Planning a Muskoka elopement that looks nothing like a traditional wedding? Caitlin and Saurin’s creative elopement-inspired adventure included handmade and thrifted outfits, a rainy ceremony exchange at Lions Lookout, circus stilts, a black cake, gin smashes, and a tiny Muskoka cabin with a hot tub waiting at the end of it all.

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Planning a Muskoka elopement that looks absolutely NOTHING like a traditional wedding?

GOOD. YOU HAVE FOUND YOUR PEOPLE.

Because Caitlin and Saurin brought us handmade and thrifted outfits, a corset, colorful hair, a rainy ceremony exchange at Lions Lookout, circus stilts, a black cake, gin smashes, and a tiny Muskoka cabin with a hot tub waiting at the end of it all.

ARE YOU KIDDING?!

As artists, performers, professional goofballs, and two people who have absolutely no interest in squeezing themselves into somebody else’s version of what a wedding should look like, Caitlin and Saurin were basically our dream scenario.

Caitlin is a circus and performance artist who performs on stilts. Saurin is a tattoo artist who also performs alongside her, and together they even do clowning.

YES.

ACTUAL CLOWNING.

Do you understand why we loved them immediately?!

Their Muskoka elopement-inspired adventure took us from the rocky landscape at Lions Lookout to rainy portraits around Muskoka and, eventually, a tiny cabin tucked into nature. The weather had approximately ZERO interest in cooperating, which meant umbrellas came out, plans shifted, and we spent a little time hanging out in the car waiting for heavier rain to pass.

Did that stop Caitlin + Saurin?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

There were ridiculous faces. Rings ended up on tongues. Caitlin got on circus stilts. Cocktails appeared. A black cake slowly lost the will to remain structurally sound.

Somehow, every slightly chaotic piece made the whole thing feel even MORE like them.

A Muskoka Elopement Built Around Who They Actually Are

THIS. THIS IS THE STUFF WE LOVE!!!

From the beginning, Caitlin and Saurin weren’t interested in putting on costumes and pretending to be different people because there happened to be wedding clothes involved.

They wanted to look like themselves.

Just turned up a few notches.

Caitlin designed and created her own look using thrifted pieces, because apparently being a circus artist wasn’t enough creativity for one person. 😂 NEVER ENOUGH. All the creativity, always and forever!!! Meanwhile, Saurin combined thrifted and gifted pieces with an incredible corset and black and gold details.

The result?

SO. GOOD.

Saurin’s outfit gave them room to play with different elements of wedding fashion without being shoved into one traditional box. Their corset, jewelry, and black and gold details felt bold, expressive, and completely natural on them.

Caitlin brought that same energy with her handmade look and colorful hair.

Nothing felt like it came from a checklist titled “Things You Must Wear to Look Married.”

THANK GOODNESS.

They looked incredible.

More importantly?

They looked like THEM.

Thrifted, Handmade + VERY Caitlin and Saurin

One of our favorite parts of this Muskoka elopement was seeing how much Caitlin and Saurin had created, thrifted, altered, or collected themselves.

Their clothing and jewelry included thrifted, gifted, handmade, and personally altered pieces. Instead of buying an entirely new identity for the occasion, they took the creativity that already existed in their lives and brought it straight into the experience.

YES PLEASE.

Saurin wore a ring from Vitaly, along with spacers and a septum piece from Ask & Embla. MacRose Design created the florals, which somehow managed to fit beautifully into everything else these two had going on.

Nothing needed to be traditionally bridal.

Nothing needed to match perfectly.

Every piece just needed to make sense for Caitlin and Saurin.

THAT’S THE GOOD STUFF.

Muskoka Decided We Needed Rain

You know those wedding galleries where the weather is perfect, the wind behaves, and the sky appears to have personally signed a contract with the couple?

Yeah.

This wasn’t one of those days.

Outdoor elopements come with one extremely inconvenient truth:

WE DO NOT CONTROL THE SKY.

We have tried.

It has not responded to our emails.

Rain followed us through much of Caitlin and Saurin’s Muskoka elopement experience, so flexibility quickly became part of the plan. When heavier pockets moved through, we waited in the car. Once the weather gave us an opening, we grabbed our stuff and headed back outside.

Umbrellas also made several appearances.

Very glamorous behind-the-scenes stuff. ☔

But here’s the part we REALLY loved.

Caitlin and Saurin never treated the rain like it had ruined anything.

They laughed, made faces, rolled with the changes and kept having fun instead of spending the entire day wishing for different weather.

Which, spoiler alert, makes a HUGE difference when you’re planning an outdoor elopement in Ontario.

