Aaron and Crystal Cosgrove know how to keep a secret. It was only six months after they’d met that the couple decided to take their love and make it official, but given their quick engagement, they agreed that eloping made the most sense for them to ensure a laid-back day that was just about them.
“Neither one of us are super fancy—I didn’t care about a fancy dress, expensive food, an expensive ring. We’re just easy-going, laid-back people. Neither one of us wanted to spend a lot of money and we didn’t want people fussing over us,” says Aaron. “We just wanted our really close friends to come together and celebrate that we were finally done dating.”
An abandoned army bunker at York Redoubt national historic site was the perfect moody setting for their vows, with drag queen royalty Deva Station performing JP duties, cinder blocks acting as church pews and graffiti as the backdrop. The hush-hush nature of their wedding meant only 15 guests got to take in the couple’s vows and traditional Gaelic hand-tying ceremony.
“It was really neat and off the beaten path,” says Aaron of the venue, on the ocean less than a half hour from downtown Halifax. “It was a perfect representation of the two of us.”
After pausing to snap some photos, the celebrations continued at an Airbnb in St. Margarets Bay, with a stop for a quick pizza run en route. All in all, the wedding cost $1,000—dress included—which Aaron cites as proof that not all new relationships have to come with a side of wedding debt.
“We woke up the next morning and just went back to everyday life,” she says. “It was kind of perfect.”
Wedding Details
Dress: David’s Bridal
Decor: Michael’s / DIY
Rings: Etsy
Cake: Andrew Ivey
Caterer: Sophie Pilotte
Hair: Libby MacKay
Photographer: Tonya Porter
Wedding Venue: York Redoubt
Reception Venue: Airbnb in Saint Margaret’s Bay
Flowers: DIY wild flowers
Oh I love this. You two are honestly the most perfect couple I’ve ever met. I’m so beyond happy for the both of you.