Planning a Haliburton elopement in Ontario? Holly and Jon’s off-grid cabin wedding included barefoot sunset vows in Haliburton Forest, a black diamond ring, rock-and-roll details, matching tattoos, red florals, bubble guns, gluten-free cupcakes, and a private evening making dinner and hanging out by the campfire. Quiet, weird, romantic, and VERY HonJolly!
Their intimate Ontario elopement took place at a tiny Cabinscape cabin tucked into Haliburton Forest. They got ready together, exchanged vows barefoot on the rocks, celebrated with bubble guns and gluten-free cupcakes, then eventually sent us on our way so they could make steak, light a campfire, and spend the rest of their wedding night alone.
Oh, and there was also a black diamond ring, a Lovers tarot card, matching tattoos, red florals, Tool references, and absolutely no shoes.
Basically, Holly and Jon showed up as Holly and Jon.
And THAT is exactly what we want an elopement to feel like!
Meet Holly + Jon, AKA HonJolly
Before there was HonJolly, Holly and Jon were both living pretty independent lives.
Jon grew up around Hamilton before eventually moving to Burlington. During the day, he worked as a carpenter. At night, he played drums and spent his time doing band stuff.
Dating, however, had fallen pretty low on the priority list.
After putting less and less energy into trying to meet someone, Jon had mostly accepted that he was perfectly happy doing his own thing.
Naturally, that’s when Holly showed up!
Meanwhile, Holly was living in her little house in Delhi with her beloved dog, Shelby. She worked at Toyota in Woodstock and spent her free time hiking, seeing friends, or sitting beside her fire pit under the stars listening to music.
She described that version of herself perfectly:
“A girl & her dog.”
Then 2021 became a pretty big year.
Holly had reached a place where she genuinely loved the life she’d created for herself. For Valentine’s Day, she bought herself gemstone jewelry, including a small peridot necklace she chose because of its green color and connection to the heart chakra.
At the time, the fact that peridot is the August birthstone didn’t mean anything to her.
Yet. 👀
An August First Date + One VERY Convenient Birthstone
A few months later, Holly decided to give online dating another chance.
She lasted about a week.
Not because she dramatically deleted every dating app from her phone, but because she met Jon and didn’t really care to keep looking!
Before they’d even met in person, music became one of their biggest connections. Jon regularly sent Holly songs, which she added to her little metal playlist and listened to throughout the day.
Talking to him felt weirdly easy.
So easy, in fact, that Holly sometimes had to remind herself that they hadn’t actually met yet.
That changed on August 1, 2021, when they finally met in person for their first date.
One day before Jon’s birthday.
August.
You know…the month of peridot.
EXCUSE US?! 🔮
That little necklace Holly had bought herself months earlier suddenly had a very cute plot twist.
They met for lunch at Ramblin’ Roads outside Delhi, shared some appetizers, and eventually headed back to Holly’s house for a bonfire.
Then Holly promptly left for two weeks.
Excellent start to a relationship! 😂
She and Shelby already had a road trip to British Columbia planned, but Jon still managed to come along in his own way. Holly sent updates throughout the trip, they FaceTimed, and one particularly enthusiastic night even resulted in a larger-than-expected phone bill.
By the time Holly came home, there wasn’t much question about where this was going.
Everything just worked.
Loud Music, Quiet Nature + Their Little Family
Music has been part of Holly and Jon’s relationship since their very first conversations.
Since then, they’ve gone to countless concerts together. Jon introduced Holly to bands she now loves, and they even traveled to England for Holly’s first music festival!
Travel quickly became another shared love. Jon joined Holly and Shelby on an East Coast road trip in 2022, while a later 17-day HonJolly Eurotrip took Holly and Jon through five countries.
However, these two definitely don’t need plane tickets or concert tickets to have a good time.
They love camping and finding secluded Airbnbs, especially when those places get them away from busy cities. At home, they’re just as happy cooking healthy meals together or making completely ordinary tasks more fun because they’re doing them side by side.
Then there’s Franklyn!
