Is a big wedding not your style? We are here to tell you THAT IS OK! Gabi & Connor wanted a small gathering of 20 people closest to them, with a ceremony in the morning and a beautiful lunch service and the day be done by 4 pm! It was very important to the couple to spend time with their loved ones and keep it chill. See how we brought this beautiful boho inspired wedding together to match the city and elopement vibes.
Behind the scenes
OK, so this day was a big day for us at Say Events. We had two weddings schedule this day. Myself, Tarina, would lead this wedding. Now, I was 36 weeks pregnant. I anticipated this to be my last wedding before my ‘maternity break’. I had two assistants (including my husband) and minimal labour on my part. Kelly was scheduled to lead a wedding at UBC botanical gardens. On Friday evening, my water broke. My baby boy decided he wanted to come into this world early. Within one hour, we called on some of our professional friends, shifted some items around and made it work. Kelly did two weddings in one day, and we staggered the teams and delivery trucks. My baby boy was born a healthy 7.6 lbs on the evening of October 5th. This will be a day we will never forget.
This shows you that will will do anything for our clients. Gabi & Connor were incredibly understanding (they knew I was pregnant and it was a possibility), but we did not leave them hanging or in the wind. We made arrangements we felt was best and it worked. Kelly worked over 14 hours, and this is how much we love our clients. Here is the wedding day as per Kelly, as she was there!
KELLY LEADING THE WAY
Wooof! That fateful day, when Kelly did two weddings. Thankfully, they were spaced out! And thank goodness for these two. Gabi + Connor, truly the coolest, most laid back and hilarious couple. They wanted something small and intimate to celebrate their day. So they, along with 20 of their close family and friends spent a quiet afternoon in Yaletown enjoying many laughs and lots of love.
PRE-MORNING – LANGLEY
Gabi, her Mom and sister got ready at her Mom’s home in Langley, with their makeup and hair done by Eva Terez Beauty. Meanwhile, Connor and his family enjoyed a leisurely brunch before heading to the first look site.
MID-MORNING – VANCOUVER
I met with Connor at Wild Tale for a quick chat before I brought him down to the Roundhouse Community Centre where he would meet Kat from Art and the Aerialist for the first look. This was the first time meeting him, and seriously, what a gem! He was equal parts nervous, excited and ready to get hitched. He was duded up in a suit from Asos, shirt from RW&Co. and hat from Goorin Bros Hat Shop. Gabi joined us in her dress from Boutique 1861 in Montreal with her hat from Brixton from Roxann’s of Fort Langley. Let’s not forget the super cool decal on the back of Gabi’s jacket from The Native Bride on etsy making the overall boho look unique but true to the couple.
My favourite part of the first look is the moment right before he turns around and he sees her. Makes me bawl every time!! It’s the one time where the couple has a moment of peace before the day really gets going. In this case, the two shared a TON OF GIGGLES!!!
As Kat took over and captured the intimate bridal portraits throughout Yaletown, we continued to set up the decor at WildTale Restaurant. Can we talk about how incredibly stunning these photos are? Kat captured the beauty city-scape of Yaletown in the quiet hours of the morning. The couple essentially had the city to themselves. Another positive about a morning wedding!
The restaurant has an intimate party room in the back of the restaurant with it’s own private entrance which was perfect for this event! This was the first wedding WildTale hosted. The nature of the space allows a seated meal for 20 guests, but you could have more guests if it was cocktail and standing room.
The colour palette was mainly inspired by the couples invitations. It was a grey base, mixed with mustard yellow, eggplant purple and greens. The guests were kindly requested to use this colour palette as inspiration for their wedding day attire. We applied these colours in the flowers, as you will see in Gaby’s unique bouquet and the arch installation from Budget Blooms.
THE CEREMONY
The ceremony itself was especially thoughtful, with Connors Grandpa Lowell officiating. Now, because he (Lowell) was from Calgary, the legalities were not quite clear cross provinces. So the couple decided to get married legally with Surrey marriage commissioner Shirley Henderson in the privacy of their own living room, along with two witnesses. Now, on the wedding day, Lowell made it incredibly special, while sharing a few anecdotes of what marriage is, he told a story of the perfect recipe for love. His advice, don’t over-stir! I can tell you, there was not a dry eye in the house, including myself!
The space did not have enough room to accommodate a DJ, however, there is an in house speaker with an AUX cord. Connor created a playlist tailored to the wedding day and gave us his phone to plug in. We don’t often handle sound equipment, but all we had to do was plug in the music and let it play in this case. The restaurant knew the equipment as well, so if needed, they could fix an issue or provide in house music at last resort.
Family photos took place outside and we transformed the space inside to the reception with the help of the Wildtale staff. The space comes with beautiful wood tables and the sleek black chairs with stained wood. The shelf by the window is an added feature to the private space, we just spruced it up. For the long dinner table, we added in the colour palette again with bud vases of flowers all down the middle, tealights and pillar candles and a long sheer white drape down the middle paired with loose greens.
THE LUNCH RECEPTION
The Family style lunch service began, a delicious menu of west coast flavours and wine. Wildtale allowed the couple to select from the group dinner menu, as it was a fancier affair. Family style is literally how it sounds. It’s how you would eat dinner at your grandmas house, with platters and bowls to share. In the private dining space, there is your very own bar. The couple chose to serve wine at the table, but any beverage was available at the guests requests because its still a full functioning restaurant.
During lunch, Gabi’s sister was the ’emcee’. She didn’t have the full on duties an emcee typically does but she kept the flow of the lunch . She would speak but also invite other speakers to stand up to speak casually between courses, right from their seat. Still very casual but as your planners, we always say a little bit of structure is good. Gabi & Connor gave a thank you speech. We always suggest one. It doesn’t have to be long, but it’s a lovely way to address your guests in a moment of joy and love.
A small detail. Gabi loves her dad. That was one element she told us about from the very beginning. She wanted to have a wedding day where she could spend quality time with her dad. I think the pictures speak louder then words.
Small and intimate doesn’t have to feel like you’re missing anything. The room was filled with family and LOVE!! And we’re so excited to see their little family grow, as they’re expecting their bundle of joy in the next few weeks. Congrats, you lovebirds!
VENDORS
- Planning & Decor: Say Events Co.
- Arch: Past Pieces
- Hair + Makeup: Eva Terez Beauty
- Photographer: Art and the Aerialist
- Venue: Wildtale Yaletown
- Florist: Budget Blooms
- Brides hats: Roxanns Hats & Brixton
- Brides dress: Boutique 1861
- Brides jacket decal: The Native Bride
- Grooms hat: Goorin Bros Hat Shop
- Grooms suit: ASOS
- Grooms Shirt – RW&CO