Before the date, the place or the outfit, there is one question. How do you see yourselves getting married, if nobody else gets a vote?
Start there, and keep it close. What matters most to the two of you? Maybe you want to do it differently. Winter coats and cold cheeks in a national park. The rooftop of your favourite bar with the city lit up behind you. The little restaurant around the corner that already knows your order. All of it is possible. The only wrong answer is one that belongs to someone else.
More couples are planning it this way now. Elope first, celebrate later. The vows stay small and private, just the two of you or a few people you love. The party comes after, a long dinner next week or a backyard full of friends next summer. It is not a compromise. It is two different moments, each given the room it deserves.
Then the practical part. In business they would call it an MRP. Here it stands for Minimum Romantic Paperwork. For an elopement in Ontario, the list is short:
An Ontario marriage licence, valid for three months from the day it is issued
An authorized marriage officiant
Two witnesses
Two pieces of government ID each
That is the whole list. Everything else is up to you, which is exactly the point.
I will be there along the way, from the first “what if” to the last frame. Where to go, when the light is best, what to do after. And the more personal your idea is, the more excited I get. Send it to me, even if it is only half formed. Ready for the next step?