Their seven-year-old cat is the baby of the family and was born with deformed front paws. She has two toes on one foot and approximately one-and-a-half on the other.
Extra toes are overrated anyway.
All of this starts to explain why a private cabin elopement in Ontario made SO much sense for these two.
Loud music when they want it.
Quiet forest when they don’t.
Perfect.
A Very Organic Proposal Before a Tool Concert
On November 20, 2023, Holly and Jon had plans to see Tool in Toronto.
Already a solid day!
The night before, they’d visited WinterFest at Canada’s Wonderland and stayed at a hotel in Vaughan. When Monday morning rolled around, they were lying together and talking about how happy and grateful they were.
Apparently, this is something they regularly do.
WE KNOW. Too cute. This kind of cuteness overload is VERY much our thing.
In the middle of that completely ordinary moment, Jon pulled out a ring and asked Holly to marry him. There wasn’t an audience or elaborate setup. Instead, it happened while they were curled up together, having one of those conversations they’d had countless times before.
As Holly put it, the proposal was quite literally an “organic moment.”
COME ON!!!
We couldn’t have scripted that better if we tried!
Jon had also remembered Holly once mentioning that she might like a black diamond engagement ring. She wasn’t even entirely sure black diamonds existed at the time.
They do!
More importantly, Jon found the perfect one.
Later that night, they celebrated at the Tool concert, where Holly naturally attempted to get the lasers to reflect off her brand-new black diamond.
Rock and roll romance at its finest. 🤘
Why They Chose a Haliburton Elopement in Ontario
When Holly and Jon started imagining their wedding, privacy was a HUGE priority.
They wanted to be surrounded by nature, but they didn’t need their wedding day to involve a massive hike or an itinerary packed from sunrise to sunset. Instead, they wanted somewhere they could settle in, get married, and actually enjoy being together.
Keeping everything simple and budget-conscious mattered too.
So, a rustic off-grid cabin in the Haliburton Highlands?
Yeah. That made a whole lot more sense than a traditional wedding venue.
For their Haliburton elopement, Holly and Jon chose a Cabinscape cabin surrounded by Haliburton Forest. It gave them the quiet, woodsy setting they loved while also providing a home base where the entire day could unfold.
Most importantly, there was nowhere else they needed to be afterward.
No reception venue. No hotel transfer. No rushing across town because a timeline said they needed to be somewhere at 7:15.
Once they were married, they could make dinner, light a campfire, and disappear into the woods together.
Pretty ideal, actually!
If you’re beginning to plan your own elopement and aren’t sure where in Ontario you want to go, our Ontario elopement photographer guide is a great place to start exploring what’s possible.
Getting Ready for Their Off-Grid Cabin Elopement
Holly and Jon started their wedding day together!
There wasn’t a traditional split where they disappeared into separate rooms and avoided seeing each other until the ceremony. Instead, getting ready became another part of the day they got to share.
Their wedding details, however?
NOT boring.
A Lovers tarot card immediately set the tone. They also had a Tool duct-tape box holding some of their details, along with little nods to the music and rock-and-roll side of their relationship.
Holly wore a white dress with a bold red sash and an incredible flower crown. Jon picked up the red with his tie, while their florals carried that same color throughout the rest of the look.
Together, everything had this slightly goth, witchy, romantic energy that looked SO GOOD against the Ontario forest.
And then there were the shoes.
There weren’t any.
Both of them were barefoot!
Of course they were.
Making an Ontario Elopement Actually Feel Like You
Holly and Jon also have matching tattoos.
As two people who ALSO have matching tattoos, Jason and I immediately approved.
Some couples get matching monograms.
Some of us permanently put matching things on our bodies.
We support both lifestyles!
More importantly, their tattoos were another little piece of a wedding day that felt unmistakably theirs.
Nothing about Holly and Jon’s Ontario elopement felt like it had been chosen because someone told them, “This is what weddings are supposed to look like.”