A Rainy Elopement Ceremony Exchange at Lions Lookout

When the weather finally gave us a break, we headed to Lions Lookout for Caitlin and Saurin’s ceremony exchange.

Even with moody skies overhead, the Muskoka landscape gave us a gorgeous backdrop.

Although, let’s be fair.

These two brought plenty of scenery of their own.

Their ceremony exchange wasn’t stiff or overly serious. There was laughter, plenty of goofing around, and even a moment when their rings ended up on their tongues.

Because fingers are OBVIOUSLY too predictable.

WE’RE SO ON BOARD. 😂

You could immediately tell Caitlin and Saurin were performers. Instead of worrying about creating a perfectly composed version of themselves for the camera, they moved, laughed, made faces, and played around.

Those became some of our favorite photographs.

Not because they looked like traditional wedding photos, but because they looked like Caitlin and Saurin.

Your Elopement Ceremony Is Allowed to Be Fun

Can we please release everyone from the idea that a meaningful ceremony has to be serious every single second?

We LOVE an emotional ceremony.

Give us the tears, shaky voices, giant laughs, and the moment someone has to stop halfway through because their brain suddenly remembers what is happening.

But meaningful and serious aren’t the same thing.

If you communicate through jokes, your ceremony can have jokes. When being goofy together is part of your relationship, you don’t suddenly have to become two extremely solemn people because you’re exchanging rings.

Your ceremony should still sound and feel like YOU.

For Caitlin and Saurin, that meant mixing genuine connection with plenty of humor. Their personalities didn’t disappear because the moment mattered.

They were the reason it mattered.

What Happens When It Rains During a Muskoka Elopement?

First?

We look at what the weather is actually doing.

Then we figure it out!

You can choose your season strategically, build backup plans, and check the forecast approximately 4,872 times. Eventually, however, Mother Nature is going to do whatever she wants.

For Caitlin and Saurin?

She chose RAIN.

A LOT OF IT.

Sometimes that meant hanging out in the car while a heavier pocket moved through. Other times we grabbed umbrellas and went for it.

Then another opening would appear and suddenly it was:

GO GO GO GO GO.

Back outside!

Rain doesn’t automatically mean your Muskoka elopement is ruined. Depending on the conditions, we can adjust timing, use umbrellas, find cover, wait for a heavier patch to pass, or decide the rain is officially part of the plan.

Besides, rainy elopement photos can be GORGEOUS.

Moody skies, deeper colors, reflections, wet rocks, mist, and umbrellas can create an entirely different atmosphere than bright sunshine.

We’d much rather help you work with the weather than have you spend your entire elopement fighting it.

Caitlin Got on Circus Stilts

FINALLY.

THE STILTS.

There are sentences you don’t necessarily expect to say when you become an elopement photographer.

“Okay, let’s get the stilts” is apparently one of ours now.

AND WE COULD NOT BE HAPPIER ABOUT IT.

Caitlin genuinely loves her super cool job as a circus and performance artist, so bringing that part of her life into the day just made sense. Saurin also performs alongside her, which meant incorporating their shared creative world into their Muskoka elopement photos wasn’t some random idea we pulled out because it would look cool.

It was THEM.

Suddenly, we weren’t just taking portraits.

Caitlin was up on stilts. Saurin was right there with her. Circus-inspired poses started happening, and the performer energy went through the roof.

And because these two also do clowning together?

THE FACES.

We had absolutely no shortage of expressions.

The commitment! The range! The ARTISTRY!

We live for this.

Your Muskoka Elopement Activities Don’t Have to Look “Adventurous”

This is one of those things we will happily yell from the rooftops forever:

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HIKE.

An adventure elopement does not automatically translate to “wake up at 3:00 a.m. and climb a mountain.”

Kayaking isn’t mandatory either.

Nobody is going to revoke your elopement card because you didn’t hike to a summit at sunrise.

Instead, think about what the two of you already enjoy.

Caitlin and Saurin are performers. Creativity, circus, and clowning are genuinely part of their lives, so incorporating those things made sense.

Another couple’s perfect Muskoka elopement might involve swimming in the lake, taking a canoe out, making cocktails at the cabin, cooking dinner together, hiking through the forest, playing music, or sitting beside the water doing absolutely nothing for three hours.

ALL OF THOSE COUNT.

The best elopement activities usually aren’t the things you add because they’ll look adventurous in photographs.

They’re the things you’d want to do even if nobody brought a camera.

A Tiny Muskoka Cabin + Hot Tub After-Party

Eventually, we made our way to Caitlin and Saurin’s tiny Muskoka cabin.

AND THIS PLACE WAS CUTE.

