This elegant engagement party at a Vancouver waterfront venue was planned and designed by one of our wonderful planners, Dallas Roy. What follows is her account of the celebration.
Every so often you meet a couple so thoughtful and so kind that the planning feels less like work and more like a delightful adventure. N & C are two of the loveliest people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. From the start, it was clear that every choice we made together would trace back to people, things, and moments they hold dear. And that’s my favourite style of celebration.
The design for their engagement party at a Vancouver waterfront venue was elegant, chic, and timeless, with a gentle nod to Newport Beach. Plus, it had to have flowers. So many flowers. Florals are close to both grooms’ hearts, and we built the whole evening around them. Featuring a palette of white and green with gentle touches of pink and purple, we layered blooms into nearly every corner of Ancora’s indoor and outdoor spaces.
One detail that stood out at the event was a custom toile, created by Canadian watercolour artist Emma Allen. It was a portrait of their life together — their dog, the Eiffel Tower, the cherry blossom tree on their street, their favourite bottle of champagne — each element chosen because it meant something to them. Paired with a vintage-style monogram, it was the visual throughline for the whole event: lining the cocktail trays, backing the bar and welcome signage, printed onto custom pillows, and decorating the after party wristbands.
Guests arrived to a glass of champagne marked with a little golden drink tag in the couple’s monogram. A custom scent drifted through the whole space, so that everyone shared the same softly familiar feeling of the evening.
This was a cocktail party through and through, which gave the night an easy, mingling rhythm. Nikita Afonso and a trio of musicians played through the first half of the reception before she then changed gears and DJed us into the later hours. Passed canapés and a food station kept everyone happily grazing.
As it was a May evening in Vancouver, we brought in a tent, and the team at Koncept Event Design dressed it with a series of structured lampshades suspended overhead. These pieces held their shape but seemed to drift and sway with the breeze, each one crowned with its own elaborate floral installation. Giant floral urns anchored the room as feature points, and we also tucked a floral installation right into the restaurant’s water fountain. Even the linens had a white-and-green garden pattern that echoed our design. Outside, a Newport-inspired patio lounge — white furniture with warm wood details and green accents — invited guests to step into the evening air.
So much of this party lived in its small, deliberate touches. Both grooms wore boutonnieres made with flowers that carried personal meaning. The cocktail napkins were printed with the face of their late beloved dog. The servers themselves became part of the design, in aprons and tea towels embroidered with the couple’s monogram.
For a bit of live magic, we brought in fashion illustrator Get Illustrated, who painted custom watercolour portraits of guests in their outfits throughout the night. In place of a traditional guest book, guests signed a vintage bottle that will fit right into N & C’s home decor. Other stellar vendors included Violet Grey Creative for stationery and detail photos by Michelle Diamond.
As the night went on, we passed late-night yucca fries in custom boxes printed with the toile. And then, to move the celebration along to the after-party at Parker Rooftop, my assistant and I led the guests on foot through the streets, monogram cut-outs held high, a little like a New Orleans second line. Up we went, from a party beside the water to a rooftop beneath the open sky to spend the rest of the evening.
One last detail that meant a great deal to the couple: once the evening wound down, all of those flowers were donated through Repeat Florals, so the beauty of the night could go on to brighten someone else’s day.
Dreaming up an engagement party, or a celebration entirely your own? We’d love to help bring it to life. Get in touch today.