Pink
Married in Pink at Moraine Lake
Isis & Nick | Alberta, Canada
From the bride…
We hadn’t really even considered a traditional wedding. We were planning a trip to Canada and thought about how epic it would be if we just eloped while we were there and then had a party to celebrate with our loved ones back home. A beautiful lady that I work with had shown me photos from her recent trip to Moraine Lake and told me about how it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. When I told Nick about it, it was almost decided instantly that it was exactly the kind of scenery we were looking for.
THE FLOWERS
I knew from the get-go that I wanted a flower crown and a HUGE bouquet of florals in dusty pink and maroon.
THE VISION
We wanted our day to be really relaxed and stress-free and it couldn’t have been more perfect! Our ceremony was planned for 6 pm so we slept in, had a nice breakfast, went for a hike and even had a nap before we had to get ready. So many of our friends had told us how stressed they felt on their wedding day and how they felt as though they couldn’t really enjoy it or that they wished they had eloped and we didn’t want to look back on such a special memory wishing that we had changed things or spent less money or whatever. I think we nailed it!
THE DRESS
I just really didn’t want to wear white! I had always pictured a pink dress, but not too Barbie-like and not too pale. As much as I love dressing up and being girly, I also LOVE being comfortable. I knew I was going to be scrambling over rocks so I couldn’t really have a long train, and I didn’t want a veil but wanted something flowy that was also removable, so we decided on a cape instead and I chose a pair of black and white Vans with some pink ribbon.
THE DAY OF
It was so surreal standing at that lake the morning of our wedding, taking it all in and realizing we made it! We traveled for 21 hours and were so tired but we did it! We only told our family and close friends, and it made our announcement feel even more special and made us feel like our wedding was ours, and that we were doing it for us and not for anyone else. I was a pretty lazy bride and all I cared about was marrying the man of my dreams. I thought that planning our wedding from Australia would be difficult but it was actually such a breeze.
THE VOWS
I couldn’t wait to hear Nick’s vows and to call him my husband and Nick says his favorite part was seeing me in my dress for the first time which I think is pretty cute!
LOOKING BACK
Everything was so easy and went so smooth, I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. Eloping definitely took a lot of the guesswork out of planning, we didn’t have to think about decorations and we also didn’t have to worry about impressing other people, we could focus on just us and that was the main thing for the both of us when we were planning our day. Luckily, Mother Nature put on a show with the most spectacular weather. It had been raining pretty much since we landed in Canada and cleared up right before our ceremony began.
ADVICE
Do what you want to do! Don’t let other people make it about them or change your mind, or make you feel like what you want doesn’t matter. I mean this with my whole heart – you don’t get to get to marry the love of your life every day!
Before we left for Canada, we had a sign made that read, “We Eloped – Moraine Lake, Canada, 13th August 2019.” This date is my G’ma’s birthday, and although she is no longer with us, I wanted her to be part of our special day. She would have loved Nick.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: ENV Photography
Floral Designer: Willow Flower Co.
A Wedding Romance under the Cherry Blossoms
From the photographer, Caroline Ross: After the rainy winter season, the cherry blossoms bring a new life to Vancouver, engulfing the city in pretty pink and white flowers on every corner. We wanted to create a shoot that was fresh, pretty and romantic, inspired by the spring blossoms. Our backdrop was a weeping Benishidare Sakura cherry blossom tree at Van Dusen Botanical Garden.
The stunning cake features edible sugar flowers and soft watercolour edible art to mimic an English country garden in bloom!
