Amanda and Jeremy are just adorable.
And their wedding? Romantic, rustic, intimate and chic.
This sweet Canadian couple, met while working in the same restaurant in their college town of Kelowna. So it was only fitting that after adventures and travels, they returned to this stunning lakeside setting in British Columbia, for their wedding.
Their fabulous wedding was captured by Tomasz Wagner Photography whose work we're just obsessed with right now, (check out another of his British Columbia weddings we featured a few weeks back).
Known for going above and beyond on the hunt for a great picture, Tomasz's photographs include a gorgeous first look sequence, some fun group shots downtown, and breath-taking portraits in the forest above the lake.
Achingly gorgeous images, a beautiful setting, sweet DIY touches and one of the prettiest pairs we ever did see, fall in love with Jeremy and Amanda's wonderful wedding…
The Couple
Jeremy and I met while working together at Kelly O'Bryans Restaurant in Kelowna, BC, while we were studying at UBC-Okanagan. Though it certainly wasn't love at first sight, Jeremy proved to be incredibly patient and a great listener (while I am not so patient and more of a talker) – which makes for a good balance.
It didn't take long to determine that we both loved travelling and adventures – which was another great fit.
Although we found ourselves living in different countries on several occasions over the past six years, we always found our way back to each other.
The Wedding
As for the wedding day: we were staying at the lovely Hotel Eldorado in Kelowna, BC, during the Remembrance Day long weekend. As the majority of our friends and family were from out of town, it was like a mini-getaway for everyone.
Many guests were staying at the Eldorado, which meant that you could quickly pop down the hall and say hello – this worked particularly well, as everyone had a chance to get in lots of visiting time.
The actual day of the wedding went by in a flash – but an incredibly memorable flash. Amanda and her bridesmaids enjoyed mimosas while doing hair and make-up prep, while overlooking the Lake Okanagan. Meanwhile, Jeremy and his groomsmen enjoyed the renowned Hotel Eldorado Sunday Brunch, before suiting up.
Prior to the ceremony, our fantastic photographer arranged the “first look” photos to take place on the dock of the lake. This was such a great way to stave off the jitters before the ceremony!
While we were taking these photos, we looked up to see many of our guests gathered on the rooftop of the Hotel (the location of our ceremony) – it was such an incredible feeling to see our family and friends waving and cheering from the roof!
The Ceremony
We then made our way to the rooftop ceremony. Despite being November in the Okanagan, the weather held out – there was no snow (though we secretly had hoped for some) or rain – it was just a little chilly. (Hence, the reason why we gave wool blankets to each guest to keep warm, while sitting through the ceremony).
Our wedding song was “Resolution” by Matt Corby. I heard this song while living in Australia (while Jeremy was living in Canada) and we just felt that it “fit” us.
After The Ceremony
After the ceremony, the bridal party headed to downtown Kelowna to do some fun group shots and then Amanda and Jeremy headed off to a secluded forest/field area, with the help of one of Amanda's adventurous Maid of Honour, Tanya, driving and scouting out locations with Tomasz. These photos were really fun and turned out really unique and amazing!
The Photography
We fell in love with Tomasz' work. It was unique and artistic and brought a much more interesting and less traditional approach to wedding photography.
We felt that his photos told stories – and we knew that his photos would be a great way to remember our special day.
We chose to work with him before meeting him – as I was in Australia at the time and Jeremy was in Northern Canada – we only had a few emails and a brief telephone call to get to know him.
When we finally got to meet him in person, it felt like we were working with an old friend. He maintains the perfect blend of professionalism and ease, with an affable nature. Of course, his shared love for travel was a major selling point for us!
The Reception
After our photos, we headed back to the Hotel for dinner, speeches and dancing! The evening portion of the day was absolutely indescribable.
It was such an amazing feeling to have so many friends and family surrounding and supporting us – it was fantastic!
We had some very touching (and unique) speeches and our MC was captivating and hilarious. We truly couldn't have asked for anything more – it was a great day!
The Theme
We wanted elegant simplicity, with natural elements.
Amanda's family is from Northern BC (and her dad has deep forestry roots) and Jeremy's family is from Vancouver – so we wanted to include natural wooden elements from both areas (ex. birch tree centre pieces; driftwood table numbers and signs).
The Flowers
Bridal bouquets of blush, light lavender, white and grey. White centerpiece flowers (hydrangea, babies breath, roses and spider mums) and wax flowers.
The Decor
My top three wedding décor details included:
1. The birch wood centre pieces. My dad went into the forest and selected the “right” tree and then spent countless hours cutting and sanding the centre pieces.
2. The plaid wool blankets as gifts for our guests. Since it was a winter-ish wedding, we wanted something that could be a fun, but useful gift for our guests. We love hearing from guests about the different ways that they are using the little blankets. My mom was so incredibly helpful stitching all of the blankets and then attaching the handmade tags that said “A Gift to Keep You Warm” to each of them.
3. The flowers. Our florist was spectacular. We just trusted her to keep the flowers simple and elegant. We wanted white/natural flowers for the centre pieces and blush colors for the bouquets. She made suggestions along the way, but ultimately, just pulled everything together.
Favourite Moments
1. The first look on the dock! It was so exciting to get to see each other before the ceremony – and then to look up and see everyone standing on the roof/watching from their rooms – it was so spectacular!
2. The photos with our bridal party – which were just lots of fun – and the photos of just Jeremy and I – in the forest. We were losing light and we were walking down a hill, when I heard a ripping noise and was sure that my dress was caught on barbed-wire fencing… but we didn't have time to check until we had got the photos.
Sure enough, on the way back up, we saw that it was indeed barbed wire fencing on the ground that had ripped one of the underlayers of the dress. This added element of excitement and adventure makes the photos even better!
3. Entering the dinner reception – when our MC announced us as husband and wife – and all our family and friends were cheering and clapping. And, of course, some of the funniest and most sentimental speeches. It meant so much to have everyone there for us.
Blissful, don't you think?
Amanda's dress is so lovely, and those mountain shots are utterly unique.
I love how Jeremy and Amanda took some time away from their day to take some really beautiful pictures.
And this is another great example of why you don't need to be watching the weather forecast for weeks before your wedding. Grey days, or sunny ones, if you've got the right photographer, they can work wonders, whatever the weather.
Thanks so much to Jeremy and Amanda for sharing their special wedding day with us.
For more gorgeous wedding inspiration, see Rustic Weddings + DIY Weddings.
