Imagine getting married at sunrise on a mountaintop and, after a day of epic adventures, relaxing in a magnificent inn nestled in the heart of the mountains. Gîte du Mont Albert, located in the Parc national de la Gaspésie, is the perfect venue for couples like Émilie & Pascal to live out this dream.

EMILIE & PASCAL WANTED AN INTIMATE WEDDING DAY WITH NO FUSS TO ENJOY QUALITY TIME TOGETHER.

How did their elopement at Parc national de la Gaspésie go?

• Seaside adventure session at the foot of a monolith at sunset
• Headlamp mountain hike on the morning of their wedding day
• First look in the company of mooses
• Wedding ceremony atop Mont Ernest-Laforce, bathed in morning light
• Exploration of the surrounding trails
• Picnic lunch prepared by Gîte du Mont-Albert
• Afternoon nap
• Drinks on the Gîte patio
• Hike to Lac aux Américains to exchange private vows and enjoy each other’s company until blue hour
• Wedding dinner featuring local gourmet products

WHY DID THESE EXPERIENCED HIKERS CHOOSE TO ELOPE IN PARC NATIONAL DE LA GASPÉSIE?

Émilie & Pascal felt that a traditional wedding meant “having to please too many people, not seeing time go by and not spending enough time as a couple”. Having hiked many trails together (Pascal even proposed to Émilie in Monts Groulx Uapishka), they wanted their wedding day to be spent simply enjoying each other’s company. They were keen to hike on their wedding day, without it becoming an intense physical performance.

“We wanted to let our love reveal itself naturally in intimacy by doing what we love most in the world.” 

After talking with them and listening to their concerns, Patrick & I suggested this destination. We felt that an elopement in the incredible landscape of the Parc national de la Gaspésie was the perfect balance between relaxation and adventure – everything they dreamed of and more. The trail we suggested gave them an unobstructed view of the surrounding peaks with a minimum of effort. And because of the park’s proximity to the St. Lawrence River, it also gave us the opportunity to take photos in very different environments.

AN INTIMATE OUTDOOR WEDDING

An adventure session by the sea

The day before their wedding, we arranged to meet Émilie & Pascal in Ste-Anne-des-Monts to show them one of our favorite spots on the gaspesian coast. Because we’d been in touch for several months, had helped them organize their elopement as they wished, and had already had coffee together to discuss the whole thing, we felt as though we’d been friends for a long time. In fact, that’s how we felt during all the hours we spent with them over the following days.

Getting ready and first look

On their wedding day, before the sun rose, we joined Émilie and Pascal at the trailhead to begin the gentle climb up Mont Ernest-Laforce. Once at the summit, they donned their wedding attire. They then took a few minutes in silence to admire a mother moose and her calf, before Pascal turned back to Émilie and took in the sight of her beauty bathed in sunlight. As the sky took on an incredible palette of colors, they embraced tenderly. Since a few steps away is a magnificent vantage point overlooking the jewel of the park – the famous Mont Albert, they took the opportunity to admire the alpenglow.

A sunrise wedding ceremony on top of a mountain

The location was well worth the short hike – Émilie & Pascal found themselves surrounded by a sea of mountains. Near the summit, placed on an erratic boulder, an engraved inscription perfectly expresses what we were all feeling in that moment:

Take it all in!
Breathe deeply.
Contemplate the shapes, the colors.
Feel the wind.
Listen.
Smell all the aromas.
Taste with all your senses.

I then put down my camera and, leaving Patrick to take over alone, I began their wedding ceremony – yes, I’m a wedding officiant too 😉 What an emotional moment! It’s crazy to experience moments of such intensity. It brings us back to what this commitment is all about. It’s an immense privilege to experience these moments of love in the feverish closeness of a couple.

Once the ceremony was over, Émilie & Pascal danced to their favorite song and celebrated by opening a bottle of champagne. Later, we set off down the mountain, stopping at a few points along the way to enjoy the view.

Private vows exchange at Lac aux Américains

If there’s one location in the park that’s instantly recognizable, it’s the easily accessible viewpoint from the Lac aux Américains. At sunset, it’s epic, but come blue hour, it’s absolutely magical! Émilie & Pascal took advantage of these gentle moments to exchange personal vows standing at the end of the dock, completely in tune with one another, but also with the lake and mountains around them.

It’s further proof that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do on your wedding day, and that it can be whatever you want it to be! As well as the adventure aspect of an elopement, there’s also a lot of flexibility and freedom – Emilie and Pascal really took advantage of this!

ADVANTAGES OF HAVING YOUR ELOPEMENT IN PARC NATIONAL DE LA GASPÉSIE

• A breathtaking natural landscape: The Gîte du Mont Albert is located in the heart of the magnificent natural landscape of the Parc national de la Gaspésie, surrounded by spectacular mountains and waterways. There’s a great variety of trails (from easy to very challenging). The park is also a 45-minute drive from the shores of the St. Lawrence River, making it possible to shoot in a wide variety of environments. It’s a breathtaking backdrop for your wedding ceremony and photos.
• A 4-star inn: Le Gîte du Mont Albert is renowned for its hospitality, fine local cuisine and unique decor.
• Varied activities nearby: Ste-Anne-des-Monts is close to many activities, including hiking, beach, sea excursions, cycling, canyoning, sea kayaking, golf, snowshoeing, skiing and snowmobiling. So you can extend your wedding celebration with fun and adventurous activities in the area. If you’ve got more time, you can even do the Tour de la Gaspésie (we’ve got plenty of locations to recommend)!
• Year-round accessibility: The park is accessible virtually all year round (with the exception of a few weeks in late autumn and early spring – when it’s no longer possible to walk the trails), which means you can hold your intimate wedding at almost any time of the year. You can choose to exchange vows in the warm sunshine of summer, the vibrant colors of autumn or the snowy wonders of winter.

Pascal & Émilie chose to have faith in us from the very start of our adventure together.

They were open to our location suggestions, trusted us with the optimal shooting times, and felt that we cared about the smooth running of their entire wedding day.

The sea of mountains that surrounded Emilie and Pascal for their elopement matched their quiet, gentle energy perfectly – it was incredible to experience this with them and capture it in photos.

P.S. If you’d like to experience your own intimate wedding or elopement adventure with us, whether in Gaspésie or elsewhere in Quebec, take a look at these other extraordinary locations!