This, my friends, is the perfect winter wedding; a fabulous combo of rich red and purple hues, the crazy gorgeous stylings of Spotlight Event Planning & Design and layers upon layers of snowy goodness. Add in the always wonderful backdrop of Vancouver and some lush blooms crafted by Blooming Aisle Floral Design and, voila. Winter wonderland in one, two, three. See it all captured by Elle&R right here.
From Spotlight Event Planning & Design…. Right from the beginning, Sheena and Ben had a beautiful vision of a winter “Mountain Vista” wedding. They wanted their day to have fresh snow, warm fireplaces, a cozy log cabin, and be tied together with a fabulous touch of vintage elegance. Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, BC was able to provide the perfect setting for this December wedding. Although Sheena is originally from Vancouver, they both now live in the UK, and planned their entire wedding from abroad with the help of their wedding planner, Paige Petriw of Spotlight Event Planning & Design.
To reflect their personalities, the day needed to be timeless, unique and fun. They’re both young at heart, playful and classy all at the same time. Needless to say, they love adventure and winter getaways. All these characteristics were used to personalize every detail of their wedding day.
One of the first elements they wanted to incorporate were roasted s’mores. None of their family and friends from the UK had ever had them because, believe it or not, they don’t have s’mores in the UK. Real gas fire pits out on the patio were used for these, along with tree stumps for seating hand-carved by the Grouse Mountain lumberjacks.
Sheena and Ben chose a stag head as a running theme within the wedding design to bring in the mountain vista feel they were going for. To really bring this to life, they hung a faux taxidermy stag head over the fireplace in the Timber Room at Grouse Mountain. It was truly the perfect touch for the space.
To bring in the vintage atmosphere, they rented some beautiful antique furniture, including a settee, two chairs and a coffee table, for around the fireplace. They had a photo album of all their adventures together on the coffee table as well for guests to browse through while sitting by the fire.
They also wanted to incorporate an ice sculpture fitting perfectly with their winter theme. To take it one step further, they opted to make it a luge to add something unique to the party. Of course, the ice sculpture was carved into a stag head, and the luge was a party hit.
Their guest favours were pashminas and scarves to keep all their guests warm in the cold winter night, especially when outside on the patio roasting up s’mores.
Their wedding cake was actually made of cheese. They already had so many sweets with the candy buffet and s’mores, they opted for stacked speciality cheeses for their cake instead. Garnished with figs and grapes, and served later in the evening with an assortment of crackers and breads, it was truly a unique touch.
They decided to configure the room with one long dining table for their 40 guests. With crystal-draped candelabras and floral arrangements of burgundy and green as the centrepieces, the table was stunning. Silver charger plates, custom menus and mini jars of M&M’s embellished each place setting, with the pashmina and scarf favours adorning each chair with the guests’ names to mark their seat. White fabric swags draped the ceiling to soften the room, and twinkle lights strung from end to end to make the whole space romantic.
The love and laughter throughout the day is what resonated the most. A beautiful day of beautiful emotions for two beautiful people!
Photography: Elle R | Wedding Planner: Spotlight Event Planning & Design | Florist: Blooming Aisle Floral Design | Ceremony Venue: Grouse Mountain Resort | Reception Venue: Grouse Mountain Resort | Makeup: Makeup by Larissa | Hair: A Salon | Transportation: Time Limousine | Accommodation: The Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver | Cake (Cheese): Benton Brothers Fine Cheese | Candy Jars: Bootah Jardin | Decor Rentals: Upright Decor | Decor Rentals: All Occasions Chic Rentals | Decor Rentals: Art Of The Party | Ice Sculpture: Ice Decor | Marriage Commissioner: Joan Miller | Photobooth: Hoopla Photobooth Rental | Reception Musician: Adam Woodall Band | Vintage Furniture: Spruce Vintage Rentals