It’s our wedding day. We’re finally standing in front of our friends and family, and our officiant Stephanie says aloud, “A love like yours… deserves more than one celebration.” 

And just like that, we exhale, and we’re in the moment we’ve been waiting for. Never could we have imagined this could happen to us. 

But before we get there, let’s rewind it back…

Kevin and I met at a friend’s “anything goes but clothes” birthday party in the first year of University. We hit it off, but timing is everything and we did not reconnect again until the same friend’s birthday in our final year of University. We went on our first date walking along the seawall and have been together since. We moved out of our parents’ places to live together, road tripped the West Coast, explored foreign countries, advanced in our careers and bought our first home together. Flash forward 7 years and Kevin proposed in our home by hanging up strung lights and photos highlighting moments for every year we were together. He had “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole playing and was on the balcony ready to propose. I said “YES” and we were ready to start the next chapter of our love together.

That was the spring of 2019 and we began planning for our dream wedding the following year on June 20, 2020. Then COVID hit and turned all our worlds upside down, and presented us with all new challenges in life and in planning for our wedding.  

2020

If I could tell ourselves in early 2020 that everything would work out, I would say it is going to be more than okay, it’s going to be amazing. 

So, yes, we got married during the pandemic, and yes, we had two “weddings.” 

There were definitely hesitations prior to deciding what to do – what if people don’t care about our wedding since we already eloped? What if we don’t care? When things change daily during the pandemic, it’s hard to be decisive! 

But, in the end, we decided June 20, 2020 was our day and we were going to elope (while postponing the celebration to 2021)!

We wanted to keep our elopement simple with relaxed West Coast vibes – think oceanside, soft muted colours and minimal decor. We chose Caufield Park in West Vancouver for our ceremony, which is a small quiet park with uninterrupted ocean views and lush greenery. We rented one wood harvest table to be our one stop shop for signing papers, cake cutting, and a Fitzpatrick champagne to toast from our wedding venue. We were fully present, focused on each other and at ease. Stephanie, our coordinator and officiant also incorporated personal messages from family and friends during our ceremony which made the day that much sweeter. I love our intimate elopement. 

2021

When we were originally venue searching we checked out a few local Vancouver locations, but Kevin and I both agreed that our top choice was in the Okanagan. We both grew up going to the Okanagan with our families during summer breaks and held special memories there together.

You have to choose your top priorities when picking a venue, and ours were capacity, budget and having a classic vineyard feel. We had a number of Okanagan locations to check out, and when we first visited Fitzpatrick Vineyards, we instantly knew it was our dream venue. Literally had dreams about it. Its breathtaking cliffside vineyard views, access to multiple areas on the property (vineyard, crush pad and cellar) and delicious wine really set it apart from the rest. We didn’t think we wanted an outdoor reception, but it checked all our top priorities, so we went for it. Although we had to wait a year longer, it was worth it. 

Ceremony

We decided to do the ceremony on the grass at Fitzpatrick. And the huge benefit of choosing a venue with a beautiful lakeside backdrop – we needed minimal decor. 

For our flowers, we worked with the wonderful Kristina from Minim Designs. We provided a list of our favourite flowers and wedding colours to incorporate along with some photo inspirations and she made our dreams a reality! Being one of the hottest summers on record in the Okanagan, we appreciated that she designed everything to ensure it would last well into the evening as we repurposed items from our ceremony to reception. Kristina always has sustainability at the top of her mind and our flowers were locally grown, using sustainable materials. We were even able to donate our flowers to a local charity afterwards through her services. 

We wanted a unique arch behind us during the ceremony and the amazing Yuriko from Vintage Origami created a beautiful arch to signify our love for the mountains. We added onto that theme and played the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” once announced husband and wife. 

We wanted to create a full experience from the start for our guests. We welcomed them with Fitzpatrick champagne as they soaked in the view before the ceremony.  

As I was just about to walk down the aisle, I looked and saw all our immediate family and friends there ready for us. At that moment, I burst into tears realizing how special this was (not to mention a long time coming) that we could at last be announced as husband and wife, surrounded by our favourite people. I know for many the ceremony is just considered the legal or business portion of the day and prefer to get it over with, but with a charismatic officiant like Stephanie, the ceremony is my favourite part. I love hearing each couple’s love story and seeing their commitment to one another become official. 

Reception

Cocktail hour is a great time to get family and friend photos done. We served our signature cocktails – Sam’s G & Tea and Kevin’s Mojito (doubles of course) and delicious hors d’oeuvres from Joy Road Catering. 

Some highlights about our reception:

Layout

With COVID, we knew we had to get creative with tables as we were limited to max 6 guests per table. We also had to fit our entire floorplan under a tent. I love both long wood harvest tables and rounds with a creamy coloured linen, and we loved the idea to mix and match! We even had a few small couple’s tables set for two. 

With such a large bridal party, and being over a quarter of the guests, we could not have the whole party seated together. Instead, Kevin and I opted for a sweetheart table. What I learned is that having the table just for two creates nice intimate moments to be together that you may not typically get, as the rest of the time we are celebrating with everyone. 

Tablescape

You can spend a lot of money to fancy up tables, but we worked on getting a few elements that would go further on less of a budget. For the wood harvest tables, we added a blush chiffon runner down the middle with a variety of bud vases and candles. And for the round tables we chose a beige linen with flower centrepieces and a mixture of candles.

We opted not to add charger plates, but instead gold with grey tipped cutlery and a knotted napkin with menu card to add dimension to the tables. 

When creating tablescapes, it’s important to add texture and height to add fullness and make them eye-catching.  

Signage

We enlisted the help of my talented friend Kay from the Sweetheart Events team to create beautiful signage for us. We wanted frosted glass with white calligraphy for all our signage and they turned out amazing. Kay also surprised us with a beautiful printed invitation to match our wedding theme and used for some detailed shots.  

Repurpose

We were able to repurpose our ceremony arch to display our seating chart as well as be our backdrop for speeches. 

Stephanie had the brilliant idea to use the couch we rented from All Occasions as a photo op for guests. It was also where Kevin and I sat as we heard speeches. It was a big hit! We were able to add the ceremony aisle flowers around the couch as well. 

We are so grateful to our coordinator Stephanie for her guidance throughout the process and on the big day. She fully executed our day to perfection so we did not have to even think and could be fully present. A BIG thank you to all our vendors. Without you supporting us, we would not have had TWO magical days. 

Extra Details

Of course we had to have DJ Krucial K for our wedding. As our venue was fully outdoors, we were able to dance the night away! 

The food by Joy Road was amazing and incorporated a late night snack using Fitzpatrick’s wood fire oven for some delicious pizza. We also love our sweets, so we had donuts and a wedding cake from Kakes by Kathie. 

By having seven bridesmaids, I knew it would look too plain if they were all in the same colour and style. So, I decided to go ombre and have three different colours, plus each bridesmaid could choose their own dress style, hair and makeup to be their best selves!  

It can be intimidating to have so many different vendors. However, it is actually less daunting than it sounds and it’s great to have the freedom to mix and match to find the items you really want.

From our experience, having clear and open communication with each other, and not letting the frustrations of the pandemic steal the joy from planning is so important. Share how you’re feeling with your partner because we all manage stress differently and your wedding day is a special milestone between the two of you. Regardless of what others may say or tell you to do, you are a team and this time of wedding planning can bring you more intimately together. It was also great to have a professional like Stephanie to bounce ideas off of and feel that extra bit of support. We are all navigating uncertainty for the foreseeable future, but it can’t stop us from the joy of celebrating our love.