The Best Season for a Vancouver Elopement
Cherry blossoms in April, long golden evenings in summer, saturated rainforest in fall, and moody mist in winter. Each season is a different Vancouver.
Everyone tells you to elope in Vancouver in the dry summer.
The season that photographs most like Vancouver is not the sunny one.
Here the rain is not an obstacle to plan around. It is the city's defining visual character. Every season gives a different version of it.
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Vancouver plants over 40,000 cherry trees, and from late March through April whole streets become pink tunnels. The bloom stretches for weeks across varieties, a wider window than colder cities get.
Spring and summer
Vancouver plants over 40,000 cherry trees, and from late March through April whole streets become pink tunnels. The bloom stretches for weeks across varieties, a wider window than colder cities get.
Summer is dry and long, golden hour past 8:30pm, the seawall and Lighthouse cliffs at their best. It is also the busiest, so an early or late session beats the crowds and the harsh midday light.
Fall and winter
October layers gold and red maples against the evergreen rainforest, and the returning rain saturates the forest, giving the diffused overcast light that suits the deep greens. It is when the city looks most like itself.
Winter is mild and largely snow-free at sea level, trading snow for mist and moody, cinematic light. Low cloud on the North Shore mountains and mist through the old-growth produce frames the clear summer cannot.
Pick the season for the frame you want, then hand me the date. I plan the day around the light and the weather, file the permits, and both shoot and film it. Twelve years and 240+ couples in, the couples who came ready for the rain came home with the strongest, most distinctly Vancouver gallery.
