Naramata, British Columbia Wedding from Erica Chan
From start to finish, this wedding is perfection. The stunning light, the sweet details, the gorgeous couple - it's as though someone just waved a magic wand, and wallah! - the perfect wedding. But what makes this wedding even more perfect is the love that went into every moment, every detail. And to me, that is far better than the work of any magic wand. Thankfully Erica Chan was there snapping up all the pretty, allowing all of us to devour every second of this sweet day right here.
From the bride...My husband proposed in Costa Rica in February of 2010. We knew immediately where we would get married; at his family’s summer home on the lake in Naramata, BC. After being together for ten years, the summer home was a very special place to both of us. Naramata is a tiny town in the beautiful wine region of the Okanagan.
Our two main goals for the wedding was for everything to have a personal touch that reflected our personality, and for every single guest to feel special and get a chance to fall in love with Naramata. Bringing our dream wedding to life was truly a group effort. Both my husband and I, family and countless friends (including our amazing wedding planner!) worked together to bring our vision to life by creating almost every last detail. Wooden benches, antique sentimental jewelry, handmade ring pillows and Mrs. & Mr. pillows (made by my mom!), a home-made lemonade stand (made from an old Naramata fruit crate) which served spiked lemonade, hand made wooden table numbers and wooden flower boxes for the tabletops, collections of mason jars, wine barrels and wagon wheels, wood and stump platters, painted signs and vintage typewriters for guest book wishes were just some of the details that made our dream wedding a reality.
To welcome our guest to Naramata and to express our gratitude to all of our friends and family for making the trek to celebrate our big day with us, we made personalized welcome packages that we placed in every guest’s accommodation. The package included our favorite local cheese, crackers and a map of the area with all of our favorite things to do. Having both lost a parent to cancer, my husband and I wanted to honour our loved ones that couldn’t be there in a special way. We placed two Adorondak chairs on the dock, looking out at the lake. The chairs both had personalized engraved plaques and were draped in flower garlands that matched the flowers from my bouquet. We truly felt there presence on our wedding day. In lieu of a wedding registry we asked people to make a donation to the Klimo Oncology Foundation.
We wanted the all the rustic, handmade and special details and the natural beauty of Naramata to really shine, so I stuck to a primarily white colour scheme for the flowers and décor. The florist was a local woman whose gorgeous flower farm was just a short drive down the road! After a trip to the farm, we choose beautiful seasonal flowers (assortment of dahlias, white roses, rosemary, dusty miller and hydrangeas) for the bouquets and centerpieces. We added hints of baby’s breath to the placesettings for a little extra touch of whimsy. I was truly blessed by my vendors. Our wedding planner Sharzad Imani had been a close friend since I was thirteen years old. Sharzad worked with us for over a year to make our dream wedding a reality. Every bride deserves a Sharzad. Our photographer Erica Chan I had also known since I was a little girl. Her grace, relaxing nature and unbelievable talent made our wedding photos such a fun experience.
One of my bridesmaids, a friend since the third grade, just happened to be an avid baker and slaved for days to make all the desserts as well as the wedding cake. She created the whole dessert station with draped burlap and antique serving platters passed down through her family. The boys had their own station with their scotch and cigars. Another bridesmaid was a champ and traveled to Naramata and walked down the aisle at nine months pregnant! We were so happy to have her there. As the party got rolling, my brother eventually came out in a costume that our dad used to wear every Halloween, really bringing home a mountain of laughs and tears. At the end of the evening, flower candles were lit and sent off into the lake, sealing the love and spirit of the night with a sparkle that mirrored the night’s sky. This was truly our dream wedding and we will never forget the amount of love and joy that we felt from every one there.
Photography: Erica Chan | Wedding Planning: Sharzad Imani | Floral Design: Lisa | Catering: Mark Filatow | Ceremony Venue: Groom's Family Cabin | Reception Venue: Sandy Beach Resort | Hair: Tanya McCool | Make up: Kelly Trerise | Wedding Dress: Alvina Valenta | Dress Belt: Monique Lluillier | Shoes: Valentino | Groom Suit: Canali
Our two main goals for the wedding was for everything to have a personal touch that reflected our personality, and for every single guest to feel special and get a chance to fall in love with Naramata. Bringing our dream wedding to life was truly a group effort. Both my husband and I, family and countless friends (including our amazing wedding planner!) worked together to bring our vision to life by creating almost every last detail. Wooden benches, antique sentimental jewelry, handmade ring pillows and Mrs. & Mr. pillows (made by my mom!), a home-made lemonade stand (made from an old Naramata fruit crate) which served spiked lemonade, hand made wooden table numbers and wooden flower boxes for the tabletops, collections of mason jars, wine barrels and wagon wheels, wood and stump platters, painted signs and vintage typewriters for guest book wishes were just some of the details that made our dream wedding a reality.
To welcome our guest to Naramata and to express our gratitude to all of our friends and family for making the trek to celebrate our big day with us, we made personalized welcome packages that we placed in every guest’s accommodation. The package included our favorite local cheese, crackers and a map of the area with all of our favorite things to do. Having both lost a parent to cancer, my husband and I wanted to honour our loved ones that couldn’t be there in a special way. We placed two Adorondak chairs on the dock, looking out at the lake. The chairs both had personalized engraved plaques and were draped in flower garlands that matched the flowers from my bouquet. We truly felt there presence on our wedding day. In lieu of a wedding registry we asked people to make a donation to the Klimo Oncology Foundation.
We wanted the all the rustic, handmade and special details and the natural beauty of Naramata to really shine, so I stuck to a primarily white colour scheme for the flowers and décor. The florist was a local woman whose gorgeous flower farm was just a short drive down the road! After a trip to the farm, we choose beautiful seasonal flowers (assortment of dahlias, white roses, rosemary, dusty miller and hydrangeas) for the bouquets and centerpieces. We added hints of baby’s breath to the placesettings for a little extra touch of whimsy. I was truly blessed by my vendors. Our wedding planner Sharzad Imani had been a close friend since I was thirteen years old. Sharzad worked with us for over a year to make our dream wedding a reality. Every bride deserves a Sharzad. Our photographer Erica Chan I had also known since I was a little girl. Her grace, relaxing nature and unbelievable talent made our wedding photos such a fun experience.
One of my bridesmaids, a friend since the third grade, just happened to be an avid baker and slaved for days to make all the desserts as well as the wedding cake. She created the whole dessert station with draped burlap and antique serving platters passed down through her family. The boys had their own station with their scotch and cigars. Another bridesmaid was a champ and traveled to Naramata and walked down the aisle at nine months pregnant! We were so happy to have her there. As the party got rolling, my brother eventually came out in a costume that our dad used to wear every Halloween, really bringing home a mountain of laughs and tears. At the end of the evening, flower candles were lit and sent off into the lake, sealing the love and spirit of the night with a sparkle that mirrored the night’s sky. This was truly our dream wedding and we will never forget the amount of love and joy that we felt from every one there.
Photography: Erica Chan | Wedding Planning: Sharzad Imani | Floral Design: Lisa | Catering: Mark Filatow | Ceremony Venue: Groom's Family Cabin | Reception Venue: Sandy Beach Resort | Hair: Tanya McCool | Make up: Kelly Trerise | Wedding Dress: Alvina Valenta | Dress Belt: Monique Lluillier | Shoes: Valentino | Groom Suit: Canali