The personal touch of Wedding Decor

Tin Wis--sage/brown

Every bride has a style all of her own and this is showcased even in her reception colours and decor.
Sometimes it comes right at the start of her wedding planning, she knows here fav colours and has an idea on style. Most couples who choose to get married by the beach, they tend to want to have shells and sand as their main theme. Now there are a few ways of doing that, you can have beautiful little glass vases either square or round ( like the classic goldfish bowl) with sand, shells, candles in them or shells/pebbles in water with a lovely blossom floating or floating candles. I myself actually had the shells, 2 goldfish(as i had a tank at home and could place them their after) and a purple Hydrangea floating on top.

Lilac/Brown

Orchids immersed in water in a tall glass vase adds a lovely elegant look and dimension to a room, this is great if you have tall ceilings. The actual table decor is a big market these days, many companies have chair covers in an array of colours and styles and then there are organza or satin sashes that tie in your colour scheme for not a lot of money--usually $1-2 each. In this photo, I had a lot of fun, the colours were sage and brown, so the table overlay is actually wallpaper with a bamboo feel to it, white chair covers with  a sheer sage organza sash, a sand filled vase with local salal greenery to give us some height and then some twinkle around the walls.

I enjoy helping the bride choose her style and have quite the assortment of Rental items to choose from and you don't have to worry about breakage while travelling here or what you are going to do with 14 vases afterthe event is over.  I am currently working on getting my website updated with all of my rentals.

Wedding Weekend coming up!

Got a busy day tomorrow.
Wedding Rehearsal on beautiful Combers Beach in the beautiful Pacific Rim National Park in between Tofino and Ucluelet. Going to be interesting with Rabbi Mercy coming over from Vancouver to officiate the wedding.
Later on setting up the brand new Ucluelet Community Centre for dinner and dancing, catered by the amazing chef Andrew Springett from Black Rock Resort. Local photographer Michael Farrow is working his magic, wonder what the fog is going to do, could make for some mystical pics....

Tara and Jason, July 24th

Tara and Jason

I had the pleasure of assisting Tara and Jason in choosing a great Venue  in Tofino for their Dream Wedding.

They brought their guests mostly from Alberta to experience the West Coast and all of its bounty, some of whom went to Hot Springs and some took advantage of the great fishing.

As you can see from the picture, the weather could not have been more perfect, we were a bit worried as there had been a lot of fog on the days leading up to the big day.

Rene Gibson officiated and catering was by Sobo and also some family BBQ their specialty venison kebabs--yummy !

The weather was so good that the dinner was set up on the deck and later the guests played Bocci and Horseshoes on the beach.

Sometimes you know when you meet someone, that you will be friends forever that is how it is with Tara-----sincerely,
Suzanne

Foggy Day in July !

                      Isn't this a great shot!

  More and more couples are dipping their toes in the Pacific and doing things that make them smile even down right good old laughing.
                When the cold water hits them, the surprise on their faces makes for such a natural picture.
            I find that couples who come to the West Coast tend to do some stress-free, care-free fun and exciting things that city weddings don't.
      Especially the Elopements, those Bride's and Groom's decide to have their special day as they see it, not as others want to see it and so the pressure is of and the love is easier to capture leaving them with The Wedding Day they had envisioned !

Foggy but Mystical !

Recently, we have had quite a bit of low lying fog which is great for photographers as they would rather have fog than a cloudless blue sky. There is an air of mystique as the fog rolls in and around a Bride in her flowing white dress but most couples do not come to the West Coast to have foggy memories. So the secret to avoiding this usually  is to have a late afternoon ceremony.

Family Pics

My Girls!

One of the things I try to encourage the wedding couple to do is make a list of important family pictures that need to be taken. Most times right after the ceremony the bride and groom are busy being congratulated and maybe toasting with some champagne resulting in them not really thinking about the must have photos to be taken. There is nothing worse than finding out weeks later that great Aunty Gemima did not get her special picture with her favourite niece or that 4 generation once in a lifetime shot was not snapped. So to avoid dissappointment make a list of the "Must Have Wedding Photo's" and give it to someone to organize. I have made it easy for you, just go to my website onto the Getting Organized page and print of the list, fill it in and delegate to someone you trust with the job!

The Ryles 

West Coast Weddings and Events: Family Pics

West Coast Weddings and Events: Family Pics: "My Girls! One of the things I try to encourage the wedding couple to do is make a list of important family pictures that need to be take..."

Getting Married in the Pacific Rim National Park

Some of the nicest sandiest beaches lie in our local National Park and yes you can get

 permission to be married there. 

This wedding was at South Beach 15minutes along the trail south of the Wickaninnish Center. Definitely a bit of a hike and then a few stairs, so before you decide on this being the perfect ceremony venue, think about how able your guests are or are not. 

The further away you go from the parking areas the more privacy you will get if that is important to you! South Beach is quite remarkable as it is more small pebbles and amazing small shells like the Olive shell than sand and it has a few huge rocks that are great for the dramatic backdrop or for the photographer to get some height as in this picture taken by local Jeremy Koreski.

So the wedding venue permit costs $30 and you have to apply to the parks for permission, now that is just to be allowed to use the park as your ceremony site, you still have to pay the park usage fee for all of your guests.The most reasonable way to do this is if you transport in/out your guests by Tofino Bus, this usually adds a little fun to the day as it is a yellow school bus that is the mode of transport--have fun!