They stayed at Aux Box Muskoka, which gave them a tiny-home-style retreat surrounded by nature.

Even better?

HOT TUB.

After spending the day running around Muskoka and dodging rain, getting into warm water sounded pretty fantastic.

So that’s exactly what they did.

Gin smashes came out. Everyone got comfortable. Suddenly, we had ourselves a very private little after-party.

No ballroom necessary.

Give us a tiny cabin, a hot tub, and a couple of cocktails and apparently we’re VERY easy to please.

The Black Cake That Had a VERY Difficult Day

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE CAKE.

Because Caitlin and Saurin had a black cake.

Obviously.

Look at these two.

Was there ever going to be a white three-tier cake with little piped roses?

COME ON.

Unfortunately, the black cake had been hanging out in the car, where heat + melting ice + time created what we will politely describe as…

A situation.

By the time everyone was ready for cake, she had lost some structural integrity.

She was tired and was doing her best.

Was she the pristine black cake everyone originally pictured?

NO.

Was she still delicious?

YES.

Did Caitlin and Saurin think the whole situation was hilarious?

OF COURSE THEY DID.

They laughed about it, ate the cake, and carried on with their evening instead of letting a slightly melty dessert become some giant catastrophe.

THAT is why we love them.

An Extremely Important Elopement Planning Lesson From the Black Cake

There is also a very important educational moment hiding inside our cake tragedy.

Get a proper car cooler.

PLEASE.

If your elopement cake, picnic food, drinks, or anything else temperature-sensitive will spend time in your vehicle, make sure you have a setup that keeps everything cold AND dry.

Loose ice can create its own problems once it starts melting. Add a warm car, and suddenly your beautiful cake is having a much more adventurous Muskoka elopement than you are.

Learn from the black cake.

She has taught us all a valuable lesson. 🫡

Ending the Day in a Muskoka Cabin Hot Tub

After the rain, ceremony exchange, portraits, circus poses, gin smashes, and cake chaos, Caitlin and Saurin finished the experience together in the hot tub.

IT WAS SO CUTE.

More importantly, it felt like exactly the right ending for them.

There wasn’t another location waiting on the timeline or some elaborate finale they needed to manufacture.

They could make a drink, get in the water, laugh about everything that had happened, and enjoy being together.

Rainy Muskoka adventure → circus stilts → slightly defeated black cake → gin → hot tub.

Ten out of ten.

No notes.

Planning a Muskoka Elopement in Ontario

Okay, now let’s talk about why Muskoka works SO WELL for an elopement.

Because Caitlin and Saurin’s experience wasn’t only ridiculously fun to photograph. It also shows how much flexibility you have when planning an intimate elopement in this part of Ontario.

Muskoka is known for its lakes, forests, cottages, rocky landscapes, and classic Ontario scenery. While it’s also a popular wedding destination, you absolutely do not need a traditional waterfront venue or huge guest list to enjoy what makes this area special.

A Muskoka elopement lets you experience it differently.

You could exchange vows at a rocky lookout, book a secluded cabin, spend part of the day beside the water, explore forest trails, or combine a few different locations into one experience.

Then you can go sit in a hot tub and drink gin.

Again, WE LOVE OPTIONS.

If you’re still figuring out where in Ontario you want to elope, our Ontario elopement photographer guide is a great place to start exploring what’s possible.

Why Choose Muskoka for an Ontario Elopement?

One of the biggest reasons to consider Muskoka for an elopement is the amount of variety you can build into the experience.

Forests? Yep.

Lakes? Obviously.

Rocky landscapes, cottages, cabins, and scenic lookouts?

WE’VE GOT OPTIONS.

That variety means your Muskoka elopement can change throughout the day without automatically requiring you to drive across half of Ontario.

Caitlin and Saurin’s experience is a perfect example.

Lions Lookout gave them an outdoor setting for their ceremony exchange and portraits. Later, their tiny cabin created a completely different atmosphere for the end of the day.

Your ceremony location and accommodation don’t have to serve the same purpose.

Maybe you want to stay somewhere cozy and private but travel to a lookout for your ceremony. Perhaps you’d rather book a waterfront cabin and spend most of the day right there.

There’s no prize for visiting the most locations.

Choose the places that help create the experience you actually want.

If you need more ideas, go poke around our elopement planning blog and see just how different these days can look.

Choosing a Ceremony Location for a Muskoka Elopement

Finding somewhere pretty?

Easy.

Finding somewhere pretty that actually WORKS for your elopement?

THAT’S WHERE WE COME IN.

A scenic public location can create an incredible backdrop for a Muskoka elopement, but the view is only one piece of the decision.

Access matters. Parking matters. Privacy matters.