The tarot card belonged there because it connected to them. Their music references made sense because music had been part of their relationship since the beginning, while the black diamond, bare feet, red details, flower crown, and matching tattoos brought even more of their personalities into the day.
That’s the kind of personalization we LOVE.
You don’t need twenty custom signs and an entire truckload of decor to make an intimate wedding feel personal. Sometimes the smallest details say the most because they’re things you would have chosen whether Pinterest existed or not.
We should be able to look at your photos and think:
Yep. That’s THEM.
A Sunset Haliburton Elopement Ceremony
As the light started to soften, Holly and Jon headed out to the rocks near their cabin for their ceremony.
The setup was beautifully simple.
There were no rows of chairs or giant floral installations. Instead, they had the forest, warm evening light, their officiant, and each other.
Barefoot on the rocks, Holly and Jon exchanged vows during an intimate legal ceremony.
And it was SO peaceful!
That’s one of our favorite things about keeping an elopement ceremony this small. Without a crowd watching, couples can stop thinking about how everything looks from the outside and actually settle into what’s happening.
Nobody is waiting for a reaction. You aren’t wondering whether everyone can hear you, and there isn’t a packed reception timeline waiting immediately afterward.
For a few minutes, the only thing happening is the actual reason you’re there.
You’re getting married!!!
Kind of important.
Haliburton Wedding Portraits + BUBBLE GUNS
After Holly and Jon exchanged vows and signed their marriage paperwork, the peaceful forest portion of the evening took a slight turn.
There were bubble guns.
Not tiny little wedding bubble wands.
BUBBLE. GUNS.
Naturally, we were DELIGHTED!
Holly and Jon ran around with them while we took portraits, and it was exactly the kind of ridiculous little addition that worked because it matched their energy.
Not every wedding photograph needs to involve gazing lovingly toward the horizon while contemplating the meaning of life.
Sometimes you should blast your new spouse with bubbles.
Balance. 🫧
Gluten-Free Cupcakes + a Private Night at the Cabin
After portraits, it was time for cupcakes!
Because Holly is gluten-free, finding something she could actually eat was obviously more important than choosing a dessert simply because it photographed well.
We recommended gluten-free cupcakes, and Cakes by Design Barrie came through.
They were delicious!
More importantly, Holly got to eat her own wedding dessert, which feels like a pretty reasonable requirement.
Once the photographed portion of their Haliburton elopement was finished, Holly and Jon had the rest of the evening entirely to themselves.
They made steak on the barbecue, lit a campfire, and settled into their cabin for the night.
We weren’t there for that part.
And we LOVE that.
Not every minute of an elopement needs to be photographed or filmed. Your wedding isn’t content first and your life second.
Some moments can exist simply because the two of you lived them.
Planning a Haliburton Elopement in Ontario
Okay, so now that Holly and Jon have probably made you want to book a tiny cabin in the Ontario woods, let’s talk about actually planning this thing!
A Haliburton elopement can be an amazing fit for couples who want privacy, nature, and a slower wedding experience. However, choosing a cabin instead of a traditional wedding venue also means thinking through a few logistics you might not encounter at a typical venue.
And yes, this is the part where we get REALLY excited about maps, backup plans, weather, timelines, and all the nerdy planning stuff.
Because we’re not only showing up with cameras.
Helping you figure out how the experience actually works is a huge part of what we do.
Why Elope in the Haliburton Highlands?
For couples dreaming about an Ontario elopement surrounded by nature, the Haliburton Highlands offer a setting that can feel genuinely removed from the busier parts of everyday life.
Forests, lakes, trails, and rocky landscapes give you plenty of possibilities when you’re building an outdoor elopement experience. At the same time, secluded accommodations can give you a private place to get ready, slow down, eat together, and stay after the ceremony.
That’s a big part of what worked so well for Holly and Jon.
Their Haliburton elopement wasn’t about squeezing as many locations as possible into one day. Instead, the cabin and surrounding landscape gave them what they actually cared about: nature, privacy, a beautiful place to get married, and uninterrupted time together afterward.
You can absolutely have an adventurous Ontario elopement without turning your wedding into an endurance event.
