Love In The Square Vancouver

March 15, 2018

Recently I (Tanja) volunteered my time for the 2018 edition of Love In The Square, a pop-up wedding event in Robson Square. The concept is the brainchild of Young, Hip & Married. They wanted to give back to the community and celebrate love by offering the most affordable weddings. When Love In The Square outgrew its humble beginnings, the fabulous wedding planners from Pop Up Weddings joined the team. And they certainly did have a ton of work organizing the event!

When I signed up, I didn’t know what to expect. But I knew when to fabulous ladies of Pop Up Weddings plan something, it’s got to be good! 🙂 That said, man, was I in for a roller coaster experience, haha. At the 2018 edition of Love In The Square, 151 people tied the knot! I ended up photographing 28 weddings! Craaaazy, right?

During the event, several officiants performed wedding ceremonies simultaneously. Couples could bring guests if they wanted. Some of them brought a whole entourage of family and friends, others preferred a more intimate experience with just the two of them. No matter their preference, the first kiss got them a cheer from the crowd.

Even though it was a mass event, so 10-15 minutes max per wedding, couples still personalized their wedding ceremony by giving it their own touch! Whether it was by bringing some cute props, or getting creative with their outfit (wedding dresses, suits, jeans, big coats), anything went.

But what I loved most, was seeing the variety of people getting married: young, old, LGBTQ+, couples with different background and ethnicities,… Everyone was welcome and this was by far the most diverse group of people I’ve experienced yet.

Are you interested in next year’s edition? Getting married at Love In The Square is the easiest thing. All you need to do is show up with a marriage license (which you can buy here) and bring a $20 cash donation for the Vancouver Food Bank (but be sure to check the website next year, in case something changes).

Still in doubt if Love In The Square is something for you? It is if:

You want to marry in the most affordable way available in Vancouver
No big wedding for you, but you love an enthusiastic group atmosphere
You don’t want to plan a wedding, but still love to celebrate/have a beautiful backdrop, get photos etc.

Love in The Square is not for you when:

You don’t like to be photographed/filmed: there is a lot of media coverage as well as professional photographers
You’re a private person and want an intimate experience: while your ceremony will certainly be intimate, the environment isn’t and there will be people looking, walking by etc.

I’m excited to see how this event will continue to grow in the next years! And of course, a big thank you to all the participating vendors (see list at the bottom of this blog post). In my photos, you can see decor by Bridal beginnings and officiants Shawn and Lani from Young, Hip and Married.