SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Tucked in between an array of business cards, cheeky bumper stickers and faded snapshots tacked to the rough wood walls of Bullocks' Bistro, you may be able to spot a heart drawn around two names, Andrew and Cailin.

Cailin and Andrew James said their vows at Pilot’s Monument on Feb. 17, after deciding to elope to Yellowknife. They had their wedding dinner at Bullocks’ Bistro that evening. - photo courtesy of Dave Brosha

Last week, the couple made a little addition to their handwritten note, "married, four years later."

A few months into their relationship, Cailin and Andrew James flew to Yellowknife in the fall of 2006 for their first trip together. She said they were always drawn to the North and immediately fell in love with the city.

"For me, seeing the Northern lights, I thought that was the greatest thing. For Andrew it was the fishing and the freedom of being surrounded by wilderness. It's such a special place," said Cailin from their home in Edmonton. "We feel this almost inexplicable connection to Yellowknife."

Four years later, when they started planning their wedding, there was only one place they wanted to hold the ceremony.

They hoped to tie the knot in the summer of 2010, but the logistics of bringing family and friends together - Cailin, 29, is from Kamloops, B.C. and Andrew, 31, from Elora, Ont. - became overwhelming, and a little exhausting.

In January, the couple decided to elope. The trip they'd planned to Yellowknife in February seemed like the perfect opportunity.

On Feb. 17, an unseasonably warm day, the couple exchanged vows on top of Pilot's Monument. The idea was simple, fun and a little offbeat. They'd signed the paperwork the day before.

She wore a 1940s-style ivory satin dress, he wore a Cowichan-type sweater. It wasn't a typical wedding but it suited them, explained Cailin.

"Neither of us really wanted a big ceremony, we're just kind of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants types," she said.

Their friends and family weren't entirely surprised.

"Everyone was really good about it, everyone kind of expected it, based on our personalities," said Cailin.

Adelle Guignon, a local justice of the peace, officiated over the ceremony.

"They got dressed up, they still celebrated. They weren't hiding anything ... It was beautiful," said Guignon.

"They just decided to come up and do it here and do it for themselves, which was really nice to see."

Guignon, who has presided over a handful of elopements in Yellowknife, said it was the nicest one she's seen, in part because they weren't rushed or worried about how their family would react.

Following the ceremony and a whimsical photo shoot, the newlyweds feasted on Arctic char and buffalo steak at Bullocks', which lived up to their memory of it being the best meal they'd ever had, said Cailin.

The meal turned out to be a treat, courtesy of a mystery well-wisher.

"It was the sweetest gesture, it just meant so much to us," said Cailin.

"No one would look twice at you if you were (getting married in Edmonton)."

After dinner, they headed to the Black Knight where people, tipped off by Cailin's dress, bought the couple drinks and rounds of congratulatory greetings.

Cailin said they were surprised and thrilled at how people reacted - from a discounted car rental to an unexpected upgrade to the penthouse suite at Coast Fraser Tower, complete with chocolates and champagne in their hotel room.

"People were beyond thoughtful. We couldn't have imagined anything more perfect,"she said. "We knew we'd have a great time because it was Yellowknife but what people did for us was phenomenal."

The James are planning receptions in their hometowns this summer and Cailin said they'd like to come back to Yellowknife for their one-year anniversary, perhaps bringing friends who missed the chance to come the first time.