West Coast Weddings and Events: Getting Married in the Pacific Rim National Park

West Coast Weddings and Events: Getting Married in the Pacific Rim National Park: "Some of the nicest sandiest beaches lie in our local National Park and yes you can get permission to be married there. This wedding was at S..."

Decor, and Romance!

Wedding Decor can be expensive and take up a lot of space that most couples don't have when  coming to a Destination Town . We have a selection of vases, sand, shells, linens, card boxes, chair covers, flower stands that can be rented or set-up for you so that you do not have to worry about breakage or lost items. We can also set-up any room with champagne, rose petals, chocolates, fondue candles etc for Birthdays, Wedding Nights, Anniversaries or just because!

West Coast Weddings and Events: Destination Weddings !

West Coast Weddings and Events: Destination Weddings !: "When you hear Destination Wedding, most of us think Sun, Sand and a Beach in Mexico, Hawaii or Jamaica but more and more couples wanting to..."

Destination Weddings !

When you hear Destination Wedding, most of us think Sun, Sand and a  Beach in Mexico, Hawaii or Jamaica but more and more couples wanting to get married are looking in their own backyard--yes right here in British Columbia, Canada, more specifically Tofino or Ucluelet.

Some very good reasons for that are:

• You get more value for your dollar @ Home
• To get your Wedding License is far easier in Canada
• All you need is your Passport (ID) and $100
• Keeping your Dollar in Canada makes sense
• Tofino is famous for its clean beautiful Sandy Beaches
• And yes we do get a lot of rain but we do get our fair share of hot, sunny, fog-free glorious days
• Ucluelet is known for its rugged dramatic coastline with many amazing backdrops for saying "I DO"

We also  have an airport that you can fly straight from Vancouver to, if you don't like the windy roads!
So, give us a call for a West Coast Wedding that dreams are made of !

my mum and me!

My mum came from Scotland and brought her pretty hat ensuring it did not get squashed!

She also brought me a lucky Horseshoe--a Scottish Tradition!

My bouquet was from Crab Apple Floral and  the Wedding of my Dreams was @ Tin Wis.

And the weather was perfect!

Mothers and their daughters !

Last minutes of advice.
            How many mum's out there think about their little girls wedding day from early on in their childhood--you would be surprised, many of us!

We watch and listen and give hugs when needed, have a tissue close by and bake something sweet for the broken heart.

      Then one day you see that little girl all grown up with a twinkle in her eye for that someone special. And here you have to start letting go and hope that you have done your job of guiding and teaching and that the chosen partner loves her as much as you do.

You think you will be fine on the magic wedding day, no tears, total control, composed and then, you see her putting the final touches to her dress, last lick of lipstick and boom the tears start falling. No idea, no warning sniffles just the flood gates open and someone discreetly places a tissue in your hand. This is when your heart is beating pretty fast and you're smiling through the tears--the moment you have seen in your mind for many a year is here and wow are you so proud! Your little girl is all grown up, here stands a beautiful young woman full of wisdom and love that you shared with her, ready to take on her new role of loving wife and maybe mother.
                Tell her You Love her, you're very proud of her and that She knows where You are if she needs you for anything!

Walking on Water !

There seems to be a new Wave happening --no really!
Brides are getting married their way !
Many of them Eloping with no stress and no fuss.
This results in couples stepping out of their comfort zone and really having fun with the photographer, sometimes going barefoot and walking the surfline---things they would never do if being watched by older parents who had maybe helped pay for that gorgeous wedding dress now heavy and full of sand.

But what joy is captured when boundaries are taken away, you only have to look on these couples faces to see it and feel it.

Cakes and Travelling !

This is just a reminder to those of you bringing your special Wedding Cake over the hills from far away to have it properly packed for the ride with explicit instructions as to its refrigeration once it arrives here on the West Coast.
I saw a very unhappy couple yesterday after their cake had cracked and melted.

Tents on the beach!

I have been planning weddings for 4 years with my own business and for a couple of years before that locally and have been asked many times by prospective clients to please help them have their perfect West Coast Wedding on the Beach with a tent for rain back-up!
Sounds easy but it is not and just in the last weeks Gordon Johns of the Chamber of Commerce has got concrete information about the issue.

• Tents for 12 and under are allowed on the beach as long as there is no liquor!
• Tents for more than 12 people might be allowed but first a request to do this has to be presented to the District of Tofino for approval and stipulations set in place. There is a catch, No Liquor is allowed and the Tofino council only meets about twice in the summer months so your permission request has to be applied well in advance of your preferred date.

So unfortunately this does not work for all of you wanting to have your wedding and  the amazing view in a tent on the beach.

There are a few great places that have views and welcome weddings, whether they are Resorts, Restaurants or Private Houses, we look forward to assisting you in finding the right venue for your Perfect Day in either Tofino or Ucluelet

Chad and Colleen June 30th

Great Day yesterday for a wedding, little cloudy, but warm. Mike Gitelman presiding and did a really good job, the clients love him.
 Round Beach was the ceremony location by Big Beach in Ucluelet and then onto Wick Beach for some cold feet, wet dress but fantastic smiles of Love all around with Michael Farrow getting some great shots.
2 days prior to the wedding Chad decided he wanted a Tux/Suit to wear and Jim's Menswear in Port Alberni even with Grad going on was able to fix him up!
The backdrop as you can see is rugged and dramatic with phenomenal Old growth trees to give some colour.