Our Wedding | Vendor Review

Our wedding day was truly magical. It was romantic, sweet, and so full of love. But, the days before our big day were more intense labor than romance! Since we were married at a home, every single detail you see in the photos was set up by us and our incredible team of friends, family, and by our amazing vendors. Without those people, our day wouldn’t have been possible, and so I am incredibly thankful for all of those who helped us on the days leading to our wedding day. People truly went the extra mile to help us create our vision. They took days off work, made multiple trips back and forth to their warehouses (thank you, Linda!), and set up every big and small detail for the day – from the tables to the photos hung on trees, to setting up the bar and arranging the copper mugs in a stylish stack. We were truly lucky to have these 20 people put as much love and effort into our day as we did, and so with that all being said, let’s hop into the individual vendor reviews!

A Dreamy Outdoor Wedding Venue in Pemberton, BC

Shady Acres

Shady Acres was a truly magical venue to get married at. When we first viewed it, we both instantly knew it was going to be the place we started our lives together as a married couple. The view was breathtaking, the fields were large and lush green, and the trees and flowers made it look like a fairytale. We loved it. We were thrilled when we got up there on Wednesday to begin to set up. It was just how we had remembered it. Since you’re renting a home rather than a venue, every detail from the pictures hung on trees to the tablecloths on tables, to the tents for the bar area had to be set up by us – and by our incredible friends and family. While it was a lot of work, energy, and time – it was worth it to us to have the day be completely customized. We loved being able to choose where we had the ceremony, dinner area, games, and bar. The venue itself comes with a 20 x 40 tent (which we removed the white canopy fabric from and just used the metal frame to hold lights around our dance floor), large speakers, cables, a sound board, 2 wine barrels, signs, and some globe lights strung around the property. We chose to rent the property for a week so that we could really enjoy the property and hang out a few days before and after our big day. We were so glad we decided to do this because honestly – setting up and taking down a wedding is exhausting! We were thrilled to not have to pack up and leave immediately.

The Best Wedding Photographers in Vancouver… 

Cakewalk Media

Youn and his amazing team of photographers and videographers captured our day so beautifully. They were able to grab all the significant moments without ever seeming intrusive. Plus, they were all an incredible hit with our friends and family. Everyone who met them told us how much they loved them, their fun personalities, and how they brought out everyone’s inner model. My bridesmaids were no exception to this as they raved about the team all day and for days following. All the photos you see in my Wedding Day Sneak Peek post were shot by the Cakewalk Media team. They sent those photos over the day after our wedding, and through their beautiful photography, it felt like we were reliving the biggest moment in our life. The Cakewalk Media team also handed out helpful tips and advice to us all to ensure we got the photos we were hoping for. From suggesting we walk up and down the aisles of our reception, telling the bridesmaids to twirl and shimmy their shoulders to loosen up for photos, to giving the secret of looking like you have long lean arms (ahem, crook your arm a tiny bit and rest it on your hip!), the Cakewalk Media team made it their absolute mission to capture our moments in the most beautiful, authentic, and joyful way. If you’re getting married, hosting an event, or know of someone looking for an incredible photography team – please suggest Cakewalk Media. They are truly incredible!

Here’s where to find your dream boho wedding gown in Vancouver:

Charm Wedding Design

Finding my wedding dress was more challenging than I had expected. I had originally found one at Davids Bridal, but after a lot of humming and ha-ing, I came to the conclusion that it just wasn’t right for me, the day we had planned, or our venue. It was beautiful, but just not right. Since I wanted to make it work though, I decided I would alter it to be the dress I had hoped for, and that’s when I went into Charm Wedding Design in New Westminster, BC. I hadn’t realized that Charm Wedding Design also had their own line of bridal dresses, and as I walked in I was immediately overwhelmed by how much I loved them. They were the perfect bohemian, effortless, romantic style that I had been looking for all along. I (foolishly!) tried on a few dresses and as I put on the dress that would become my wedding dress, I just knew. It was the perfect dress, and I totally loved it. Irena runs Charm Wedding Design and is a true joy to work with. She is sweet, kind, thoughtful, and wants to see every person who comes into her shop leave smiling. Her dresses are beautiful, and her alterations are spot on. She altered my Charm Wedding Design dress to perfection and altered all 6 of the girl’s dresses who were in my bridal party. We all loved Irena, and would recommend her to anyone looking for a stunning wedding dress, or simply alterations.

