Intimate backyard elopement in Ottawa: Jackie and Steve |

It’s no surprise that many couples have had to plan a wedding on the fly, with the ever evolving situation during this pandemic. Jackie and Steve were supposed to get married this fall in Toronto but as the months rolled on, they made the difficult decision to postpone their big wedding and do a small backyard elopement instead. In Jackie’s initial email to me, she said they didn’t want to wait any longer to become “The Rowlands”.

In Jackie’s initial email, she also made this backyard wedding sound super low-key but it was….epic. Considering how quickly they put this celebration together, I was really impressed.

backyard elopement in front of a gazebo groom hugging his grandmother as she arrives to backyard wedding ceremony bride and groom signing marriage license during backyard wedding ceremony

Prior to the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom made it official by signing the marriage license, along with their grandmothers as witnesses. Adorable.

grandmothers signing as witnesses on marriage license bride and groom watching their grandmothers' sign as witnesses on their marriage license backyard wedding ceremony in front of pergola groom smiling at bride during backyard wedding ceremony family member holding velvet ring box during wedding ceremony bride getting the wedding bands from a family member during backyard wedding ceremony bride putting on the groom's wedding band during wedding ceremony bride and groom holding each other's hands during wedding ceremony bride and groom first kiss in front of pergola during backyard wedding ceremony bride and groom hugging after wedding ceremony in front of pergola in backyard groom popping a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne after backyard wedding ceremony

Nothing like a little Veuve Clicquot to celebrate!

brother of the groom pouring Veuve Clicquot champagne

Many family members were not able to make the trip for the wedding celebration but they joined via live streaming…it was perfect.

father of the bride holding phone with family live streaming wedding ceremony during champagne toast champagne toast with family in backyard grandmother saying hello to family who are live streaming wedding ceremony mother of the bride and bride hugging the groom mother of the bride taking a photo of the bride and groom's hands with wedding bands bride and groom posing with grandmother sitting in a chair family photo at backyard wedding

The new covid wedding family portrait. Jackie’s siblings got all dressed up and posed in front of the fire place on the ipad for their family photo. Amazing.

bride holding ipad with her family live streaming on the other end for family photo covid wedding groom showing family his wedding band who are live streaming ceremony bride looking at her family who are live streaming the wedding ceremony on the ipad wedding rings resting on green velvet ring box bride and groom in front of red shed door in backyard bride smiling at groom in backyard wedding bride and groom holding hands in backyard bride and groom in front of pergola at backyard wedding bride and groom cuddling close in black and white wedding rings with dark green velvet ring box with flowers harvest table in a backyard wedding charcuterie plate at backyard wedding wooden glass markers on harvest table

Is this not the most beautiful harvest table you ever did see? Jackie rented most of the items and threw all of this together…so gorgeous!

harvest table in a backyard with old beer growlers with tall grass bride and groom sitting at harvest table at backyard wedding big jenga game at backyard wedding

Is it really a backyard wedding without lawn games? The answer is no.

bride holding a beer playing backyard lawn games groom and brother playing lawn games during backyard wedding bride and groom kissing in front of wooden bar with neon sign with their names bride and groom under pergola after backyard wedding ceremony bride holding wild bouquet while resting her head on groom's chest bride resting her head on groom's shoulder in front of pergola