Crowds, weather, seasonal conditions, accessibility, and any current ceremony or professional photography requirements matter too.

A location can look absolutely perfect online and still be a terrible fit for your actual plans.

Maybe the access doesn’t work for someone joining you. Perhaps the spot gets much busier than expected at the time you’re planning to visit, or those gorgeous rocks become slippery after a full day of rain.

Pretty doesn’t automatically mean practical.

We want BOTH.

That’s why we don’t send couples a pretty Pinterest pin and call location planning finished. We help narrow down locations based on the experience you’re trying to create, then scout ahead of time so we’re not discovering important logistical surprises while you’re standing there in wedding clothes.

We love surprises.

Just not THAT kind.

What If It Rains on Your Muskoka Elopement Day?

First?

Nobody panics.

Then we look at what the weather is actually doing and figure out what makes sense.

Rain doesn’t automatically mean abandoning the entire plan. Depending on the forecast and conditions, we might shift the timing, use umbrellas, wait out heavier periods, find some cover, or lean into the weather completely.

Caitlin and Saurin did a little bit of everything.

We also like having backup options figured out BEFORE the day arrives. In fact, our elopement packages include a buffer day that can act as a backup weather day when we need it.

But here’s the important part: we don’t move your elopement just because there’s rain in the forecast.

We WANT you to embrace whatever your day brings! Rain, clouds, wind, sunshine, or some chaotic combination of all four can become part of the experience. That buffer day is there for situations when the weather becomes genuinely dangerous and continuing with the original plan isn’t safe.

A backup plan doesn’t need to be some sad consolation prize sitting in the corner while everyone hopes Plan A works.

No sad Plan Bs here.

It simply gives us another way to create an incredible experience if conditions change. Between backup locations, flexible timelines, and that extra weather day when safety becomes a concern, we have options.

Weather happens.

A good plan gives us room to adapt without making you feel like your entire Muskoka elopement is falling apart because a rain cloud had opinions.

What Should You Wear for a Muskoka Elopement?

Whatever makes you feel like yourself.

SERIOUSLY.

If Caitlin and Saurin teach us anything, it’s that creative elopement attire can be SO much more fun than trying to fit yourself into a wedding-shaped box.

Your clothing can be thrifted, handmade, altered, gifted, colorful, black, dramatic, a traditional white dress, a classic tux, or something completely outside the wedding-attire box.

Wear the thing that makes you look in the mirror and go:

OH YES. THAT’S ME.

Of course, we also need to think about where you’re going.

Muskoka’s rocky landscapes and forest trails can get slippery, especially after rain. If we’re walking over wet rocks or exploring trails during your elopement, we’ll recommend footwear and layers that actually make sense for the conditions.

That doesn’t mean you can’t wear the cute shoes!

BRING THEM.

You can travel between locations in safer shoes and change once we reach an appropriate spot.

We care deeply about the outfit.

We also care about your ankles.

Both can coexist. 😂

Where Should You Stay for a Muskoka Elopement?

Your accommodation can become a HUGE part of your Muskoka elopement experience.

A secluded cabin or cottage gives you somewhere private to get ready, eat together, relax between locations, or end the night without immediately switching back into travel mode.

It can also become an incredible photo location all on its own.

Caitlin and Saurin’s tiny cabin worked because it gave the end of their experience an entirely different energy from Lions Lookout.

Rocky outdoor portraits and rainy Muskoka landscapes earlier in the day.

Gin smashes and a hot tub later.

YES PLEASE.

When you’re choosing a Muskoka cabin or cottage for an elopement, though, don’t stop at “OH MY GOSH, THIS ONE IS CUTE.”

We know.

The cute cabins get us too.

Look at privacy, natural light, indoor space, outdoor areas, parking, road access, proximity to your ceremony location, and any property rules around professional photography or additional visitors.

If your accommodation is going to be part of your elopement experience, it needs to work like part of the plan.

How Do You Make a Muskoka Elopement Feel Like You?

Okay.

Here’s one of our favorite tricks.

Temporarily remove the word “wedding” from the question.

Imagine you had an entire day together in Muskoka and nobody else got to decide how you spent it.

What would you ACTUALLY want to do?

Maybe you’d hike or swim.

Perhaps you’d make cocktails, cook dinner together, hang out in a hot tub, paddle across a lake, or spend the evening beside a fire.

Maybe you’d bring circus stilts.

Your answer probably won’t look exactly like someone else’s.

GOOD!!!

THAT IS THE ENTIRE POINT.

Once we know what you genuinely want to experience, we can start building the elopement around it.

