Forest Elopement Ontario

45°21’17.2″N x 76°02’14.1″W

Before we begin showing you Holly and Jacob’s forest elopement in Ontario, we’d like to acknowledge that we live and work on the unceded territory of the Anishnabe Algonquin Nation.

holly + jacob

After their initial wedding plans fell through due to a change in Covid restrictions, Holly and Jacob reached out to us. They needed help re-planning their intimate wedding in less than one month, before their marriage license expired. They knew they just wanted to be married, but they still wanted to incorporate some meaningful aspects into their day. We were so excited to meet them and discover they are the world’s biggest sweethearts. And it was an honour being able to craft a spectacular forest elopement in Ontario for them.

On the morning of the wedding as they were getting ready together, we noticed they wore matching red bracelets. We asked Holly to give us the backstory behind the bracelets, and here’s what she said: “The first summer that Jake and I were dating, we were doing long-distance. He was in Syracuse, NY and I was in Ottawa. So for his birthday, he came to Ottawa to visit and that’s when I gave him a red string bracelet. The card that came with the bracelets read ‘an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break’. The bracelets have never left our wrists.”

The Forest Elopement in Ontario

Along with their red bracelets, we noticed Holly and Jacob also had matching rings, aside from their wedding rings. We asked them what the significance of those rings were. Here is what Holly wrote: “Our first Christmas in the US, Jake made me a ring out of a quarter to match the one that he wears. Actually, when I first met him (when I was 17), I thought he was already married because he was wearing that ring on his ring finger.” And as it turned out, he wasn’t married at the time. But these handmade rings were a significant piece of their story, and it was important to wear at their forest elopement.

The elopement itself was magical. The morning was relaxed, and Jacob and Holly enjoyed their day getting ready together. As they finished putting on their wedding outfits, we drove over to their elopement location. As Holly writes, “Our ceremony location was important to us because I grew up in Carp, not far from Ottawa. It was important to us to have a location that is naturally beautiful. I believe this spot represented us and our relationship perfectly.”

Scroll down to browse through the photos from their Ontario forest elopement, and leave a comment if you’ve enjoyed it!