THE STYLE TEAM
Photographer: Caroline Ross Photography | Event Planner: Umbrella Events | Design and Decor: Past Pieces | Floral Designer: Green With Envy | Equipment Rentals: A&B Party Time Rentals | Dress Store: Frocks | Men’s Attire: H&M | Invitation Designer: Invitations by Jen | Models: Madison Mayne and Morgan Rouvelin | Hair & Makeup: Save the Date Beauty | Ring Designer: Passion Diamonds Inc. | Jewelry: The Borrowed Collection and Blue Brocade | Cake Designer: The Cake and the Giraffe | Caterer: Truffles Fine Foods | Venue: Van Dusen Botanical Garden
A Fun Destination Wedding in California
From the bride, Alexandra: The thing we wanted most was a fun, outdoor wedding with our closest friends and family. That’s why we opted to do a wedding weekend (Friday through Sunday) and why we chose a venue where people could also stay the night. We rented out the entire venue for three days and filled all 50 rooms and cabins with our wedding guests. 
THE STYLE
We have a love for both the outdoors and international travel, so we wanted that to come across in our theme. Our theme was a mix of outdoorsy/rustic, boho, romantic, and travel. We knew right away that we wanted an outdoor, mountain wedding and chose a wonderful venue where the ceremony, reception, and entire wedding weekend could be carried out under the trees and stars.
THE FLOWERS
I knew I wanted a lot of flowers and greenery to match the outdoor venue. I chose mostly peonies and other flowers that were more boho, and avoided the traditional roses. My bouquet and floral halo were a mix of pink, coral, and cream flowers.
PERSONAL TOUCH
My mother, brother, and I were born in Japan. According to Japanese tradition, anyone who folds 1000 origami cranes will be granted a wish by the Gods. For the wedding, she folded 1000 origami cranes to wish Joel and me a happy marriage. We displayed the cranes at the ceremony and reception.
THE CEREMONY
The ceremony took place in a rectangular clearing in the middle of the woods. The trees lined the space and were the perfect backdrop. The arch at the front of the ceremony was made of wood and adorned with large floral bouquets. We also strung some of the origami cranes from the archway. We lined the ceremony walkway with flower petals to give a romantic feel to the space. My brother officiated the wedding and told our love story. We both wrote our own vows. Because we aren’t very religious, our vows were the longest part of the ceremony and were the most meaningful for us.
THE RECEPTION
Our reception was outdoors in a clearing right near the ceremony. Each table had lace doilies handmade by my great-grandmother and flowers matching the ones in the archways and bouquets. We also had a lot of green foliage on the tables. The tables themselves were dark wood.
THE TABLE NAMES & FAVORS
Joel and I have traveled to 18 countries together so far. For the names of the tables at the reception, we chose the names of some of our favorite international cities, like Paris where Joel and I got engaged. To find their table assignments, guests had to go to a table where we laid out golden compasses with the names of each guest on them. Once they found their compass, they had to open the compass to see what city they were “traveling” to. The compasses were also functional compasses and doubled as party favors.
RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Clane Gessel Photography // Event & Floral Design: Quality Event Design // Caterer: Great Thyme Catering // Invitations: The Stylish Scribe // Venue: Chalet View Lodge // Video: Ben Ridpath Films
A Destination Wedding in the Canadian Rockies
From the bride, Wynn: When I was 5 years old I “read” my first Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine on a flight and began “sketching” wedding gowns on a Northwest Airlines napkin – believe it or not, my parents still have some of the napkins. So, while our wedding story began like many, dreaming as a young girl, it is unique in that after being in the industry for a few years, it (my vision) took a 180 degree turn! Rather than Cinderella’s ball, we escaped to the Rocky Mountains. It rained, it snowed, the sun beamed down for our ceremony, we ran into hiccups – as you do in any wedding – and we laughed through them. We danced, we cried, we toasted, we spent hours with the ones we love, and we couldn’t have been more thankful.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Wedding Planner: La vie Charmé Events // Photographer: Carly Jo Studio // Floral: Forget-Me-Knot Flowers // Bride’s Gown: Vera Wang from L’Atelier Couture // Venue, Catering, Cake: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
A Mountain Wedding in Colorado
From the bride, Stephanie: Three words…..One. Long. Engagement. We were engaged for almost two years prior to the wedding day. Jared was in school until the December prior to the wedding. So, with that kind of stress we thought it was best for us to hold some of the wedding planning until he was finished. That left us six months to actually accomplish most of the work.
