How to Plan a Helicopter Elopement in The Canadian Rockies
What Is a Helicopter Elopement?
A helicopter elopement is when a couple hires a helicopter touring company to fly them over (and even land on) some of the most beautiful and remote places in the world on their wedding day. Simply put, it’s an elopement day with a helicopter ride.
6 STEPS TO PLAN YOUR HELI WEDDING OR ELOPEMENT
Pick a Date
We think this is something that should always come first. In our eyes, it drives a lot of the other decisions and for many reasons. The main reason we put this first is because it’s a big factor in deciding the time of year, the season, the look in the landscape and can heavily influence how some landing locations will look and the freedom you will have to roam around when on the ground. Finally, there is the practical side of your date selection too, in terms of how busy the area will be in general. For example, are you choosing a peak weekend date in Summer where hotels and facilities will be very busy and require lots of planning and booking ahead, or do you have the flexibility to celebrate on a weekday earlier or later in the summer or winter months to take advantage of a slightly quieter experience in visitor numbers. That in itself may depend on the other activities you have planned for your celebration. It may sound like lots to think about so we feel starting with how you want the landscape to look is a good starting point!
Decide on the Number of Guests
This decision will be completely yours so just weigh up how you think you want your day to flow. Depending on the size of the helicopter, you’ll need space for you two, your officiant and photographer as a minimum. If you’d like more guests to come along for the adventure then you will have to charter more flights to get everyone to the ceremony location. This is totally doable and is why we have it as decision #2 to make as it may influence where you choose as a location and heli operator. If you prefer to keep things simple then just the two of you might be all you need!
Choose Your Location (and Heli Company)
Your desired look for the scenery is a great place to start. For example, flower filled meadows or rocky peaks, glacier backdrops or vibrant lakes, or all of the above if it’s possible? This is where ideas from instagram and pinterest can be super useful. We love when couples can send us some ideas they like in terms of locations and if it’s in the Rockies already we can tell you where it is, and better yet come up with some options that might pique your interest!
Something that’s often unknown or overlooked is that many heli companies have specific landing permits for the areas they can fly so it’s not a case of “wherever you want” but “which of these places”.
Throughout this location planning process, it may help continue to shape the rest of your trip to the mountains as certain areas can only be accessed by specific heli companies. For example, if you want to be immersed in sweeping valleys then landing at Marvel Pass is a great option so you would fly with Alpine Heli out of Canmore and be able to base your trip from Banff or Canmore. In contrast, if you preferred a glacial backdrop with icebergs drifting in the lake then we’d be prioritizing a flight from Valemount, BC and either shaping your trip from there, or even Jasper with a little extra driving. This is before we even get started with options from the towns of Invermere, Cranbrook, Golden, Nordegg, Revelstoke and Fernie which are all within a 4hr radius of Canmore.
There really is a lot on offer and by exploring your location options thoroughly, you can really open up some unique possibilities. We’ve had lots of experience in our personal lives with heli flights and chartered options and are very comfortable suggesting and exploring landing options with heli operators to see what’s possible.
Choose Your Flight Duration and Time
How much air time you need will be a result of your chosen location and guest list. It might be that with a larger guest list you want to consider a less remote location so that shuttling people around takes less time overall. This could be useful if you have concerns over the “weather window” required for your plans. In contrast, if it is just the two of you and you want to visit a few places then exploring your landing options and creating a chartered route is the way to do it. Whilst heli-companies have scheduled tour locations on offer, it doesn’t mean they don’t have some hidden gems that don’t get visited often! With a clear mind over how many people are coming and where you want to go, it will be quite simple to calculate air time with the heli company.
One final thing to note is the time of day for your flight. Some companies are strict with their operational hours and so if you really want a sunrise, or sunset experience then that might narrow your options from the start of your planning.
