Veronica With Love

View Original

A Modern Romance - Our Wedding: Getting Ready & First Look

Hi all!!

I am SO excited to share you all of my experiences, ideas, tips & so much more on Veronica With Love! I also can’t wait to share with you the biggest milestone of my life - our modern and romantic wedding! Check it out below!

Part 1: Getting Ready & First Look

Wow… it really is what everyone says - wedding planning is not for the faint of heart! As difficult as it was, that day - was beyond our wildest imaginations!

About a month into our engagement, we began our search for vendors. Originally, we had planned to have a destination wedding because of our mutual love for travel & adventure. But, we decided to keep our wedding at home and hopefully transform a space into a dreamy destination :)

Our modern, romantic wedding at JW Marriott, Parq Vancouver

You may now kiss!

THE PLANNER

Before we get into the big day, I just wanted to give a shoutout to the team & planner who made the best day of my life come to fruition - rockstar Vancouver Wedding planner, Kira, from Filosophi Events!

We were connected with Erin who owns & runs a wedding planning company called Filosophi, one of Vancouver’s top, bespoke wedding planning agencies which had raving reviews from family & friends who had previously used them. She matched us with one of their lead planners, Kira, who we immediately hit it off with. A note of advice, if you plan on using a planner - find someone you can connect & get along with! What I loved most about Kira was that she was super down to earth, honest & a great listener! (Don’t forget to check out  Filosophi’s Instagram to see more shots of weddings they’ve worked on!)

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

I am a huge fan of photography. I love capturing & viewing little moments, quiet details & raw emotion. The artistic & creative side of me really comes out when I have a camera - whether it be my IPhone, or camera in my hand. Photography is a big part of me - and choosing the right photographer to capture the most important day of my life means a lot to me. I had stumbled on Mango Studios when I was still living in Toronto (I was there from 2008 - 2014). I loved the way they story-tell, their way of editing, & how they were able to make me feel emotion from an image of a couple I’ve never met before. Luckily, one of their photographers had moved from Toronto to Vancouver (saved us accommodations & flight costs). I quickly jumped on having them capture our day with a long shot list of wishes. Celine, our lead photographer from Mango, knew exactly what I wanted - & it was a huge bonus that she is the biggest sweetheart & one of the kindest people we’ve met in this process. (For more of their work, check out their Instagram)

These love story photos were taken at Whytecliff Park on the Thursday before our wedding!

Love Story photos at Whytecliff Park

Modern, minimalist love story photos at Whytecliff Park

Romper: Lovers + Friends

Loving the “little people” perspective!

GETTING READY: GROOM’S SIDE

Back at our home… Can you guess what our song is?

Custom neon sign by Endeavour Neon

Custom Bowtie: Etsy

Shoes: Ecco

Custom Indochino ceremony suit: Colour - Deep Teal Melange

The Groomsmen! All in custom Indochino suits (Hemsworth Charcoal)

Custom gift boxes built by us. Inside: mini Crown Royal, Cigar, custom flask from Etsy, pocket square made by the same material as the Bridesmaid Dresses, custom bowtie by Etsy.

Great “James Bond” like shot

GETTING READY: BRIDE’S SIDE

Bridal robe: Spell Designs

BRIDAL PARTY HAIR & MAKEUP

Because we have so many beautiful women be a huge part of our special day, we needed many hands on deck for hair & makeup. I selected Denise Elliott & a local MUA, Simer to take on that task! They both worked professionally & on time!

Denise Elliott’s site & Instagram

Simer’s Instagram

Custom Monogrammed Bridesmaid silk robes: currently on sale here!

Bridal party getting ready at Parq Villa, JW Marriott, Parq Vancouver

Bridal Hair & Makeup by: Denise Elliott Beauty

Living my Victoria Secret dreams with mermaid hair & flattering, contoured makeup

Bridal lace robe: Spell Bride

Bridal intimates: Gooseberry Intimates

Makeup: Sarah of Denise Elliott

Hair: Mel of Denise Elliott

Fabric choices for bridesmaid dresses: Sourced by me at Rokko Fabrics on Fraser

Wedding Dress: Berta, find it in Vancouver at Blush Bridal

Shoes: Valentino

Bridesmaids and me getting ready!

Bridesmaids wearing the Meghan Markle bun & sleek makeup

BM Hair & Makeup by: Simer

BM Dresses: Custom, altered at Manuel Mendoza Couture (ask for Alison!)

Wedding Dress: Berta, from Blush Bridal

THE DRESS

The dress! I went into wedding dress hunting with an idea in my mind, something with a low back, slinky/ sheath fit & no sleeves. My sister-in-law had helped me tremendously with this experience - booking appointments & helping navigate the decision making - Ladies! Be picky! If you have a slight hint that the dress isn’t quite what you want - ditch it! (not to mention it is also a long term commitment you’ll have till your wedding day & hard to change last minute!)

I’ve always loved a specific Bridal designer, Berta, for how they can make the woman’s body look absolutely flawless (my personal opinion). After 20+ dresses with multiple designers & 2 bridal boutiques, Blush Bridal had exactly the dress I couldn’t imagine my day without. My dress is by Berta and is called Aisha.  It was the perfect amount of understated beauty, low back, sheath with capped sleeves. The moment I knew it was the one was when my mom looked at me and said “you look like a bride” (insert teary moment)

Andrea from Blush Bridal also wrote a piece on everything you need to know about my experience with this local boutique! Check it out here and their Instagram here

Flower girl dresses: Tutu Du Monde

Flower Girl Dress: Swan Queen Tutu Dress by Tutu Du Monde

Flower Girl Dress: Swan Queen Tutu Dress by Tutu Du Monde

Flower Girl Dress: Petal Me long tutu dress by Tutu Du Monde

Cape: Hypnotic Cape in Milk by Tutu Du Monde

THE FIRST LOOK

Traditionally, the Groom will see the Bride for the first time at the aisle. Because we had so many events during the day, that was not possible. We wanted the flow of events for our guests to be seamless without much waiting period. We decided to take a moment to ourselves (and to curb the nerves!) by having a First Look. The First Look was followed by creative, editorial wedding shots & photos with our Bridal Party.

Our Bridal Party! Bridesmaids in Champagne, Grooms-maids in Black + Sparkle, Groomsmen & Brides-man in Custom Indochino Suits

Editorial Wedding Photography: Mango Studios

Custom Bowtie: Etsy

Wedding Dress: Berta from Blush Bridal

Wedding Veil: Bisou Bridal