Brown's Bay Resort

At Brown's Bay Resort, the aisle can end with the ocean behind it.

Set on the Vancouver Island coast near Campbell River, the resort looks across the water toward mountains and passing boats, giving a wedding the feeling of escaping somewhere much farther away than the journey required to get there.

Couples can marry outdoors at Wedding Point beside the fishing pier, where up to 120 guests can gather with the bay opening behind the ceremony. For a more intimate celebration, the oceanfront clubhouse accommodates up to 85 guests indoors, keeping the water close even after everyone comes inside.

The setting does much of the work on its own.

There is shoreline to wander for photographs, cabins and resort accommodations nearby, and the kind of coastal scenery that changes constantly as the light moves across the water.

It is easy to picture guests arriving for more than a single evening. Bags are unpacked. People settle in. The ceremony happens beside the sea, dinner follows, and suddenly a wedding begins to feel like a little coastal holiday shared with everyone you love.

For couples who have always imagined their vows with salt air, open water and Vancouver Island stretching around them, Brown's Bay Resort gives the day something a ballroom never could.

The ocean is not a backdrop added to the wedding.

It is part of the story from the beginning.

• Outdoor ceremonies
• Indoor and outdoor options, with a plan for rain
• Rooms for guests on site
• Tented celebrations possible