elopement at sunset at chesterman beach in tofino b.c.

A sunset elopement at Chesterman Beach, Tofino B.C.

Wedding

We’re going to be bold & blunt here in letting you in on a little secret, Chesterman Beach in Tofino, B.C., is probably one of the best elopement sunset locations in all of this little west coast village! Tofino, British Columbia, is one of those places that just about everyone has on their bucket list: from it’s world famous waves making it one of the top 3 surf destinations globally, it’s absolutely incredible sunsets, the old growth rainforests, it’s a nature lovers paradise and in our opinion, one of the best destination elopement locations in all of Canada!

We’ve been lucky enough to photograph and film a few intimate elopements in Tofino B.C., including Candice and Kevin’s who flew across Canada, just to elope at sunset on Chesterman beach. Originally these two were dabbling with the idea of eloping with simply just the two of themselves, their officiant, and us, however after debating hard on this choice, opted to add to their guest list just their parents to witness the ceremony.

If you’re wondering about how to logistically elope in British Columbia, you can check out our step by step guide here – Eloping in B.C.

The Elopement Day

Our groom, Kevin, started the wedding day morning with a surf in the ocean at Tofino. Surfing and Tofino go together like PB and J, and in our opinion, to get the most of out your elopement adventure to Tofino, surfing is a must! Here are some great surfing companies in Tofino if you need to rent all of the things:

Because Candice and Kevin opted to get married at sunset, they had so much flexibility and time during their wedding morning. Our bride, Candice, relaxed and got pampered at the boutique salon in Tofino – Salty Dolls Hair Salon – Tofino’s best.

We location scouted with our couple the day previous around Tofino, specifically at Chesterman Beach near their venue, the Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino Hotel on Chesterman Beach | Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, Canada (wickinn.com), and the forest areas surrounding. Thankfully we had done as Candice and Kevin chose to have their legal wedding ceremony down this almost secret pathway in the middle of the old-growth rainforest – it was so stunning and so PNW British Columbia elopement vibes all over! Kevin and Candice read their handwritten vows in the forest with only their parents present, and actually decided to have both of their moms be their legal witnesses. After the ceremony we all walked down to the beach to celebrate. Over a bunch of hugs & happy tears between themselves and their family, K+C popped a bottle of champagne and sliced up their wedding cake.

Candice and Kevin made plans and reservations to meet up with both of their parents later on in the evening for dinner, and in the meantime we’d be shooting their portraits all around Chesterman Beach. One of our biggest objectives with any of our couples getting married, is to help them feel comfortable, safe, loved, and help create an environment where they can be their real selves.
When it comes to a celebratory dinner in Tofino, there are so many delicious, unique, and romantic options. Here’s just a few of our personal favourites:

As the sun came down, Tofino surfers grabbed their boards after catching one last wave for the day, we hopped on some bikes with these two freshly married besties & we rode along the sandy shore of Chesterman beach all 4 of us with the world’s biggest smiles. Playing their first dance song through our phones little speaker, these two shared a first dance at sunset with the water right at their feet.

The behind the scenes to make it out to this day included shooting 2 back to back weddings locally that weekend (amounting to roughly 19 hours of shooting for two of our other incredible humans who also got married that weekend), the next morning catching a ferry, driving for hours while inhaling burgers & listening to an audiobook, zoning out with our brains mush after so much extroverted activities that weekend.

It was completely worth it to hear C+K’s private vows, the tears, the smell of the ocean and wind whipping Candice’s veil all over the place. To give these two a dream elopement; in a place that means so much to their hearts & relationship, to document a love like this.

We feel so lucky that these two flew across the country and chose to celebrate their elopement day in Tofino, B.C. with us. The career path we have chosen has never failed to amaze us: with each day learning, growing, and giving us the opportunity to create. Forever thankful for people like these two & days like this.