Ditching a big wedding in favour of a small celebration with just the two of them present, Andrea and Jason wanted to do something special. They chose a tiny ceremony, before heading up in a rainbow-coloured helicopter for a bird’s eye view of the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

With Covid scuppering their wedding plans, Andrea and Jason just weren’t feeling the ‘big-wedding-day’ vibes. They thought a helicopter ride and a champagne toast would be a unique way to adventure together and celebrate. With no friends or family present, they still found a way of incorporating them into their day.

Andrea told us, “The vows were more emotional than either of us anticipated. My best friends made us a wedding playlist on Spotify that we had in the background. We also woke up to beautiful weather and an amazing fruit and champagne basket sent from friends.”

A photographer was an essential part of the day, and Rae Marshall captured the beautiful adventure which included a romantic champagne interlude to toast their love. Rae told us, “There is no better way to see the island of Oahu than by helicopter, seeing a waterfall you can’t normally see from the ground, incredible mountain ranges and the view of the city of Honolulu. The pilot told us what we were seeing as well, giving a little more insight. Photos on the ledge of the Ko’olau Mountain range were some of the coolest and most challenging I’ve done yet, but when our pilot headed toward the landing spot, I did question whether it was too small to land on!”

The couple landed briefly to spend a little time on the island and enjoy the beach and more epic views before heading back up. Andrea told us, “Sharing the whole experience with my new husband was my favourite part of the day. We wanted to do something special, just the two of us, and a helicopter to an epic landing spot was just unique!”

With a budget of $15,000, Andrea and Jason’s biggest expense was the elopement itself, travelling from Canada to Hawaii, and then the helicopter rental over the island. Even though the wedding was small, it still required detailed plans, and Andrea told us, “The best thing about planning our wedding was that we made all the decisions and designed the day we wanted. However I wish I’d spent less time researching and just pulled the trigger quicker on decisions!”