On the big day, my hair was, what some might consider to be, well, a bit on the boring side. Down and parted down the middle with an everyday curl, just as I always wear it. I wanted to feel like myself and I know that my usual signature look is comfortable and photographs well. It was a safe bet, but it was the perfect way to add a casual element to my otherwise fancy attire. No regrets, but since I went for something so basic, I teamed up with my crazy talented wedding hair stylist Nadia Bullock, to create some other bridal hair looks to possibly inspire. And hey, it’s always fun to see what could have been!
There are some absolutely stunning hairstyles below, ones that I know you or your stylist could easily re-create. These are obviously done on very thick, long brunette hair, so if you’re working with a different texture or length, please leave any questions in the comment section below. It’s tough to choose, but the elegant half up is probably my favourite. Next time I get married, I’ll definitely be rocking that look 😉 Which one is your favourite of the bunch?
Everything to do with this darn wedding has felt absolutely out-of-body surreal. I spent so many years watching stranger’s wedding videos (I hope that isn’t as creepy as it sounds) that it barely feels real that we’re actually viewing our OWN wedding. When the heck did that all happen?!
Be sure to click through to see our amazing highlight video by the talented Rachel of The Heart Behind It. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it!
Like a true fashionista, I basically used the wedding as an excuse to buy every dress possible. This gorgeous little Cinderella number, being one of them. It is, in fact, a “prom dress” from ASOS that I purchased months ago, with the intention of saving it for my bridal shower. I thought the silhouette and detailing were beautiful and I loved the princess vibe , as my wedding dress was a very different style. Purchasing online is always a bit tricky, but I’m happy to report that it fits true to size and with my larger bust measurement, I didn’t even have to wear/probably couldn’t fit a bra underneath. Be sure to SHOP THE LOOK using the links above for the gorgeous Fall versions of this frock!
The one piece of advice I heard on repeat from past brides, was to hire a Day-Of Coordinator. I think many of us go into wedding planning with an independent and ambitious spirit, but truthfully, you can’t do it all. I know it can be really tough to stick to your vision and know where to allocate your limited funds, but it’s physically impossible for you to assume any other role on your wedding day other than bride or groom (or mother of the bride, or wedding guest, or anyone else that you try to give this responsibility to). Sure, hiring a Day-Of can sound like an added cost, but I’m here to tell you with as much emphasis as possible that it’s worth EVERY penny. You can’t put a price tag on your sanity. You NEED a Day-Of Wedding Coordinator.
Don’t be confused by these photos! We are NOT married yet (the big day is August 15th). Adam and I posed as bride and groom for Christie Graham’s Wedding Photography Workshop. All images are by Christie, and you can view the rest of them here.
Italian Phrasebook from Anthropologie ($10 USD, purchase here)
The day we booked our flights was slightly overshadowed by the apartment flood, as water began trickling down our walls just a few hours after we booked our trip to…*drumroll please*… ITALY! Due to our annoying apartment set back, only now am I revisiting this portion of our wedding and I can’t help but feel as though my ability to plan another event are completely exhausted. This is why I’m hoping you can help us out!
We were advised to wait until September to visit Italy, so we’re going to have a very brief mini-moon in Whistler for a few nights immediately after our wedding and then wait a month until we leave for the real adventure. So far, we’ve booked our flights in and out of Rome. We get almost three blissful weeks to explore the country, one that I’ve never visited and Adam hasn’t been to since he was a teen. We’ve narrowed it down to Rome for about 4 days, a very quick jaunt to Venice for a day or two, and then splitting the remainder of the time in Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast.
Have you been to Italy? We’re accepting ANY advice you can give when it comes to what area(s) to stay in these places (Cinque Terre is especially tough to choose and seems to be extremely booked up already), accommodation you’d recommend, restaurants, or really any Italian travel tips you might have. It’s completely overwhelming trying to book hotels in areas that I haven’t been. The internet can only take me so far, I would so appreciate your input! Thank you guys a ton.
Oh, and as for learning Italian, we’re quite impressed by this adorable phrasebook that I picked up at Anthropologie a few weeks ago. We practice a little bit each night before bed and hopefully we’ll master the language by the fall 😉
As of next week, we are exactly 5 months away from THE big day – finally! Jeez, we’ve been engaged for a year and a half and I kind of feel like we’ve been planning this wedding for a lifetime. I mean, the last time I updated you on our wedding planning was December 2013! I’m pretty sure that in a small way, once August rolls around we’ll be thinking let’s get this event over with already!