That’s also why our elopement photography and videography portfolio doesn’t look like the same wedding copied and pasted into different landscapes.

Different people should create different days.

We don’t want to make you look like our last couple.

We want to figure out what YOUR version looks like.

How Much Does a Muskoka Elopement Cost?

There isn’t one universal price tag for a Muskoka elopement because there isn’t one universal way to have one.

Your overall budget will depend on your accommodation, photography and videography coverage, transportation, attire, flowers, food, hair and makeup, activities, and any other vendors or experiences you decide to include.

The nice part?

YOU get to decide which of those things actually matter.

Maybe an incredible cabin is high on your list, but traditional decor isn’t.

Perhaps photography and video are the thing you want to invest in because you know those memories will matter years from now. Another couple might put more of their budget toward an incredible meal, an activity they’ve always wanted to do, or a few extra days exploring Muskoka together.

An elopement budget doesn’t need to look like a traditional wedding budget with fewer guests.

Spend money on the things that make you excited.

Skip the things you’re only considering because weddings apparently “need” them.

Our guide to how much it costs to elope goes deeper into the expenses you may want to consider when you start putting numbers together.

Do We Need to Know Exactly What We Want Before Contacting an Elopement Photographer?

NOT AT ALL.

You absolutely do not need to show up with your entire Muskoka elopement planned.

Maybe you know you want Ontario.

You like Muskoka.

Water would be cool.

Privacy sounds great.

You’re 87% sure you want to end the night in a hot tub.

WE CAN WORK WITH THAT!!!

As elopement photographers, videographers, and planning guides, we help our couples turn those early, slightly chaotic ideas into an experience that actually works.

That can include location recommendations, scouting, accommodation ideas, vendor recommendations, timelines, weather considerations, backup plans, and all the tiny logistical pieces nobody puts on the inspirational Pinterest board.

Because “LET’S ELOPE IN MUSKOKA!” is a fantastic starting point.

Eventually, somebody still has to figure out where you’re going, how you’re getting there, whether you need permission to be there, what happens if it rains, and where the heck you’re eating afterward.

HI.

THAT’S US.

We do the planning work ahead of time so your actual elopement doesn’t feel like one giant logistics meeting.

If you’re curious about what that looks like, you can explore our elopement packages and pricing.

You can also check our elopement travel schedule if you’re still deciding where your own adventure might take you.

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Caitlin + Saurin’s Muskoka Elopement Vendors

Photo + Video: The Organic Moment

Couple: Caitlin + Saurin

Florist: MacRose Design Co.

Caitlin’s Dress: Designed, thrifted + created by Caitlin

Saurin’s Outfit: Thrifted + gifted

Hair + Makeup: Michele Gomes MUA

Cake: Organic Bytes Sweets

Hot Tub Cabin: Aux Box Muskoka

Hair Colourist: Liv Hair Love Hair

Saurin’s Ring: Vitaly

Saurin’s Spacers + Septum: Ask & Embla

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Ready to Plan Your Own Muskoka Elopement?

If Muskoka is calling your name, there is SO much you can do with it.

Maybe you’re picturing a cabin tucked into the woods, vows beside the water, and cocktails back at your cottage. Or maybe your perfect day involves wandering through the forest, sunbathing by the lake, visiting a sugar shack, finding maple syrup ice cream, taking a boat ride, or hopping on Ski-Doos if you’re planning a winter adventure.

And your elopement doesn’t have to be go-go-go all day either. You could read beside the fire, put an old VHS tape on, break out a board game, make dinner together, or spend a few hours doing absolutely nothing but enjoying where you are.

THAT COUNTS TOO.

Or maybe you have absolutely no idea yet.

THAT’S ALSO FINE.

You don’t need to come to us with a perfectly planned Muskoka elopement. You can show up with a few scattered ideas, a feeling you can’t quite explain, or a very specific request like, “We want somewhere private, near water, with a really good place to eat afterward.”

We LOVE starting there.

From location recommendations and scouting to timelines, logistics, weather plans, and all those tiny details you don’t know you’re supposed to think about yet, we’ll help turn those ideas into a day that actually works. More importantly, we’ll make sure there’s enough room in the plan for you to ENJOY IT.

If you’re still in the inspiration stage, explore our Ontario elopement resources or spend some time digging through our elopement blog.

Want to figure out who these two romantics are before inviting us along? Come meet Liz + Jason.

And when your conversations start sounding a little less like “Wouldn’t it be cool if…” and a little more like “WAIT. Are we actually doing this?!”…

Send us a message.

Tell us what you’re dreaming up.

We’ll help you figure out the rest.

Circus stilts remain completely optional.

TALK SOON,
LIZ AND JASON