Growing up, Jade the bride had never been one of those girls who fantasized about their dream wedding. She wanted to do a bit more traveling and see the world, but then she met Ben and realized she wanted to do all those things with him. So, when he proposed shortly before she was to leave for South America, naturally she said yes. Although that meant that the bulk of her wedding was planned from a different continent.
Despite a constant fight for a steady WiFi signal from hotel bunks and cafes, she was able to successfully plan out their Vancouver Island Wedding at Sea Cider Farm. Jade shares more, so be sure to read on — including her full budget breakdown. As always, peruse the full gallery for even more details all photographed by Dallas Kolotylo Photography.
From The Bride:When we went downstairs to meet the boys for photos, my jaw hit the ground. Ben and I both owned VW Beetles, and they are definitely at the top of our list of loves. During the planning phase we had tried really hard to find someone who would rent us a beetle for the day, which I thought was to no avail. And here I was staring a light pink 1965 Beetle. Very rarely am I speechless, but I was then. I felt slightly inadequate with my gift of suspenders and deck of "52 things I heart about Ben." But we exchanged notes, my heart melted a little bit, and off we went for photos! Being photographers in the business ourselves, photos were a big deal. We knew Dallas and Sabrina were up to the challenge. We had such a blast driving all over the city in our vintage VWs getting wicked shots. And they even managed to get us to the ceremony early.
From The Bride On The Venue:Everything about Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse was awesome, including the the ocean view, sheep bleating in the fields, the sunset and lots of top cider. They were also great about incorporating our many personal touches into the venue. From then on, our friends and family ate and drank to the sound of Jon & Roy and finished up the night doing what I love best was all dancing. I never really knew exactly what I was supposed to want out of a wedding; all I really cared about was what feeling we and our guests walked away with. When it was over, Ben and I both wanted to do it all over again. Every time I look through our photos, it all comes flooding back.
I don't know how often bride's say this but our day went absolutely perfectly! The only thing I would even consider changing is that we left for Panama the next day on a 9am flight. That was hard to wake up for. But even then, it all worked out and the hysterical tiredness made for some hilarious memories. Had my Dad not wanted it to be a perfect princess day and both of our parents not been able to help out so much with the cost, we would have had a much simpler wedding. Not that I would change anything when looking back.
Budget wise I would say it ended up being around 12k. The girls and guys paid for most of their own outfits and 2 of my bridesmaids did their own hair and makeup so that helped out too. Here is an estimate of how it broke-down:
Dress: $700
Bride's accessories: $100
Groom's getup: $350
Bridesmaid dresses: $60 each Groomsmen suits: $200 each Hair and makeup: $200
Invites: $150
Guestbook: $50
Beetle rental: $200
Instax Camera and film: $300
Photography: exchanged wedding photography services Flowers: $850
Buffett dinner and booze for 110: $3000
Pies: family :)
Venue Event cost: around $6000
Decorations: DIY probably around $200 for jars, craft supplies and fabric We didn't have favours, instead we sent people home with vases and jars of flowers