Witty's Lagoon Elopement on Vancouver Island

A forest and beach inspired Wedding

WHY CHOOSE WITTY'S LAGOON PARK FOR YOUR VANCOUVER ISLAND ELOPEMENT

Witty's Lagoon Regional Park is part of the Capital Regional District (CRD) parks system. It is located near the village of Metchosin and just a 30 min drive from Victoria on Vancouver Island. The park includes a large saltwater marsh, a freshwater creek including Sitting Lady Falls, 5 km of forested trails and a wide open sandy beach with views of the Olympic Mountains across the water. Witty's Lagoon combines everything you love about nature here on the west coast: a forest canopy, birds and wildlife and sandy beaches with mountain views. It's a fabulous location choice for nature lovers wanting to elope within close range of Victoria.

TIPS FOR GETTING MARRIED AT WITTY'S LAGOON PARK

There are multiple ways to access the trails and beaches of Witty's Lagoon Park. The fresh water creek that runs from the marsh out to the ocean divides the beach area into two distinct areas. Witty's Beach and Tower Point.

To access Witty's Beach, you will need to walk the forested trails along the marsh and around Sitting Lady Falls. You can park here to access this area of the park. From the parking lot it is about a 15-20 min walk through the forest down to Witty's Beach. The trail is beautiful! You'll be surrounded by ferns, salal, giant cedars and douglas firs as well as gnarly arbutus trees. It's nature's wedding aisle!

To access Tower Point, you can park here and walk the short gravel trail down to the rocky headlands that make Tower Point so unique. Although Tower Point doesn't have the same forest trail network, it does have a larger white sand beach surrounded by rocky headlands that is accessible even at high tide.

PROS FOR EACH BEACH LOCATION:

• Witty's Beach is bigger (especially at low tide) and gives you access to the marsh and forest
• Tower Point is more accessible with a shorter walk
• Witty's Beach is slightly less busy with fewer beach goers and has a more open feel.
• Tower Point has more white sand above the tide line making it accessible at a higher tide. It also gets the setting sun light for a bit longer than Witty's Beach.

No matter which beach you choose, you will have views of the Olympic Mountains across the strait!

OTHER TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR ELOPEMENT AT WITTY'S LAGOON 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.
• Plan your ceremony with a low tide if you want to be able to walk out onto the sandflats. Mid-low tide is when this beach really shines! You can check the tide schedule here.
• To avoid the summer beach crowds, plan your elopement for a weekday or in the shoulder season to avoid. The beach is a popular destination for people living in Victoria and can get crowded during the peak summer months.
• If you are looking for a marriage commissioner to officiate your ceremony, one can be found here.

HOW AMANDA AND CODY BROUGHT THEIR ELOPEMENT TO LIFE

Amanda and Cody got engaged hiking on a trail, so it was absolutely perfect that they chose the trail at Witty's Lagoon as their wedding aisle! Cody told me that going on a nature walk with Amanda meant coming home with moss, bark, grass, and mud in your clothes and hair. How fabulous that she should have these permanently embroidered into her wedding dress! Amanda's dress blended seamlessly with the forest, and you could feel just how at home they both were surrounded by nature.

These two were undeniably passionate about the great outdoors, and they couldn't have chosen a more fitting location for their wedding! While many would opt for the beach as the highlight, Cody and Amanda chose the trail as their special place. They searched for slugs, identified wildflowers, and listened for different bird calls as they made their way to the beach.

Their friend created for them a last-minute bouquet using local florals and greenery collected from the Airbnb where they stayed. Each flower was unique to Vancouver Island and the beautiful BC coast. Dogwood, ferns and cedar were all wrapped with a crocheted band, handmade by Amanda herself! Special in so many ways. 

Amanda and Cody met a small group of friends and family at Witty's Beach to say their vows to each other. Following the ceremony, they Facetimed family who couldn't be there for the ceremony and popped some bubbly to celebrate. We waded out along the sandflats and watched the last of the golden light fall behind the trees.

THE TEAM OF VENDORS WHO HELPED BRING THEIR DAY TO LIFE:

Makeup by Rachel Patterson Makeup Artistry

Hair by Sofia at Lustre of Pearl

Dress by Jordan DeRuiter

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 Vancouver 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.