Why the secret destination wedding?
The short story is that Aaron and Sarah both have a sense of adventure and like to buck trends. The end.
Here's the longer version:
The backstory
Early in their relationship, Aaron and Sarah both felt as though they'd known each other for years. Their near instant attraction and the love that resulted from that made it evident that they were part of something significant. As their relationship grew, it naturally evolved into daily routines built upon a sense of mutual respect and admiration. They have enjoyed some significant milestones as individuals and together that have only strengthened their already commendable trust in one another. Being together always has been a state of mind for them long before their wedding day.The plan
Aaron and Sarah never had a formal engagement for a variety of reasons, but one being that they both often forgot that they weren't already married. However, they both knew their wedding would happen when the right plan materialized.So, one day in August 2011, Sarah stumbled upon some information about a beautiful resort on a beach surrounded by a northwest rainforest. This captured her interest - in her mind, luxury + beautiful scenery + rugged setting = perfect vacation. After some initial research into the area, it dawned on her that this could be the setting for something spectacular.
Aaron was instantly fascinated with the location and was enthusiastic about the idea of having a wedding in that area. But when should they do this? A month from now? A year from now? It wasn't until they were looking at the calendar that they realized a pretty cool date would take place in a few months. One they'd easily remember. One that was still far enough away that they could reasonably handle all the wedding planning details with time to spare. And so it was settled. Aaron and Sarah were getting married on 11/11/11.
The venue
The area where this would take place is a remote part of the west coast of Vancouver Island, just shy of the small fishing town of Tofino. The specific venue would be The Wickaninnish Inn, a luxury resort on Chesterman Beach. And it was just a short 8+ hour drive (including a ferry ride) from Tacoma, WA.Aaron's not the biggest fan of long drives, but since the trip wouldn't involve an airport, he was all for it.
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Wedding guests
Shortly after finalizing plans at The Wickaninnish (or the "The Wick" as the locals call it), they realized it would be a logistical challenge to coordinate a caravan up there during a time of year and in an area where bad weather is common.In addition, if they were going to include family and friends, it was obvious that they would want more people to be there with them than an intimate wedding venue could handle.
It was decided that the wedding party would consist of the following: the bride and the groom. The witnesses would be their photographer and their wedding coordinator.
It would mean they would both be required to be very hands-on with the details, and would only have themselves to rely on to properly get ready for their big day. This suited them just fine.
The surprises
Because it was going to be such an intimate affair, Aaron and Sarah wanted to add an element of surprise for one another. They decided on the following:- Neither would see the other’s wedding attire until the ceremony
- Sarah would not see the rings until the ceremony
- Both would write personal vows that the other would hear for the first time during the ceremony
The wedding day
The day before the wedding, Aaron and Sarah had a long drive to reach Tofino. Fortunately, the logistics gods were on their side and they had no problem catching their ferry in Port Angeles, getting their marriage license in Victoria and arriving on time for their dinner reservations at The Wickanninish Inn after a beautiful scenic drive through Vancouver Island.
On the morning of their wedding, Aaron and Sarah awoke before their alarm. Well-rested and excited for their big day, they looked outside and noticed it was pouring rain. A few more minutes passed and it started to hail. This did little to deter them from their plans. While Sarah went into Tofino for her hair and make-up appointments, Aaron spent the morning exploring the area, taking pictures and scouting out location possibilities for the wedding ceremony.
Fortunately, by mid-morning the rain and clouds began to give way to sunshine and blue skies. Aaron and Sarah met up before it was time to change into wedding attire, and shared their excitement about the weather change. It was amazing. After a quick review of Aaron’s pictures of all the possible ceremony locations, they decided they were going to get married on a private part of Chesterman Beach called Secret Cove.
At 2pm, Aaron, their marriage commissioner Heidi and their wedding photographer Chris walked down to Secret Cove. In an instant, Chris determined the best place for the ceremony would not be the sandy beach area, but rather 12 feet up a rock formation overlooking the crashing waves. Aaron was skeptical, but after climbing up thought it would be a beautiful venue. Aaron's thoughts quickly went to his bride-to-be, however. Was Sarah willing and able to climb rocks in a wedding dress and fancy shoes? He had little time to ponder this because minutes later Sarah and their marriage coordinator Laura appeared at the entrance to the cove.
Sarah emerged from a rocky trail bordered by tall grasses to see her husband-to-be waiting for her on a sandy beach. They were overcome with emotion at the sight of each other. Aaron kept himself composed enough to help her over some rocks before telling her there would be climbing involved. Upon hearing she would be climbing in a wedding dress, she laughed and started working her way up the rocks. Within a minute or two they were situated on top of a rocky shelf overlooking the Pacific, standing in the path of ocean mist from waves crashing against the rocks below.
The ceremony began a series of emotional moments for the bride and groom. They exchanged personal vows that left them both in tears, and Sarah was speechless at the sight of their wedding rings. Upon hearing that they were pronounced husband and wife, they kissed as the crashing waves misted the wedding party one last time.
With the help of everyone present, the new husband and wife climbed down from the rocks without a scratch. They formalized the wedding by signing paperwork on the beach under the beautiful Tofino sunshine.
After the wedding
After the ceremony, photographer Chris took them on a fun journey along Chesterman Beach and into the old growth rainforest. Sarah had the time of her life running through the waves, climbing rocks and hiking through forest trails in an exceptionally fancy dress.
After their photo shoot, the newlyweds decided to stay in their wedding attire and enjoyed champagne in the restaurant bar, followed by an exceptional dinner at the best table in the restaurant. The sunset was spectacular.
After dinner, they found their room decorated with rose petals and their wedding cake awaited them next to the fireplace by the window. It was the perfect end to the perfect wedding day.