Adventure might mean hiking to a lookout.
It could also mean renting a cabin in the woods, getting married barefoot on the rocks, and celebrating with bubble guns before making steak over the fire.
We are VERY into both options.
If you’re comparing different Ontario locations, take a wander through our elopement blog to see how different landscapes, seasons, and timelines can completely change the feel of an elopement.
Can You Have a Cabin Elopement in Ontario?
Absolutely, but don’t book the cutest cabin you can find and immediately announce:
“WE’RE GETTING MARRIED HERE!!!”
At least not before checking a few things first. 😂
Every rental property has its own rules. Before booking an Ontario cabin for your elopement, find out whether the property allows professional photography and videography, ceremonies, vendors, additional guests, or any other wedding-related activities you’re planning.
Privacy deserves a closer look too.
A cabin can look completely isolated in listing photos while actually sitting near another property, shared trail, public road, or common area. If privacy is one of the reasons you’re eloping, make sure the actual layout gives you the experience you’re picturing.
Then think about where each part of the day will happen.
Where will you get ready? Is there a ceremony location nearby? Can your officiant easily reach it? Is there parking for any vendors or guests? What happens if it rains?
Those questions aren’t nearly as fun as choosing flowers.
But they matter!
What to Consider When Planning an Off-Grid Cabin Elopement
An off-grid cabin can be an incredible home base for a Haliburton elopement, but “off-grid” is also a pretty good clue that you should ask some practical questions before wedding morning.
Start with power.
Does the cabin have enough electricity for everything you plan to use while getting ready? Are there outlets? What kind of heating or cooling is available? Will you have cell service?
Then move on to the other glamorous wedding questions.
Bathrooms! Water! Parking! Cooking! Road access!
Romance is alive and well over here. 😂
If you’re planning to make dinner afterward, check what the kitchen or barbecue setup actually includes. Likewise, couples bringing a hair and makeup artist should make sure the cabin can support whatever tools they’ll need.
Weather matters too.
An outdoor ceremony in the Haliburton Highlands can be beautiful, but Ontario weather does not care how pretty your mood board is. Having a backup plan means you don’t have to spend the week before your wedding aggressively refreshing the forecast.
That’s one of the reasons planning support matters so much for an adventure elopement.
We help our couples think through locations, accommodations, vendors, timelines, weather, backup plans, and the logistics connecting all of those things together. You can read more about what that support looks like in our elopement packages and pricing.
Does an Ontario Elopement Need to Be an All-Day Adventure?
NOPE!!!
Can we put this one on a billboard?
An elopement doesn’t become more meaningful because you cram twelve activities into it. Likewise, it doesn’t become more adventurous because you hike farther, visit six locations, or stay busy from sunrise until midnight.
For some couples, an all-day adventure with multiple locations and activities is exactly what they want.
GREAT!
Other couples would rather get married somewhere private and spend most of the day alone together.
ALSO GREAT!
Holly and Jon wanted nature, privacy, a beautiful ceremony, and time to themselves afterward. Adding more simply for the sake of having “more” wouldn’t have made their Haliburton elopement better.
That’s why we start with the experience instead of a photography checklist.
What do you actually want to do?
How do you want the day to feel?
Who do you want there?
What would make you wake up the next morning and think, “Yep. That was absolutely us”?
Start there.
Then we can figure out where the cameras fit.
Our elopement photo and video portfolio is a good place to see just how different these days can look when couples build an experience around themselves instead of trying to follow one elopement formula.
How Much Does a Haliburton Elopement Cost?
There isn’t one set budget for a Haliburton elopement because the total depends on the experience you’re creating.
Your accommodation, photography and videography coverage, officiant, florals, attire, food, hair and makeup, transportation, activities, and any additional vendors can all affect the final cost.
However, an elopement budget doesn’t have to look like a scaled-down traditional wedding budget.
Maybe you care deeply about photography but couldn’t care less about decor. Perhaps an incredible cabin matters more than formal catering, or you’d rather spend money on an experience together than wedding favors for guests who aren’t coming.
