Last July, I had the pleasure of working with Olivia and Liam on their beachside wedding. The couple wanted their guests to fall in love with Vancouver over their wedding weekend and decided that scenery and west coast cuisine were key!
The day before they walked down the aisle, Olivia and Liam held a welcome party so that their guests could get to know one another before the reception and extend the time they had with each of their guests. Guests boarding a yacht from Coal Harbour and sailed around Stanley Park, under the Lions Gate Bridge, and into False Creek where they departed for a cocktail reception hosted at Liam’s parents house. With unbeatable views of the Vancouver skyline and the North Shore Mountains, this was an unforgettable start to the wedding weekend!
The following day, guests arrived at Saint Augustine’s Parish for Olivia and Liam’s Catholic ceremony. Olivia and her wedding party arrived shortly after Denise Elliott and her team finished with their hair and makeup and met Liam in the courtyard of the Parish for a private first look. When guests were seated, a string quartet from Musical Occasions began playing Pachebel’s Canon in D, marking the beginning of the processional. After the ceremony that featured many readers and the lighting of a unity candle, the quartet played Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s as the couple left the altar as newlyweds.
After the ceremony finished, guests made their way through Kitsilano to Brock House Restaurant where the reception would begin. Overlooking Jericho Beach, Brock House was another amazing venue to highlight the city Olivia and Liam love. When guests arrived they were greeted with Signature Cocktails and seafood treats including a prawn cocktail display and roaming oyster shuckers! Through this time, guests enjoyed the summer sun while on the lawn set with scattered cocktail tables and a lounge designed by Bespoke Décor.
Welcomed into the reception tent for dinner, guests were served wine from BC’s Okanagan region while the service staff from Brock House took dinner orders. Floralista decorated the tables with stunning centrepieces and Olivia and Liam used various cities that they had fallen in love with throughout their travels together as table numbers. With each city, they included a little note about what they enjoyed the most during their time there which added personable touch to the tables.
Between each course featuring fresh BC ingredients, Olivia and Liam had a few speeches scheduled to keep people engaged throughout dinner. Following dinner, guests were escorted inside Brock House to enjoy dessert and coffee while Olivia and Liam danced their first dance as a married couple to Coming Home by Leon Bridges eluding to that no matter where they are, they are home when they are together.
Aurora
