Wedding Date: 

Saturday, September 22nd 2018

Location(s): 

Ceremony – Stanley Park
Reception – Boy With a Knife (Richmond, BC)
Afterparty – River Rock Casino (Richmond, BC)

List of vendors and URLs:

Young, Hip & Married (Ceremony)
Erica Miller Photography (Ceremony Photographer)
Scott Little Photography (Reception Photographer)
Boy With a Knife (Venue/Catering)
Beta 5 Chocolates (Dessert/Cream Puffs)
Hair, Makeup, Flowers – Done Myself! Eff yeah!
Spence Diamonds (Engagement Ring)
Cavalier Jewlers (Wedding Band)
Tiffany New York Bridal (Wedding Dress)

Describe your wedding day in 3 words.

Un-frigging real. (Can we count that as three? Haha.)

Describe your wedding day in more detail.

Brent and I had originally selected an helicopter elopement package from Young Hip & Married, however on the day weather conditions were deemed too poor to fly and we were offered a relocation to one of the company’s grounded spots (of which we picked Stanley Park). In the end, a kind of romantic choice as Brent and I are both born and bread Vancouverites who had met here in the city.

The Ceremony was conducted by our officiant, Kadee (of Young Hip & Married), and since normally the pilot and photographer act as your two witnesses when signing your paperwork, we would have been short one witness. Kadee asked if we would be comfortable with her son, Finnigan, standing in as our 2nd witness and we said sure! Finn, who I can only imagine is approx. 9-10 years old(?), had let us know he had been practicing his signature all day for the occasion and arrived with Kadee looking very dapper.

Brent and I decided not to write personal vows for the ceremony, and ultimately we were glad we didn’t. There were so many joyful tears that I doubt we would have been able to get the words out. The ceremony was nice and quick (approx 10-15mins), and once the papers were signed we jumped right into our photo session with Erica Miller.

We managed to escape the rain until the very end of our photography session which was great, and towards the end of our shoot as the rain approached there was a thick low hanging fog/mist that rolled in through the trees which made for an incredibly mystical magical forest feel.

Afterwords, we jumped back into our car service and were driven back to the River Rock Casino to freshen up quickly before driving to our reception venue where we would join our family and friends (Boy with a Knife).

We had opted for a very small reception of approx. 40 guests of close family and friends and we are both very happy that we did. The room at Boy with a Knife fit our group perfectly, and was decorated beautifully by myself, Brent and small group of our “unofficial bridal party” the night before. With all of the additional decor done ourselves, the balloon work at the venue was probably the most challenging feature that I had decided to take on, and I’ve gotta say, I have never been more proud of a personal project. The balloon installations were laced with LED strip lighting and glowed different colours all throughout the event.

Starting with a cocktail hour, our guests then sat down to an awesome family style dinner, which, once concluded, led into more cocktailing and dancing. Midway through the night (just after dinner), I broke out light up sneakers as an alternative to my heels – they matched the ever changing balloon installations and of course made it possible for me to continue to dance the night away!

When it came time to leave the venue, Brent and I had asked whomever wanted to continue the party to join as at the River Rock Casino (where many of our guests and us had booked rooms to stay the night)! We could not have written a better ending to our wedding night as I ended up winning $1,300 on a slot machine!

All in all, I would say that our big day was a “Party of the Year” (as Nevada likes to call it) that just happened to also be our wedding. Brent and I were happy, guests were thrilled, and everything fell into place perfectly.

Tell us about something your wedding just HAD TO have.

Brent. He is the sole reason for the entire wedding – no man, no wedding. Would things have gone differently if it wasn’t him? Who’s to say! But he was a big part of why our wedding day turned out the way it did (in the best way), and I now wouldn’t change what we did at all.

Besides that, I’d have to say our kick ass photographers! Photos are essential in my opinion – you never get to see everything that happens on the day as Bride and Groom, especially during the reception – but a great photographer will provide you with snippets of the night you didn’t even realize had happened.

And lastly (sorry I know I’m only supposed to list one thing!), BOOZE. No matter the size of party you host, alcohol is pretty much 100% necessary. If you didn’t know someone before the night started (which is often the case with different families & friend groups), you will know them by the end and be the best of friends.

Tell us about something you could have done without or wasn’t necessary in the end.

This is a tough one, but I’d honestly have to say the Beta 5 Creampuffs. I can’t speak for everyone, but I didn’t even realize when they were brought out and only ended up having one out of obligation. I was so full from the dinner that I think many guests didn’t partake in the dessert. Since we didn’t have a traditional “cake cutting” moment in the evening, I think we might have been able to do without or with a smaller, passed canape style of dessert. Brent didn’t even have one! Haha.

Tell us about your bridal style.

Unconventional. Badass. Crafty.

I had never wanted a big wedding, but always knew I had wanted to get married. It’s less about the event spectacle, and more about the announcement of union. “I chose this person, and I will continue to choose this person for the rest of my life!” – You don’t need a huge party to say that (although it’s nice to have for sure). If Brent would have let me, we probably would have eloped in Vegas.

What’s your advice for future brides?

As an Event Coordinator myself, I am used to focusing on the small things and am extremely detail oriented. Hosting my own wedding really forced me to step back and let go of certain things I normally would have stressed over. Ultimately, it’s important to remember that none of your guests will know what’s been planned which means no one will know when something doesn’t happen! Your family and friends will be so caught up in celebrating with you (as will you), that everything will be totally fine! You’ll be happy and married – which let’s face it, is why you’re doing this whole thing anyways! 🙂