I’ve been trying for a few months to write this post and articulate my feelings about wedding planning. I think that ultimately, I have a love/hate relationship with it (let’s go ahead and cross wedding planner of the list of future careers). There are really tough decisions to make and I’m not exactly the most decisive person around. Plenty of times, I’ve felt completely overwhelmed and just avoided answering pertinent questions, because I just.can’t.deal. Our guest list still haunts us. As warm and inclusive people, we would LOVE to invite everyone we have ever met. Here in reality though, we’ve had to make some difficult calls. People warned us of this, but I really don’t think that you can grasp this concept until you’re staring at a spreadsheet, arguing about whether or not Uncle Bob can bring a date and who gets bumped if he does.
It’s not all stress though. We honestly have some of the BEST vendors on board with us and they have helped make this a fairly positive experience. I think (just decided this right now because I’m kind of only thinking about the wedding lately) I’m going to do a fun series on the blog leading up to August. Can’t wait to introduce you to some of these amazing vendors and to share the rest of this planning experience with you. Especially since we’re on fun things like decor, wedding party attire, and honeymoon planning right now!
Our wedding planning advice for the moment is to stay united as a team and fight for your vision. There will be compromises that must be made with people at times, but it’s so important to make sure the day remains a reflection of you two! xo
Today marks the one year countdown until our wedding. Planning has been a slow, near non-existent thing in our lives. But, I think today officially means we need to start making moves and decisions.
A few months back, Adam and I ventured up to The Old Vineyard in Pemberton for a long table dinner with Chef John Ferris of The Collective Kitchen. It was even more delicious than it looks in these photos. The last one is squares of cheesecake with fresh berries and chocolate drizzle. I mean, come on! We had the most amazing sunny evening at a long table with strangers, great food, and lots of laughs (and wine). At the end, I looked at Adam and said “We didn’t even get married today and I had SO much fun!”
We’re heading back to Pemberton this weekend to scope out the what’s it’s like at this time of year. V. important wedding research, of course. Ironically, the forecast is all rain, which squashes most of my plans. That’s okay though, I’ll let Mother Nature get the rain outta her system this August 15th, and by next year we’ll be all sunshine and blue skies 😉
The evening of our engagement, Adam revealed to me that he had one rule in exchange for the ring: I wasn’t to talk wedding planning for exactly one week. He wanted us to celebrate and really soak up the moment rather than drown ourselves in venue hunting and budgeting. Though it was more of a challenge than I’d expected, I’m glad we did it this way. Especially since things have a way of happening for a reason, don’t they?
We began our planning with the luxury of time. After much consideration, we both agreed that we’d wait until 2015 for the big day. Most of our friends really enjoyed the planning process and we figured we’d just extend that since we’re not in a big hurry. This put me at ease, as this industry can move fast with venues and photographers booking up really quickly. Though I’m not someone who put a lot of previous thought into my wedding day, one thing I knew was that I didn’t want to get married in Vancouver. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting married here, I just want something that feels like a mini escape. On the contrary, I hesitate about making a destination too far, as I still want a large number of our guest list to be able to make it. It’s all about finding what’s best for you as a couple, and for us that was a local destination. Something a few hours away but easy enough for our friends and family to travel to. As for numbers, our guest list was, for the most part, completed months earlier. I’m here right now to admit to you that I’d already made a Word Doc of our hypothetical wedding guests, sorted in categories and listed by number. Before we were even engaged, I knew that there was no way our list would be less than 150 people.
That brought us to the usually uncomfortable subject of money. Since I knew little to nothing about wedding costs, it helped talking to a few close friends who were okay disclosing some numbers. I also researched and found that the average Vancouver wedding costs about $30,000. Explains why a lot of couples are eloping, doesn’t it? The last piece important of the puzzle was to determine what kind of wedding we wanted. There’s so much inspiration out there (shoutout to Pinterest) and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by options. Besides pinning and browsing magazines, we also looked at a few of our favourite wedding photographer’s blogs. This helped us come to the conclusion that we want something rustic and outdoors. I’m totally picturing a long table meal outside with overhanging lights and beautiful views. Lucky for us, our search wasn’t far at all. There was one particular possibility that stood out above the rest for us. We arranged a visit as soon as possible and the second I saw it in person, I knew right away that we’d found it. Just a few hours away and so us, we know it’ll be THE ideal spot for us to say ‘I do’.
And as of just last night, we have our wedding venue BOOKED for August 15th, 2015! Feels as though a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders and I’m so excited to get that portion of the planning process out of the way. Next will be an even tougher decision for me, and that’s photographer! There are so many talented photogs around, it’s not going to be easy – wish us luck 😉
