Little Creek Ranch

Little Creek Ranch is not really asking couples to come for a wedding day.

It is inviting everyone for the weekend.

Hidden in the Shuswap countryside near Chase, the ranch spreads across 150 acres where Huihill Creek winds through the property, two trout ponds catch the sky and an extraordinary old log barn still stands as a reminder of the land's history.

Guests do not necessarily have to leave when the music stops either.

There are cabins, outfitter tents, RV hookups and space for dry camping, allowing some of the people closest to the couple to settle in and make the wedding feel more like one enormous country weekend together.

The ceremony can happen surrounded by all that open space, with a choice of arbours helping create the place where everyone gathers for the vows.

Then there is the old barn.

Built from hand-hewn timbers once connected to the region's historic log-flume system, it has the kind of weathered character photographers spend years looking for.

And if the weather decides the outdoor plan needs to change, the 3,600-square-foot Loakin Bear Hall can carry both the ceremony and reception indoors.

The ranch currently works best for celebrations of up to around 150 people, keeping even a full wedding connected to the landscape around it.

But the loveliest part may come after the formal pieces are finished.

Somebody wanders toward the creek.

Someone else ends up beside the communal fire pit.

Friends who arrived as separate groups start sitting together.

The people staying on the property know there is nowhere they need to rush off to.

And eventually the wedding becomes less about the timeline and more about simply being there.

Under the stars.

Beside the creek.

On a ranch full of your favourite people.

For couples who wish their wedding could last just a little longer, Little Creek Ranch already understands.