Tara and Aaron had a woodland wedding in Canada. They wanted their day to feel natural, organic and to be as enjoyable for their guests as possible. “The theme for the day was really brought to life when I chose my wedding dress”, Tara said. “It was dip-dyed so that it had a very subtle purple ombre. That was the moment that our colour palette was chosen. We used lavender, grey, white and green. We wanted everything to look very natural since we were in the woods.”
The wedding was held at Sunwolf, a five acre woodland setting in the Coast Mountains, an hour from Vancouver. “Our wedding venue was beautiful on its own, so we didn’t need to overshadow that with any bright colours or over the top decorations. I think understated and ‘accidental’ beauty is often much harder to pull off than extravagant beauty. We wanted the event to be beautiful, but to feel natural and effortless, like it just kind of happened that way. We also loved the idea of using light to decorate. I wanted chandeliers in the trees during the ceremony to create a fun juxtaposition of nature meets elegance. I had no idea the chandeliers were actually going to light up; I didn’t learn that until I was walking down the aisle with my parents. I was just blown away by how something so simple could add so much to an outdoor space.”
“We decided early on that if we could not do things ourselves that we would try to find people locally who could help us”, she continued. “We also have some incredibly talented friends in the art and music community that were excited to help make our day memorable. Everything from our jewellery down to our shoes was done locally, and often by friends. Our wedding planner was worth her weight in gold too.”
The bride’s favourite moment of the wedding was actually the next morning, waking up for the first time as man and wife. “I think the best memory from the wedding was the next morning laying in bed together and going through all the photos of the day that our friends had taken”, Tara explained. “Aaron and I were truly happy that day and that happiness was reflected back upon us by our friends’ smiling faces. I just laid there and said to Aaron ‘We did it! We pulled off the most fun, most perfect wedding!’ Our hearts were full, knowing that our family and friends felt the same way we did; that they took part in a moment that was truly special, and cannot be repeated.”
Having an outdoor wedding, meant the couple and their suppliers had to do everything, which was a lot of work, but to them, totally worth it. “We both loved our venue, but I do not think either of us were aware just how much work an off-site wedding would be. I would have liked to know what we were getting ourselves into ahead of time. Getting married in a place with no ready venue, everything needed to be built up from scratch. There were expenses that we had not expected that would have been nice to plan for in advance. The largest expense (by far!) was our catering. Off-site weddings will generally mean that a kitchen will need to be brought in for the caterers to cook. Food quality was really important to us, and Aaron is vegan so we also needed to find a company that could meet his dietary needs.”
“Our advice for any other couples getting married would be to be creative and do something new and exciting!” she concluded. “Do something people haven’t seen before, and don’t think that you have to stick too closely to the usual wedding traditions. Your wedding day is for you, make sure you remember that. I think if all else fails just make sure you and your guests are having fun, laughing together, and making memories.”
“We served drinks at the wedding ceremony, and I must say our guests were pleasantly surprised. To this day, our friends still talk about how they sat down and were served a beer, and how it set the tone for the rest of that incredible day. We even served our wedding party after they had walked down the aisle, and it just helped to make the whole ceremony less stressful. It gave everyone a chance to just take a deep breath and relax. It was a sign to our friends and family that this was a celebration, and it made for a really nice toast to the couple.”
The Gallery
Suppliers
- Photography & Video: Tomasz Wagner Photo & Films
- Wedding Planner: Filosophi Events
- Officiant: Young, Hip & Marrie
- Venue: Sunwolf, Canada
- Bride's Dress: Truvelle
- Bride's Shoes: Love Jules Leather
- Bride's Jewellery: Wasted Effort
- Make Up: Denise Elliott
- Groom's Attire: Indochino
- Bridesmaid Dresses: Jenny Yoo
- Cake: La Petite Cuillere
- Flowers: Delovely Creative
- Catering: Savoury Chef
- Entertainment: Radical Raptors
- Marquee Hire: Phoenix Tents