We wanted our wedding to match our lifestyle….we love the outdoors and boating. So we went with a bit of outdoor rustic theme with nautical elements.
All in all, the wedding planning ended up being mostly a team effort. We had some rocky roads in the planning, but we managed to not kill each other! It was not always a fun process, so we hated and enjoyed it all at the same time. We just had to remember to celebrate the big decision maker days and try to enjoy as much as possible. I feel like we accomplished that task… End of day…we are married! And we are happy!
RECOMMENDED VENDORS: Photographer: Ali & Garrett Wedding Photographers // Floral Designer: Bella Lu Floral // DJ: Mannequin DJ // Cake Designer: Mulberries Cakes // Venue: Sevens Restaurant
Mountain Ranch Elegance in Colorado
This gorgeous styled shoot captured by Chris Loring Photography is filled with lovely and lush details to compliment the rustic feel of a mountain ranch. Pick Me Weddings and Events weaved a blush pink palette with rich gold glass accents through this stunning tablescape, complimented by beautiful florals from Southern Charm Wedding and Events and a gold embellished cake from The Makery Cake Co. This is a wonderful example of how to bring elegance, romance and sophistication to a rustic ranch venue.
THE STYLE TEAM
Photographer: Chris Loring Photography // Event Designer: Pick Me Weddings and Events // Floral Designer: Southern Charm Wedding and Events // Location: Strawberry Creek Ranch 9N // Wedding Gown: The Bridal Collection Denver // Cake Designer: The Makery Cake Co. // Makeup Artist: Tasha Green Artistry
A Pi Day Wedding in Utah
From the bride, Elaine: We embraced our geeky side and tied the knot on the pi day of the century, March 14, 2015. This unofficial holiday celebrating the mathematical constant pi (3.1415…) will not fall again on a Saturday for another 700 years.
Deep in Big Cottonwood Canyon, we exchanged vows at a place ironically named “Last Chance”. The unpredictable March mountain weather cooperated for our late afternoon ceremony. Fred’s close friend and former college mathematics professor officiated the ceremony.
Cake pops were displayed on a multi-tiered cake stand with a bride and groom cake pop at the top. The remaining cake pops were shaped as mini two-tiered wedding cakes to create the effect of a wedding cake fractal. A cake pop toast at 9:26 PM celebrated a few more significant digits of pi.
A dazzling ice sculpture from Swanavation Ice Sculptures in the shape of π prominently displayed our name and wedding date. The guests enjoyed amazing food and drink (the groom’s choice of Jalapeno cream ale was a hit), danced the night away, and enjoyed donning props at the live photobooth. Celebrations continued into the night as all enjoyed “Life Elevated”.
Elaine’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photography: Pier 23 Photography // Venue: Solitude Mountain Resort
Colorado Country Charm in the Mountains
From the bouquet to the linens, we are absolutely loving this berry infused color palette! Designers Rami Carter with Pick Me Weddings and Cheri Taunton with Southern Charm Weddings and Events created an elegant upscale feel in a rustic barn on Strawberry Creek Ranch, a working equestrian center and ranch in Colorado. Photographer Sarah Roshan captured all the pretty details including the beautiful mountain setting.
A statement cake by The Makery Cake Co.
This rustic Colorado whiskey bar would be a hit at any wedding.
THE STYLE TEAM
Photographer: Sarah Roshan, Wedding Photographer // Event Designer: Pick Me Weddings // Floral Designer: Southern Charm Wedding and Events // Location: Strawberry Creek Ranch // Linens and Coverings: Allwell Rents Co // Bakery: The Makery Cake Co. // Photo Booth Equipment: Ear 2 Ear Photobooths, LLC // Wedding Dress: The Bridal Collection Denver // Men’s Attire: Denver Tux