Vancouver Whimsical Winter Wedding
This beautiful wedding fully embraces winter, complete with mittens, scarves, boots, and of course hot chocolate! The simple color scheme of ivory, cream, gray, and brown accented the natural beauty of the Emerald Lake Lodge.
A darling combination of wool and wooden details from Naturally Chic created a cozy feel despite the snow outside. Bundle up and immerse yourself in even more pretty images from this whimsical winter wedding in the full gallery here, phenomenally photographed by Julie Williams.
From the Bride:Brock and I have always known we would get married in the mountains. The mountains are where we have spent so much of our relationship– hiking, camping, and skiing. They hold so many happy memories for us, including our engagement at the end of 2011. Brock proposed while we were out snowshoeing during a surprise weekend at Emerald Lake Lodge. When we started to talk about the “when”, Brock was the one that initially suggested a winter wedding. I had never imagined having a winter wedding, but the more I thought about it, the more I fell in love with the idea and realized that a winter wedding was perfect for us!
Emerald Lake Lodge is the perfect location for a romantic and memorable mountain wedding. The lodge features three rooms that can accommodate weddings of up to 80 people. Accommodations feature twenty-four cabin-style buildings that surround the original lodge – which include eighty-five guest units built to reflect the traditional architecture of the original building. Each room features a fieldstone fireplace, cozy down duvet, and a private balcony with a spectacular mountain view. Ummm, love it!
We decided to incorporate our love of skiing to personalize the wedding and truly make the wedding ours. We hung vintage ski signs, named the tables after places we have skied complete with a personal story, had our guests sign a set of vintage skis as our guestbook, and topped our cake with a skiing snow couple. To further personalize, we baked our favorite cookies for our guests to enjoy, and wrote our own vows. We also couldn’t resist taking advantage of the beautiful scenery, and held an outdoor ceremony. We kept our guests warm with baskets full of scarves, gloves, and hand warmers, along with a hot chocolate bar.
For a day that flew by so quickly, it is full of so many great memories! The excitement of our first look. My amazing bouquet! Having our siblings by our sides as our wedding party. Trying not to cry as my parents walked me down the aisle. Crying as Brock and I exchanged vows. The happiness of walking back down the aisle as husband and wife. Feeling so cold during our photo-shoot, but not even caring. Brock helping me strap on some snowshoes. Enjoying the cocktail hour with our guests, and posing with them in our winter themed photo booth. Laughing at the play dough sculptures created by our guests during our “kissing game”. Eating an amazing meal. The delicious cake. And finally, dancing away the night surrounded by our favorite people in the world. How could anyone ask for a more perfect day?
Read on to see how much this whimsical winter wedding cost. Please note that costs change as the years go by, and prices are subject to change. This is just one couple’s breakdown to give you a rough estimate on how much a wedding like this may cost you.
Our total wedding cost was $32,000. We splurged on items that really mattered to us, such as having awesome food (including post-wedding brunch), an open bar for our guests, a great photographer, and hiring a wedding planner! We also invested in buying a suit for Brock that he could wear again and again, instead of going the rental route. Many of our wedding details were DIY between myself and our planner, which saved a considerable amount of money - especially when it came to our invites and homemade favors. We also focused on keeping our flower cost down, opting to use pine cones in many places instead of flowers.
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- Best Man: Banana Republic
- Cakes & Catering: Cake Creations
- DJ: Patrick Smiley Entertainment
- Event Planning & Design: Naturally Chic
- Flowers: CattleyaCHIC
- Flowers: Flowers Living
- Hair & Makeup: Stephanie Roy
- Hanger: LilaFrances
- Maid of Honor: Jim Hjelm Occasions
- Mr and Mrs. Owls: The Owl Shoppe
- Photographer: Julie Williams
- Pom Pom Buntings & Knitted Napkin Tie Scarves: Bride & Bride's Mother | Officiant: Kim Chapman
- Rings: Tiffany and Co.
- Shoe Designer: Sorel
- Shoes: Prada
- Veil or Hair Accessories: The Sparkling Sparrow
- Venue, Catering & Wine Tasting: Emerald Lake Lodge
- Wedding Dresses: BHLDN
- Wedding Dresses: Allure Bridal