Cool!
Spend money on the things that actually matter to you.
Holly and Jon are such a good example of how a smaller celebration can still be packed with personality. Their day had meaningful details everywhere, but it never needed to become elaborate just to feel special.
If you’re starting to put numbers together, our elopement cost guide breaks down more of the expenses couples may want to consider.
How Do You Make a Small Elopement Feel Personal?
This is where Holly and Jon absolutely NAILED it.
Their Haliburton wedding wasn’t filled with elaborate decor, but it was packed with things connected to their actual relationship.
Holly’s black diamond engagement ring traced back to something she’d casually mentioned to Jon. Her red sash and flower crown transformed her wedding look, while Jon’s red tie connected beautifully with the florals.
Meanwhile, the Lovers tarot card brought in their slightly witchy side. Tool references connected back to their shared love of music, and their matching tattoos told another piece of the HonJolly story.
Then they brought bubble guns.
Obviously.
None of those things came from a list titled “47 Things Every Elopement Needs.”
They chose them because they felt right.
When you’re planning your own elopement, think about what already exists in your relationship. Your favorite food, music, hobbies, traditions, inside jokes, clothing, places, or even the completely mundane things you love doing together can give you better ideas than trying to make your wedding look like someone else’s.
Personal doesn’t have to mean elaborate.
It just has to mean yours.
What If We Want a Haliburton Elopement but Have NO IDEA Where to Start?
PERFECT!
Seriously.
You don’t need to contact us with the cabin already booked, your ceremony coordinates pinned, a minute-by-minute timeline finished, and every vendor hired.
Please don’t do all our fun work for us! 😂
You can come to us with:
“We want to elope somewhere quiet in Ontario. There should probably be trees. Maybe a cabin?”
Yep!
We can start there.
As elopement photographers, videographers, and planning guides, we help our couples work through location ideas, accommodations, vendors, ceremony logistics, timelines, activities, weather considerations, and backup plans.
We also scout locations ahead of time, because your wedding day is not when we want to discover that the beautiful spot we found online has terrible access, nowhere safe to stand, or isn’t remotely what we expected.
The goal is to do the logistical thinking beforehand so you can spend your actual wedding day getting married and enjoying it.
If you want more Ontario inspiration, start with our Ontario elopement resources. You can also see where we’re headed next on our elopement travel schedule.
Holly + Jon’s Haliburton Elopement Vendors
Photography + Video: The Organic Moment
Couple: Holly + Jon
Necklace: Designs by Nature Gems
Officiant: Lianne Barley
Florist: Wild Lotus Floral Design
Accommodation: Cabinscape
Location: Haliburton Forest
Cupcakes: Cakes by Design Barrie
Ready to Plan Your Own Haliburton Elopement?
If your dream wedding sounds less like a ballroom and more like:
Cabin. Forest. Bare feet. Good food. Privacy. Possibly something a little witchy.
HI.
We like you already!
A Haliburton elopement can give you the feeling of truly getting away without leaving Ontario. You could spend the day exploring the forest, exchange vows beside the water, find a rocky lookout, plan a cozy cabin dinner, or keep everything close to home base and let the day unfold slowly.
You also don’t need to know exactly what your elopement looks like yet.
Maybe all you’ve got is:
“Ontario. Trees. No giant wedding. HELP.”
We can absolutely work with that! 😂
We’ll help you turn those first ideas into an actual experience, from choosing locations and figuring out logistics to building a timeline that leaves room for you to enjoy the reason we’re all there in the first place.
If you’re still collecting ideas, head over to our elopement planning blog or browse our elopement photography and videography portfolio.
Want to know who you’d actually be inviting along for this adventure? Come meet Liz + Jason!
Then, when your brain gets to the “OKAY, WE’RE ACTUALLY DOING THIS!” stage, tell us what you’re dreaming up.
Matching tattoos are optional.
Bubble guns?
We have now seen a VERY compelling argument for them.
TALK SOON,
LIZ AND JASON
