Two adorable sweethearts, a beyond stunning setting and a sweet-as-can-be key theme: this, loves, is what I call the perfect start to a Thursday morning. It’s fab decor from Vintage Origami meets a crazy gorgeous rooftop ceremony at the Hotel Eldorado meets all kinds of magical moments captured by Kevin Trowbridge Photography. See them all in the full gallery.
From the Bride… The wedding planning began with the venue, which wasn’t a difficult choice. The Hotel Eldorado has been one of our go-to places for a great time spent with family and friends for quite some time. It has an elegant vintage feel, which was exactly the mood we were going for. Finding out that they had a new rooftop ceremony site sealed the deal and we didn’t need to look anywhere else. The rooftop has beautiful 360 degree views of Okanagan Lake and the City of Kelowna. We received many comments on how perfect the ceremony site was and it made for some gorgeous photos! The reception room was decidedly different from a typical hotel ballroom and was the perfect size for our intimate wedding. I fell in love with its distressed floors, terrace, and views of the lake.
The wedding theme was inspired by a Tiffany & Co. key necklace that my mother gave me as a graduation gift from university – the key to my future. It was very meaningful to have the necklace wrapped around my beautiful bouquet created by Christina Jenion of Classic Creations Floral Design. My fantastic decorator, Yuriko Larson of Vintage Origami, helped me to execute a “Love is Key” theme with vintage skeleton keys and hits of lace and milk glass. The keys were also featured on the boutonnieres. In our ceremony, Dustin and I referred to the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris where lovers lock keys on the bridge and throw the key into the Seine River, which was such a special activity for us on our honeymoon in France. I love neutrals for home décor and holiday decorating, so stayed true to my taste with blushes, whites, creams, and metallics. Sugar cookies have always said “celebrate” to me, so we had skeleton key shaped ones made by Sarah De Francesco of Sarah’s Sweets as part of our dessert selection. Our dessert table was one of my favourite parts of the décor, along with the chandelier and lounge area on the terrace. We loved reading our guests’ responses to our “What is the key to a successful marriage?” activity in lieu of a guestbook, which were written on wooden tags stamped with gold keys.
Instead of spending a lot of money on a dress I would only wear once, we decided to splurge more on items we knew we would use again, such as my nude Christian Louboutin shoes and Dustin’s Burberry suit/shirt/tie. I am very grateful for my wonderful friends who recently got married and were nice enough to lend me the beautiful long veil with lace trim and Elsa Corsi earrings and bracelet. The veil really made me feel like a bride and made for some of my favourite photos with it blowing in the wind. The bridesmaids dresses were from Aritzia, which is my absolute favourite clothing store where I have spent a lot of time (and money!) with both my bridesmaids.
I actually saw our musician/singer, Cassandra Bangel, on Style Me Pretty and immediately recognized her from seeing her live a couple times in Vancouver. As soon as I found out she did weddings I asked her if she would come to the Okanagan and she agreed! One of my favourite moments of the day was walking down the aisle with my Dad to Cassandra singing “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles, a song I grew up listening to. Another was listening to her music while eating dinner and looking out at all my family and friends and the amazing lake views.
Another one of the best moments of the day was our first look, located on one of the oldest properties in Kelowna. Walking around opposite sides of the barn to meet each other was something I will never forget. I am so happy that our photographers captured Dustin’s emotion perfectly to make sure that is the case! The barns on the property definitely made for some of my favourite photos as well.
All in all, it was a perfect day – from getting ready with my bridesmaids in our Love Ophelia robes (which I discovered on Style Me Pretty!) to dancing the night away!
Photography: Kevin Trowbridge Photography | Floral Design: Classic Creations Floral Design | Cupcakes: Mission House Cupcakes | Brides Shoes: Louboutin | Bridesmaids Dresses: Aritzia | Makeup Artist: Nicole Hsu | Hair Stylist: Carolin Biafore | Grooms Attire: Burberry | Bride's Gown: Mori Lee | Bride's Jewelry: Elsa Corsi | Ceremony Officiant: Bonnie Schneider | Decor: Vintage Origami | Groom's Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction | Groomsmen\'s Attire: Calvin Klein | Invitations + Stationary: Modern Invitations | Location: Hotel Eldorado | Macarons: Sandrine Pastry | Musician: Cassandra Bangel | Robes: Love Ophelia | Sugar Cookies: Sarah's Sweets