I’m so excited to share the next part of this series, featuring our newest addition to the team, Rebekah Landon. Rebekah joined us earlier this year bringing with her over ten years of experience in weddings, hospitality, catering, and events, as well as a diploma in Event Management — and we’re so excited to have her! It feels like she has always been a part of our team.
We thought it might be nice to introduce you to her by doing a little bit of a Q&A:
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I grew up in Ontario and studied psychology at the University of Ottawa. While I was a student, I also worked as a server at a restaurant that was sometimes rented out for weddings and other private celebrations. This is where I learned to love the joyful energy and dynamism that comes with planning events.
After I graduated, I decided to take things to the next level and earned a diploma in Event Management from Ottawa’s Algonquin College.
In 2017, my now husband and I decided to pack up all our things and move to Vancouver with our pug, Charlie, to start a new journey together. We drove across Canada, and soon after we arrived, I joined the team at Hycroft Manor as an events manager.
Working at Hycroft — which is such a beautiful venue — I got exposure to the world of weddings. The gorgeous garden and terrace, as well as many unique spaces for portraits, makes it a really popular event space for Vancouver weddings. It was during my time there that I developed a passion for helping couples to create the day of their dreams.
What made you choose wedding planning as a career?
Through my day-to-day work, I became quite familiar with weddings, particularly when it came to selecting the ideal venue for the day and choosing food and beverage that would support the overall vision.
However, I was still intrigued by the wedding planner role. I’ve always felt that wedding planners have the opportunity to exercise a lot of creativity and resourcefulness, which was really appealing to me. Plus, the role calls for a lot of the skills I already had: administrative and practical skills, and being of service to other people.
I had worked with Alicia and her team on several weddings during my time at Hycroft, and every time was a wonderful experience. I was drawn to the team’s dedication to their clients, their attention to detail, and their level of professionalism. So, when I got the opportunity to join the team, I was absolutely thrilled.
What do you love about wedding planning?
Some of my favourite things about wedding planning are the creativity, personality, and heart that go into it. I love how much teamwork is involved — both within our team of planners and with our local vendors. As a planner, I find it so cool to watch all the details we’ve been working on tirelessly come to life with the help of our amazing vendor community.
I view wedding planning as a storytelling exercise. We get to celebrate everything that brought the couple together, who they are, what they’re about, and the love they have built. The most rewarding part is getting to witness the couple make a commitment to each other as they set out on the next phase of their journey, and seeing them have the time of their lives with friends and family.
How would you describe your planning style?
Communication is the cornerstone of my planning style. I believe that clear, honest, concise, and timely communication helps everyone involved stay on the same wavelength. This is how we complete our tasks together and stay on course. Attention to detail is also extremely important to me. Plus, I love a good checklist — and I like to cross things off that list as early as possible. My goal is to make sure we’re being proactive, rather than reactive.
In a more abstract way, I think it’s really important to get to know everything I can about a couple. I ask them about all their favourite things, places, people, food, activities. I want to know what is really unique about them and help them identify the atmosphere they want to create. How do they want the event to feel? Both for themselves and their guests.
Those details then become the springboard for design, venue and vendor recommendations, food and beverage choices, and everything that reflects the vision they have for the day.
Where do you find inspiration?
I honestly think inspiration can be found anywhere. A single object or idea can balloon into a larger concept. Things like art, nature, history, pop culture, interior design, food and drink, fashion, travel, music — as well as the lens the couple uses to view all these things — can act as a source for inspiration.
On my end, I love keeping tabs on different types of events and celebrations from around the world. This way, I can explore new ideas, interpretations, and ways of doing things that can be brought into a wedding here.
What are your top 5 planning tips?
My top five planning tips are these:
- Try to enjoy the process as much as possible. It should be fun! Try to find special moments that you enjoy with your partner that are unique to planning, so that it doesn’t feel like a chore.
- Remember that this day is to celebrate your love story and your life together. Whatever is most important to you is key to the day. Don’t worry about what you’re “supposed to do” and focus on the elements of the celebration that really speak to you.
- Set aside some time in the wedding timeline for just the two of you — even if it’s just a few minutes. The wedding day can be really busy, and spending some time together will create a lovely snapshot in time that you can look back on forever.
- Try not to worry about the little things. Leave that to your planner and the vendor team. This will let you be really present and immersed in the experience.
- Follow your intuition and trust yourself when it comes to making decisions. Just be honest and clear about what it is that you’re looking for from your wedding day and vendors.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I am a little bit of a homebody — I love to read, try new recipes, crochet, and look after my indoor plant collection. I also really enjoy things like hiking, camping, exploring BC, and trying new restaurants in the city. Any time that I get to spend with my husband and my pug, Charlie, is also really important to me.
You can find more of our team features on the blog!