Truth be told, this wedding makes we wish I could do it all over again. To be the blushing bride poring love into every detail of a dream-filled day with amazing vendors like Filosophi Events and Celsia Florist by my side. It’s enough to make any girl a little green with envy. And the captures from Lucida Photography? Well, they’re only adding to the mix. See every ultra-romantic moment right over here.
From the Bride…Ian and I met at Trinity Western University near Vancouver; I was in Painting and Drawing, and he was studying Business, but we clicked instantly, and began dating within our very first week as freshmen. After dating just less than two years, he proposed! As we began the planning, we wanted something that felt very natural, very beautiful and not, as I always said, “wedding-y”. My Mom discovered the Brock House Restaurant in Vancouver. The combination of the charming old house and the ocean views fit our vision perfectly, and we decided to get married in the city where we met. Once we found our venue, things fell together beautifully – we were able to discover an incredible crew of vendors: Tahnee (from Celsia florist), Erin (Filosophi), Emily (makeup and hair) and Melia (Lucida) became more like friends, and I feel so lucky to have worked with such fabulous, inspiring people.
So much loving, careful effort went into the details of the wedding: our invitations were my handwriting printed on wood, and I illustrated each table number with leaves and flowers. A couple of my favourite touches were the wedding wreath we hung at our ceremony site, and walking down the aisle to harp playing Moon River.
We decided on an afternoon “garden party” reception. We opted for a (fabulous) jazz combo in lieu of the customary DJ and dancing, but my spontaneous dances with my Dad to “Can’t Help Falling In Love”, and then with Ian to “L-O-V-E” as my sister sang were some of my favourite memories. My sister is an INCREDIBLE jazz vocalist, and absolutely stole the show at the reception! Another favourite moment was Ian’s speech. He told the story of how we got to know each other playing cards during university orientation week, and then surprised me with a hand-made deck; he had written something that he loves about me on each card. His friends were quite concerned about how they could ever match that at their own future weddings!
When we were planning the wedding, so many people warned us “it’s just one day!”; it made me wonder if I would feel let down when it was all over. There can be so much hype and glamour surrounding being a bride and planning a “perfect” wedding. When the day arrived, however, there was just so much love and happiness there. There were so many happy tears from friends and family, and most importantly from my husband. I’m honoured to say that our wedding was far more than a combination of decor decisions and details, and my favourite thing about Melia’s photography was how well that shines through in the images. All of our planning just set the stage for something very meaningful; an authentic, love-filled, blessed start to our life together.
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Photography: Lucida Photography | Floral Design: Celsia Florist | Day-of Coordination: Filosophi Events | Location: Brock House Restaurant | Furniture Rentals: Trove Vintage Rentals | Jazz Combo: Henry Young Trio through Musical Occasions | Harpist: Janelle Nadeau | Hair and Makeup: Emily Cheng | Bride’s Robe: Plum Pretty Sugar | Bridesmaid Dresses: Joanna August