true love, not just models.

What began as a styled shoot quickly became a real elopement…

We searched Ottawa for the perfect couple. After receiving many submissions, Kate and Kevin’s story couldn’t have aligned better with our vision and the story we wanted to tell.

Kate and Kevin met in 2010 in what was soon to become the world’s newest country, South Sudan, just before it’s independence. They were both working for save the children organizations, in a conflict zone, trying to reunite children who had been separated from their families due to fighting. It was an intense time, and Kate and Kevin were focused on trying to bring some positive change to a desperate situation. In the midst of all that was going on, they fell in love just as they returned home for a brief visit with family – Kevin is from Vancouver Island and Kate is from the UK.

Kate and Kevin returned to work, living in remote harsh conditions in places like Somalia, Mali, Burkina Faso etc. and longed to be able to be together every day. Whenever possible, they would travel to each other. Together they celebrated Christmas in Kenya, hiked up mountains in Ethiopia, kissed at the top of the Eiffel tower, drank cocktails in NYC and explored the cobbled streets of European capitals. They loved their impulsive holiday romances but longed to make being together part of their day to day life – they wanted to share the banal, not just the extraordinary.

So they took a leap of faith and moved to Myanmar together, a unstable country full of golden pagodas and incredibly friendly people. In 2013, Kate and Kevin traveled to British Columbia for Christmas. He proposed to Kate, on an ice rink lined with a corridor of candles, music, the promise to share their lives together and a beautiful ring. Then and there, he taught her to play hockey. He wasted no time in initiating her to her soon to be new country!!

An amazing team collaborated to give Kate and Kevin their dream wedding. It was essential that all vendors were local as we wanted to showcase true Canadian talent. And hey! Who else would be crazy enough to brave the cold.

From skating on the Rideau Canal, one of Canada’s longest outdoor skating rinks, to snacking on Canada’s signature Beavertail, every idea of ours fit perfectly with Kate and Kevin’s story.

Getting married on the Canal wearing skates after Kevin proposed to Kate on ice and taught her how to skate was perfection.

During our initial meeting with Kate, we shared our story boards. Details included the sharing of a Beavertail and hot chocolate. She shared their story of their first day in Ottawa together which included a Beavertail and hot chocolate on a perfect winter day. It was as if we had designed their wedding without having even met them. The bride recalls how genuinely happy she was, in that exact moment, that her journey with Kevin was only just beginning.

first look on skates on the rideau canal in ottawa

bride and groom elope on the rideau canal

bride and groom skating on the rideau canal

bridal party skating in rideau canal sleighs

The wedding day itself could not have been more beautiful. February was the coldest it had been in 115 years in Ottawa, but on February 27th, 2015 that cold front broke and we were treated to -10 degree Celsius weather rather than -25. The sun was shining brightly as Kate skated down the ice to say “I do” to the man that traveled near and far to be with the woman of his dreams. Their vows were written in a book that for years was passed back and forth between the two of them, with a new love letter to keep each of their hearts warm until the next time they could be together.

bride skating to her ceremony on the rideau canal at patterson's creek

bride and groom reading their vows on the rideau canal

bride and groom exchanging rings on the rideau canal

first kiss on the rideau canal in ottawa

bride and groom skate down the aisle on the rideau canal

Following the ceremony, the guys played hockey and the couple shared a Beavertail and hot chocolate before making their way to the Albion Rooms.

bride and groom play hockey on the rideau canal in ottawa

groom and groomsmen play hockey on the rideau canal

bride and groom enjoy a beavertail and hot chocolate on the rideau canal

East Coast Limos treated us to a ride from the canal to the Albion Rooms, with a quick stop at the Chateau Laurier for a few more more photos.

Their small intimate gathering of family and close friends dined in candlelight at the Albion Rooms with a custom menu by Chef LaSalle. Custom stationary was hand drawn by Sarah Alexandra and the table was styled by Nicole of Piper Avenue, alongside Tanya of Presh Floral. A beautiful styled harvest table featured their very own bottle of Stanley’s Farm maple syrup, unique wooden name tag, and an elegant cedar table runner. The wood grain and brass elements helped compliment the floral accents of white garden roses, cotton, fresh rosemary, red and white tulips and fresh greenery.