(PS, planning to have your wedding outdoors in beautiful evening light is totally worth it!)

What was your philosophy regarding your wedding day?
To be present in the moment and not worry about the little details. Also wanted the day to be filled with laughter and fun for both ourselves and our guests.

What was your favorite part of your day?
Honestly, everything. From getting up and having brunch with my bridesmaids, to the ceremony and the reception. It was one of the happiest day of my life and I enjoyed every moment. I don’t think that I have laughed so much in my life.

If you could change anything about your wedding day, what would it be?
Wish that it could have lasted for more than one day! Even though there were some minor hiccups to the day, those were the moments that added to the day and made it memorable.

Vendors shout outs?
Our DJ Richard Jans from Fun Factory, he made the evening so fun and knew all the songs to keep the party going. The Juniper Hotel and Bistro who cooked our delicious meals and were so flexible and accommodating to all our requests. The girls at Cascade Hair Salon did a great job on our hair.

And of course our lovely photographer Carla and her husband Leon. Eldon and I admit that we are not the most photogenic of people and get nervous in front of the camera. However, you both made us feel so comfortable and we had so much fun taking all the pictures.

Did my first stop motion video with Sarah & Ian – very fun:

Tell me your engagement story Sarah…

Ian told me we were going for breakfast, but instead drove to the airport. When he got out of the car, popped the trunk and I saw my bags packed, I nearly fainted. I’m not very impulsive. But he told me he had called my boss and booked me off work and we were going away, but he wouldn’t tell me where. We got on a Vancouver-bound flight and when we got there, he took me to all the places we went when we first started dating.

I also didn’t know that months earlier, Ian had told my whole family about his plan. He went with my sister-in-law to design my engagment ring. He found our favourite photo of us and tracked down the restaurant we were at that night by looking at the cross-streets in the background.

He took me to the restaurant in Vancouver where the photo was taken just in time for the fireworks coordinated to Andrea Bocelli music, reflecting off the water below. And there, he got on one knee, teary-eyed, and asked me to marry him. Ya, I know. It sounds like I made it up.

What were your favorite moments on your wedding day?

More than one favourite wedding moment. #1 – getting ready with my girls, #2 – seeing Ian as I walked down our ridiculously long aisle #3 – our wedding kiss just as “then he kissed me” by the Crystals played #3- the stop-motion video shoot.

vendors:
Panorama Resort
Eagle Ranch Golf Resort
Canterbury Flowers

I asked Leah a few questions about her day….

What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
Aside from seeing each other for the first time which was amazing, we thought the speeches given by our friends and family were amazing. They ranged from touching and sweet, to throw-your-head-back laughing out loud hilarious.

Any unexpected suprises?
Yes, but not in the sense of ‘something went wrong’ surprise. More from our incredibly talented MC, who dredged up and shared in hilarious detail, stories about Tero & I that entertained us and all of our guests.

What was the most emotional moment for you?
Feeling my heart in my chest as I came down the stairs of Hotel Le Germain to see Tero for the first time, and again upon hearing that he had watery eyes as I came down the aisle for the ceremony.

Truly an amazing day that just like everyone says, goes by way too quickly. Despite getting up at 7am to start the hair process, the day really did fly by and it was so special to have all our friends and family there together under one roof.

We worked with a great group of people to pull this day off – first and foremost, our lovely photographer Carla, who truly captured our personalities in the photos.

Natasha at the Glencoe Golf & Country Club ensured everything ran smoothly and was just so darn excited for us! Our married videographer team, Matthew & Nandini Westlake who came all the way from Vancouver for our big day and Loriann, our extremely talented florist who also devoted her time to the overall flow of the wedding. Bud, our driver from MC Limos knew all the short-cuts around town and our room at the Hotel Le Germain was top notch.