Kelly + Riel - December 27, 2020

This blog is a special one, from the heart. Planner and founder of Say Events, Kelly, tells us her love story and how it led to an outdoor winter elopement with a small intimate guest count.

Oh hey! Kelly here. Just writing my love story. Bear with me. There will be some gushing, some tears and lots of smiles.

I won’t bore you with my whole dating life. Cuz frankly, I could write a book on the many first dates I’ve been on. So, let’s just say, dating was…a journey. And I prayed, a lot.

Enter Riel.

OUR LOVE STORY (THE CONDENSED VERSION)

We had the best first date. Burgers at White Spot, then made our way over to the bowling alley down the street. After a round, we decided it was too loud to talk (cuz, we’re old and can’t hear for shit) so we went to the beach to get to know each other.

Fast forward to this fall, we’re on our way back from camping in Vernon this September, when we passed this area in Chilliwack called Bridal Falls. I’d passed this place so many times on the highway, we thought, let’s go here sometime for a hike. So, Riel says, let’s do it next week. So, we pile into the truck and make our way up to the top, where I turn around to see Riel on one knee! After I stopped screaming!!!, he surprised me with the most beautiful ring. And then we…I began to plan our wedding.

Clearly planning a wedding during a Pandemic is crap. It’s emotional and it’s exciting, plans change daily and it’s hard to be happy when there’s so much sadness around. While we wanted to plan for the big day for the upcoming fall, we quickly realized that the party we wanted would have to wait. But we COULD plan our intimate elopement ceremony. So we did.

HOW MANY PLANS CAN A PLANNER PLAN

PLAN #1: End of October

Firstly, it was based on an intimate gathering of 20 people and a small dinner at my parent’s house. I figured we could move the furniture out, have the ceremony in the living room, with the dinner part in the family room. Then, the PHO (Provincial Health Order) changed to ‘no private events’ in personal homes. Which meant, no one was able to have a backyard wedding anymore. We immediately found a place where we could host the Ceremony and Reception and our problems were solved.

PLAN #2: Mid November

Second round, the new PHO out says no dinner reception, and ceremony of 10ppl only. Soooooo. Fck. How do I uninvite the very few people I DID have, and who do I choose when our immediate family is so big. And what vendors are included in this “10 people”. Just the officiant? The photographer too? It doesn’t make sense to pay the cost of a venue when we’re only going to be there for 15 minutes….

PLAN #3: Beginning of December

The third thought was along the lines of UGHHHHHH. F*ck it. WE’RE NOT DOING IT. I will live in sin. I don’t care. I’m sick of people asking me what we’re doing.

PLAN #4: December 15th

Hold me down. Ok. Let’s host it in a ditch out back, with 10 people. With all the decor I was planning using will now be only a few items loaded into a small wagon. Instead of a sit down dinner, we’ll have boxes of charcuterie and a cupcake for everyone from our friends at Frolic and Forage. Everyone will leave after a few family photos. We will have an outdoor winter elopement with an intimate guest count.

GAME DAY

December 27. Babe, Let’s do this!

Finally we made a choice on the fourth go. I wanted a west coast wedding, and boy did I get it! We found a spot in an alcove of trees in the park behind my parent’s house. Our parents and siblings were there, with my Dad walking me down the aisle as I listened to my Uncle play the guitar for us. Riel was waiting for me at the end of the aisle. It rained the whole time, but honestly, I didn’t really feel it.

Our amazing team of vendors made dang sure this was going to happen, and I’m so grateful to have had them helping me through this. Kim of Ivory Embers Photography captured us PERFECTLY. The smiles, the tears, the hugs, the laughs…me looking up at Riel with big ole cow eyes!! Derp. Ashley and her assistant Shannon of Be Flawless Beauty Bar came to my starting location to do my hair and makeup. It LASTED through tears and rain. Dina of Jorbelina Flowers provided the most beautiful bridal bouquet. It was a gorgeous mix of west coast pieces, with so many ferns!!! And it was complimented with a perfectly elegant boutonniere for Riel. Especially since he specifically said to me, “Make it manly, and not too bulky”. K, babe. Past Pieces Vintage Event Rentals provided the vanity for the signing table, and chairs. It was perfect, and mobile because…mud!

Kevin Fatkin was our officiant, and he did an incredible job. Following the ceremony, Alannah and Manny, the husband and wife team of Frolic and Forage Catering helped us feed the hungry folks with charcuterie boxes to go, which included a cupcake for everyone. They were massive, and so dang delish. And we had our cake cutting with THE most delicious cake.

Work Wife Love

Without a double, we wouldn’t have had a wedding ceremony, without the help of my bad-ass work-wife, Tarina. What coworker do you know, who is going to haul all your crap in a wagon, in a park, in the rain. And still love you after!

We’ve sent hundreds of brides down the aisle and I’ll be damned if I won’t be sending you down the aisle. – Tarina

Food for thought

Despite the lead up, to say we were blessed to have our outdoor winter elopement with a small intimate guest count, is an understatement. I won’t lie, it was hard to stay positive sometimes, especially with the frequent changes and the unknown. At the end of the day, I only had to look down the aisle to see him to know that it was gonna take more than a pandemic to stop this love from happening.