With a bride that has a natural knack for planning and DIY projects, it’s no surprise that this intimate gathering by Kelsy Nielson Photography is drop.dead.gorgeous. If I had to pick {which trust me, it’s very hard}, my favorite details of the day are the custom goosegrease cake toppers and unique One Plus One Design stationary – swoon! Who am I kidding? I love everything down to the knives. Take in every detail in the full gallery here.
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From the Bride… I’m a planner and organizer at heart and really enjoyed planning my wedding. Technically, I got a bit of a head start on planning before we were officially engaged, using the rationale that places book up quickly and that with family coming from overseas, we should get everything solidified well in advance! As such, as soon as Lucas proposed, I was able to give my family some key pieces of information that I already had in mind. We knew we wanted something fairly small and intimate, originally thinking that the guest list would be around 80 people. We also wanted a unique location that showcased western Canada. We live in Calgary, but neither of us are from there originally, and we have no family close by. Realizing that everyone would have to travel for the wedding, we opted to have a “destination” wedding on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. Most of Lucas’ family had never been to BC, so we thought this was a great way for them to have a quintessential BC experience. For me, the most important part of the wedding was the photography. For Lucas, it was the food and wine. That being said, Kelsy was the first vendor I booked, even before we had a location and venue selected. When it came time to select a location and venue, we went out on a limb and booked the Bonniebrook Lodge in Gibsons, BC without ever having been to the venue, or even to that part of the province.
Planning the rest of the details took much longer. Thanks to Pinterest and wedding sites like Style Me Pretty, I had a new inspiration picture every day! Pinterest really was a life-saver, and I pinned so many ideas to my various boards. Eventually, about three or four months before the wedding, I realized I needed to pare back my list and decide on key components and crafts. I was drawn towards rustic and vintage themes with lots of handmade details and personal touches. I ended up going with navy, coral, soft pink and gold as my accent colors for the decor. These colors were represented in the fabrics, paint and ribbons, but I didn’t want them totally dominating the wedding. As such, I chose bridesmaids dresses in the same style but in different, soft, seaside-inspired colors. To carry the navy theme, I stuck with a classic and chose navy and white gingham as my main fabric. This was used in both the cupcake toppers and the jam jar favors.
My favourite part of the wedding preparations were definitely the DIY aspects. I could not have done it without the help of my friends. In the end, my team of crafters sewed and stuffed all the fabric hearts, made the ribbon dowels, punched and stamped the jam jar tags, painted all the faux milk glass jars, wrapped the twine jars and sewed the burlap table runners. My mother was also a huge help and willingly completed any craft I asked. Armed with an inspiration picture, she made the embroidery hoop monogram for us. She also made my reception “bouquet” out of stuffed, felt hearts and cut out all the hearts for my programs. She and my aunt also picked all the raspberries for the jam and canned it all for me. Finally, my bridesmaids in Vancouver sourced out vintage tea cups at flea markets and thrift stores and made them in to candles as part of the decor. My bridesmaid Libby also had her husband make my rustic wood cake stand and the wooden coasters that we used as table numbers. Libby also designed and made the wedding arch using bamboo poles and a variety of ribbon and fabric. My bridesmaid Mandy also designed all the paper goods for the ceremony and reception, including the escort cards, the programs and the menus. Overall, the day was incredible. The weather wasn’t very cooperative, but we made the best of it, and in the end, the sun came out right as we were finishing our vows. We were so honored to have our friends and family come from so far away to support us on our wedding day.
Wedding Photography: Kelsy Nielson Photography / Wedding Venue: Bonniebrook Lodge in Gibsons, British Columbia / Floral Design: Petals Flower Farm / Catering: Chasters Restaurant at Bonniebrook Lodge / Wedding Cake + Cupcakes: Heather and Hunny / Cake Stand: DIY by the Husband of a Bridesmaid / Custom Cake Topper Kit: goosegrease + Hand-Painted by the Sister of the Groom / Wedding Invitations: One Plus One Design / Return Address Stamp + Monogram Stamp: ampersandity / Paper Straws: Lollipops & Pussycats / Bride + Groom Forks: Pretty Paris / Wedding Arch: DIY by a Bridesmaid / Fabric Hearts, Ribbon Dowels, Jam Jar Tags, Jar Decor + Program Hearts: DIY / Wedding Dress: Christos “Desiree” via Evalina Couture (403-264-3788) / Bride’s Shoes: Banana Republic / Bride’s Bracelet: Tiffany & Co. / Bride’s Necklace: A Family Heirloom / Bride’s Veil: Evalina Couture (403-264-3788) / Hair: Kaitlyn Hargreaves / Makeup: Christina Visser / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bari Jay “332” / Groom’s Suit, Shirt + Tie: Hugo Boss / Groom’s Shoes: Cole Haan / Groom’s Cufflinks: CuffDaddy / Groomsmen’s Pants: Indochino / Ring Bearer’s Outfit: J.Crew Crewcuts / Ring Bearer’s Shoes: TOMS