Shaunavon pop-up wedding to let couples get hitched for less than $400
A small town in Saskatchewan is getting in on the pop-up wedding craze, allowing couples to ditch the five-figure wedding for a less-than-$400 one and still keep the matrimonial trimmings.
"We're always looking for different ways to promote our town and get our name out there to the world," said Dianne Greenlay.
"I thought, 'Why couldn't Shaunavon be the pop-up capital of Saskatchewan? Well heck, why couldn't it be the pop-up capital of Western Canada?'"
She pitched the idea to the town, believing it could be an alternative for people who might otherwise opt for a quickie wedding at a city office or Las Vegas.
The Town of Shaunavon, located about 350 kilometres southwest of Regina, was game, and now plans to host the pop-up wedding next June for 10 to 20 couples.
The basic package costs $379. Shaunavon businesses have bought in and decided to give couples some extra love, including one night accommodation, a decorated archway, hors d'oeuvres, photography, a bottle of bubbles and seating for up to 10 guests.
People also have the option to upgrade for extras like a round of golf, a couples' massage, flowers, a 30-minute airplane tour or a ride on a horse and carriage, antique car or tractor ride.
Greenlay says the idea came up when her own son and his fiancee decided to pass on the traditional marriage ceremony.
"I told them, this is such a mature idea. Why would you spend $10,000, $15,000 or $20,000 on one single day when you have so many other things in your life you want to do?"
She wasn't expecting him to call one night and announce he and his fiancee had gotten married in a pop-up wedding in Vancouver.
"When I started looking into these pop-up weddings, they are sweeping the nation," Greenlay said.
She said millennials are burdened with costs like education and housing, and don't necessarily want to go into debt for a one-day ceremony.
Kristy Thienes, the town's economic development officer, agreed, noting she and her husband got married in Las Vegas and used the savings to buy a house.
She said the town saw the value in promoting not just itself, but the rest of the province, by offering the pop-up wedding for other lovers.
"I think that there's a really incredible romanticism in southwest Saskatchewan," she said, pointing to Cypress Hills, Grasslands National Park and the sand dunes.
"I think as people get married here, and then spend a week of adventure ...with your loved one on the open prairie, would just be that romanticism."
