WHY CHOOSE EAST SOOKE PARK FOR YOUR VANCOUVER ISLAND ELOPEMENT

East Sook Regional Park is part of the Capital Regional District (CRD) Parks system. It is only a 45 min drive from downtown Victoria, but feels like you have escaped to a rugged remote coastline. The park combines an open grassy field (part of the old farm), a beautiful white sand beach, a rugged coastal trail, and lookout points that will make you swoon! It's the perfect location for an adventure elopement or an intimate wedding with your closest friends and family.

The park also has amenities to help make your day run smoothly. There are restrooms onsite, ample parking, covered picnic areas if you want a small ceremony with guests, and rugged trails that stretch for miles and miles along the coast if you want to add more adventure to your day.

TIPS FOR GETTING MARRIED AT EAST SOOKE PARK

The Aylard Farm Parking lot is the best place to access the park. From here, you can choose to venture deep into the parks trail system to find a quiet place to exchange your vows, or you can walk the short accessible trail (100m) to Aylard Beach and say your vows with your toes in the sand.

Here are some tips for planning your elopement at East Sooke Park:

• As with all parks that are part of the CRD, you will need to apply for a park use permit for your ceremony. At the time of writing, the cost of the permit is $145 and allows you to bring a photographer and an officiant to your ceremony. You need to apply for the permit at least 6 weeks before your elopement. You can find the permit application here.
• If you want to reserve the picnic shelter, you can also do that on the CRD website. The picnic shelter is great if you are bringing friends and family with you as it gives you a space for people to gather. The cost to reserve a picnic shelter is $50.
• If possible choose a weekday as this beach gets busy on weekends, especially in the peak summer months. To avoid even more of the crowds, choose the shoulder seasons when the weather is still warm, but the summer beachgoers are not there.
• Plan your ceremony for later in the day in the few hours before sunset for the best light. Aylard beach loses the afternoon light early as the sun sets behind the trees, but the open field and Creyke Point will be in the sun later in the day.
• Creyke Point is arguably the prettiest spot for photos and is easy to get to along a short forested trail.
• If you are up for a bit of hiking, the Coast Trail just past Alldridge Point is my favourite for rugged shoreline and hidden small coves. A great place for photos!
• If you are looking for a marriage commissioner to officiate your ceremony, one can be found here.

CONSIDERING ELOPING ON VANCOUVER ISLAND?

You can check out my full How to Elope on Vancouver Island Guide that will give you all the info on what to consider when eloping on this beautiful island. And, if you want to read about other fabulous beach elopement options on Vancouver Island, you can read my Top 5 Beach Elopement Locations of Vancouver Island blog post.