A few weeks ago my daughter and I spent the day exploring downtown Abbotsford, and it got me thinking about steamy elopements. The downtown core is full of fun businesses, activities, and restaurants, that it could really be a cool spot to spend your day, and elope. I own a private cozy airbnb in town as well, so as my wheels started turning, I decided to plan out what a one day Abbotsford Steamy Elopement might look like.
The key to an Abbotsford Steamy Elopement, or any steamy session really, is the location. Because we’re staying in Abbotsford, I chose my airbnb The Oak Suite, as our home base. It’s a beautiful fresh and cozy space, that I have photographed many steamy sessions in. It also make a great space to get ready for your elopement too. The Oak Suite is a 600 square foot one bedroom rental, with a full kitchen and a beautiful glass shower. We do have a three night minimum, so I see you two checking in and having a nice dinner together, netflix and chilling the night before your elopement. The next day is your elopement day, and the third day could be going to see a hockey game, concert, comedy show, going to the lake, Abbotsford has so many spots to check out.
So what does your Abbotsford Steamy elopement day look like?
As your photographer, I’ll come around 9 am, and we’ll have a coffee and transition into your steamy photoshoot first. If you’re wearing a traditional gown, or suite for your elopement, I love to place those details around the space so it leaves little easter eggs around the space you’ll be able to see in your images. The steamy part of your day typically is around two hours, and then we transition into getting ready for your elopement. So I would dedicate 3 hours, we should be heading out around 12pm.
Our first stop after leaving the suite is to head to a little shop that I LOVE called Foxglove Floral Cafe. This spot has coffee and pastries, and it is a VIBE! You are also going to pick up any florals you would like here, make your own bouquet, or pre order something specific. The shop it self has couches, and it’s so colourful, it’s KICK ASS for photos.
After getting caffeinated and having a snack, we are headed to the coolest Alleyway in Abbotsford called Steamy Alley. It’s a little spot tucked away that I love the name of, how fitting is that? It’s a great spot to do your vows, or have an officiant meet you. It also happens to be right in front of a great little Tattoo Shop called Grey Tide Tattoo. So after your ceremony, you are going to head into Grey Tide and get matching tattoos to really celebrate the occasion.
Our next stop on our Abbotsford Steamy Elopement is to EAT! There are a ton of really awesome spots near by, but for this plan we are heading over to Field House Brewing, for beers and brick oven pizza. Field house has a big lawn, gorgeous patio and a wood fire place inside if the weather isn’t great. The atmosphere is so chill, and it’s a really good spot to just take a breath, enjoy some down time before the day continues.
After lunch, we are heading to do something artsy! There is a spot here in Abbotsford called The Clay Cottage, and it’s a ceramic studio where you get to go in, pick something to paint and then spend an hour or however long you’d like, painting it together. You can start the project, and go back as much as you’d like, or finish it on the day. They fire it in a kiln, and then you can pick it up about a week later. I thought being able to create another form of Art together would be fun, and you’ll have this piece to use in your home after.
After we leave The Clay Cottage, we are going to wander around downtown. There are so many little alleyways, shops, and courtyards to dance in, take photos, and just spend some time enjoying each others company. We have two more stops on the day, and first is picking up a cake for two from Reddy Made cakes. We’re doing this before dinner because the shop closes at 6, so we don’t want to miss it! They have so many cakes to choose, and my thought was to take this home after our last stop (dinner) and have a little cake and champagne to end the evening!
Swap out pizza for cake, but you get the idea! (I did this at another steamy elopement, where they had pizza and champagne on the floor at the end of the evening!)
For dinner, I FREAKING LOVE LA Reina. It’s a really cool Mexican style restaurant, and it has the coolest vibes. Neon lights, killer margaritas, and sometime they’ll have a DJ, and you can party it up for a little while. The food is excellent, and I can see so many photos taken in this place.
After dinner, it’s back to The Oak Suite for your cake, and cold champagne waiting in the fridge ( a little gift from me) A few more photos of the evening, and then i’ll leave you two to celebrate the rest of your time together.
It’s a full day from 9am – likely 8/9 pm, but the entire day is all at your pace and time. If you don’t live local here in the Fraser Valley, you could consider doing something similar in your hometown, even using your own home as your base. Steamy Elopements have NO RULES, so you do what feels the most like you two. For help planning you can download my free Steamy Elopement Guide it has a ton of information about destination steamy sessions, local places and my favourite airbnbs all over the world.
For more information on booking me to document your elopement, head to my website, and send over an inquiry. I set up a free 30 minute consultation to simply chat about your ideas, visions, dreams, and see if were a good fit, no pressure at all.
xoxo
Megan Ashley