Clare Louise Makeup and Hair

On my wedding day, I decided to do my own makeup, but since I am no wizard when it comes to hairstyling, I decided to go to the experts to create my dream hairstyle. Clare and Myrna did an incredible job, they made my hair look better than ever before and they made my wedding party feel (and look!) totally glamorous. They were a ton of fun to hang out with the morning of our wedding and really went the extra mile to ensure everyone felt confident and beautiful on the day.  Clare also has created her own makeup line, and a few of the girls ended up purchasing items since they loved them so much. Clare also made 2 other additional drop-bys to the venue the days prior to our wedding. She came first on Thursday so I could get a spray tan, and then returned the Friday to spray tan a few of the girls in the wedding party. The second trip was totally spur of the moment, and we so appreciated her effort to make the additional journey.

The Collective Kitchen

Anyone who knows my husband knows that he is a man that loves food. Truly, he is what I would describe as a “foodie”. So, when it came to our wedding food, the project of finding an amazing catering company became his baby. The owner of our venue, Kate, suggested we look into The Collective Kitchen and so we attended a tasting and were floored by how delicious the food was. After that, there was no way we couldn’t have them cater our day! Honestly, The Collective Kitchen created not just some of the best wedding food I’ve had, but some of the best food I’ve ever had – period. Each course they brought out had as much love and care put into it as the last. We loved it from start to finish, and so did our guests. On the day, all of our guests loved their incredible food, and even since the day, we’ve received calls, texts, and messages all raving about the meal. I’m pretty sure one person even announced during the cocktail hour that “That was the best darn scallop I’ve ever had!” The catering team created each course on time, and they even poured the wine and water for ourselves and our guests as we were seated during dinner. Their attention to detail really made the entire meal feel extremely luxurious and professional. I couldn’t recommend them more, they are truly amazing, and if you’re getting married be sure to seek out The Collective Kitchen for your big day.

Nicole Taylor Designs

We ended up renting 2 barrels for our wedding from Nicole Taylor Designs. They were beautiful barrels, and we loved having them be used as our podiums. The rental process was very easy.

Past Pieces

If you’re looking for adorable vintage furniture to vamp up your venue, then definitely consider Past Pieces. Their items are stunning, and our guests loved the unique furniture spot for photos. We ended up renting a couch, chair, and trunk from Past Pieces which were all beautiful.

Sunrise Washroom Rentals

For the washrooms for our guests, we decided to rent a 2 station executive washroom trailer. Unlike port-a-potties, these washrooms had proper sinks with mirrors and were well lit, so all around they were way more comfortable and enjoyable for our guests to use than a port-a-potty would’ve been.  Our wedding location was over 200 km away from their business location (and at a non-Google-able address) but they were able to deliver the washroom trailer for a completely reasonable delivery fee without any issues finding the location. Sunrise Washroom Rentals had excellent customer service, and all of their staff were extremely friendly, professional, and personable.

Sabre Rentals

I cannot say enough great things about Sabre Rentals. While I know Linda is shutting down her event rental business, I still wanted to put it out there that she was one of the most thoughtful people we’ve ever worked with. She truly put in as much effort as we did to make our day special. She allowed us to rent items early, helped set up, and did multiple trips to and from our venue. Linda is still running the equipment and tool rental side of the business, and we would absolutely work with her again if there was a need.

Bunches Direct

The only slight disappointment in the planning process was the flowers. We purchased a ton of flowers from Bunches Direct and expressed very clearly that the address would be challenging. They promised (many times) that they had communicated with the courier that the address was unique and that the flowers would 100% show up the Thursday before our wedding. We were quite nervous, but after they promised that they were making special plans and exceptions for our address, my nerves were at ease. Unfortunately, midday on Thursday I received a call from Canada Post in Richmond, BC saying the flowers had been dropped off there and wouldn’t be making it up for Thursday. They had to reorganize how the flowers would arrive in Pemberton, and when they arrived a large number of them were beginning to brown and rot. It was disappointing after the immense amount of communication we had had with Bloom Direct over the directions and location. In the end, I do think if you were getting married at a more common and easy to find location that this would be a great way to save money on flowers.

A Fox in the Flowers

For our wedding bouquets and boutonnieres, I decided to go to the professionals rather than attempt to create them myself – and I am so glad I did. Erin from A Fox in the Flowers was incredible to work with, even sending me insta-stories updating me on my flowers. She delivered the flowers the AM of our wedding and gave us a few tips on how to keep them looking their best throughout the day. My bouquet was white, soft peach, and green. It was completely my dream bouquet. I loved the plush Juliet roses, the fresh eucalyptus, and the large white roses. The bouquet was full of flowers – but those are the only ones I know by name!