Book Your Vendors
With steps 1-4 decided upon, it’s time to lock in your other vendors. If you are making things official then as a minimum, you’ll need an officiant. In addition, you may consider photography, videography, perhaps a charcuterie, a cake, a florist and hair and make ups artists that know how to prepare you for a day in the mountains! We have a list of our preferred vendors that we can share with you based on couples reviews, word of mouth and of course working with them directly. Whilst you might be comfortable with the idea of a heli flight, it’s a good idea to double check that your vendors are too! Finally, just make sure that if you choose a location in Alberta, you have an Albertan marriage officiant and if you choose a location in British Columbia, then book a BC marriage officiant. Along with this, be sure to understand what, if any, additional travel fees your vendors have for your chosen location.
Prepare a Backup Plan
This is never the favorite topic of conversation but without it, you may as well not plan a heli wedding or elopement. The weather in the mountains can get wild and unpredictable and for that reason, any outdoor wedding or elopement we photography with our couples requires a plan B and sometimes even a plan C. The status of your heli flight will be subject to the current weather conditions on the day. Sometimes you won’t know for sure if your flight is going ahead until you are at the heli base. For that reason, you will want a rigid back up plan. You’ll want to know your personal “cut off times” for any decisions that need to be made. For example, if the weather looks shaky do you pull the pin the day before so you have time to settle in to the new plan, or are you going for broke on plan A no matter what and only switching to plan B in the moment and if so, how will this affect your experience on the day.
These are things that we can help you with and we can create options for you that will be magical and special either way. That said, if the idea of not flying is going to be an absolute heartbreaker on the day of then we suggest not planning a heli wedding, but instead planning a pre or post wedding heli photography session. That way, we can be more selective with the weather, it won’t impact the date that you chose to exchange vows and you get another excuse to get all dressed up together again!
With all of your steps in place, all that’s left to do is enjoy your heli wedding or elopement together! It really is an incredible way to get married. We may be biased as it’s how we chose to do things too, but we’ve never once looked back and wished we’d done things any other way.
At this stage, you may want to continue to familiarize yourself with some of the heli-operators in the mountains that provide some great landing locations, along with different areas to base yourselves for your trip. In no particular order, here’s some of the best:
Nordegg / Icefields Parkway - Rockies Heli Canada
Canmore - Alpine Helicopters Inc.
Golden - White Tooth Heli
Revelstoke - Glacier Helicopters
Calgary - Mountain View Helicopters
Cranbrook - Bighorn Helicopters
Invermere - Babin Air
Valemount / Jasper - Robson Heli Magic
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HELI WEDDINGS AND ELOPEMENTS
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The amount of people that can fit in a helicopter depends on the model of the helicopter. For example, the Robinson R44 can fly three people, and the A-Star helicopter has room for five people.
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As we mentioned in our planning tips, we’ll always have a plan b and plan c in place. We want to make sure that all decisions are made ahead of time so that when it comes down to it, we know exactly how to pivot to continue with the celebrations so there’s no interruptions to the flow of your day.
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Helicopter companies operate all year. If you are having a hard time deciding, start with your vision and what you want the landscapes to look like and go from there. This is why you’ll hear “there is no bad time to get married in the Rockies” because if you want snow, pick the winter months and if you want greenery and flowers make sure it’s in the height of summer. If you are traveling from out of town for this celebration then please ask us about your date and what to expect for weather, as our seasons in the mountains don’t behave quite like they do elsewhere in the world!
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Being able to move a little is always useful when considering your dress for your heli wedding. Be weary of a tight fit around the knees and allow for something that you can take a big step up and down in! And yes, long flowing dresses or big veils do look amazing in a mountain breeze!
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This will depend on the heli company so if this is a dealbreaker for you, we should check this first before anything else on the planning list! Make a call ahead of time and make sure before booking
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No. You don’t have to be fit to have a helicopter wedding. However, there is a weight limit that ranges depending on the helicopter you use. The only thing we would suggest is choosing a location that reflects your comfort levels. For example, don’t choose an exposed summit to land on if you aren’t sure footed or good with heights!