Wedding | Katie & Alex

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We met while we were both living in Revelstoke, British Columbia, the small mountain town where Alex is from. Katie is from Massachusetts and spent most of her childhood there and in Maine. We were friends for a while then began dating. Now here we are!

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

Our guests were from all over. We’re so lucky to be from such beautiful places, but we felt staying closer to our current home was the right choice. Choosing Vancouver Island was easy. It has coastal charm like New England and mountains that are classic BC.

How many guests did you have?

Around 50 guests. For this event, we invited immediate family and friends. We both have big extended families. Instead of hugely increasing our budget and asking a lot of travel out of everyone (and ultimately not getting to see a bunch of people who wouldn’t be able to make it), we’re doing two smaller celebrations with each side later.

What was your budget?

Our budget was around the average cost of a wedding in Canada.

Tell us about your outfits.

I had a few ideas early on in planning - something silk, with sleeves, and a vision of being wrapped in flowing fabric. I found Brooke Tyson and loved her dresses. She worked with me to customize looks for the ceremony and reception. I picked a chiffon veil and tied it around my bun, almost like a bow without the loops. The silhouette of the Aeyde heels was perfect and the Reike Nen mules were my dream party shoe.

For Alex we wanted to do a classic black suit to be timeless and fit the day. His shoes were thrifted. We got matching sunnies, inspired by our friends that had done the same. I was changing looks after dinner and we thought it would be fun if Alex did, too. We ended up finding a great shirt from Alex Mill. My slip dress ruched up from the bottom so it wasn’t in the way for dancing, and Brooke made the coolest glittering top - somewhere between a jacket and bolero.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

We both felt that our wedding wasn’t the start of a new chapter but a celebration of what we’ve built together. More than anything we wanted it to be comfortable and fun. Anticipating the day going by fast, we planned a “wedding eve” cookout with everyone at the beach the night before. For our day, we knew we wanted to get ready together. We pictured a garden on the water, amazing food, and great music. It was important to us that we supported local vendors and small businesses. The location we chose made it easy, and the aesthetics of the day sort of grew around that. To tie everything together, having a photographer whose work we loved and who we knew would capture us and our guests in a magical way was one of our biggest budget items.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

Throughout the day we wanted to pull in things from both of our lives. Little secret nods to certain times and people were so much fun to plan. A lot of our decor items were things we owned already. Glass pieces from a studio in Revelstoke, tablecloths made by a friend and from a general store in Vermont, seashells and enamelware, nasturtiums we grew, a boat-and-tote bag, a four-leaf clover, the list goes on!

Katie painted a watercolour card for each guest which we then personalized with a note and printed photo of that person with us/one of us at some point in our lives. It was so special to see everyone sharing and reminiscing. Children were invited and we found the cutest wooden animals for their “place cards” at the dinner table.

Early on in our engagement we knew that we wanted to do the legal part of our marriage at the ski hill in Alex’s hometown. It’s a tradition there that happens every Valentine’s Day. That made us feel totally free to make our ceremony whatever we wanted it to be. We self-hosted it and included some classic storytelling & vows plus a call-and-response section with our guests. Lots of happy tears!

Any tips for couples getting married?

There are a million ways to make a day special. It’s OK to care a lot and it’s OK to care a little! Do the things that make you happy and not the things that don’t. Celebrate the good, especially right now.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Katie designed our rings! We had some heirloom jewellery that needed new life. For Alex we resized a family wedding band and added in a tiny diamond. Katie was inspired by the “Toi et Moi” idea and dreamt up an asymmetrical inlaid ring. Evorden made it happen.

Thank you to Claire from Doxa Photography for capturing our day so beautifully, and to our day-of coordinator, Nicole from Forest Rose Weddings - you both helped our vision come to life!

Photographer: Doxa Photography @doxa.photography | Flora: Breadblooms @breadblooms | Day-of Coordinator: Forest Rose Weddings @forestroseweddings | Ceremony Location: Filberg Park

@filbergheritagelodgeandpark | Catering & Beverages: Honey Grove Bakery, Zamalek @zamalekmontreal, The Farmer’s Kitchen @farmerskitchen.foodtruck & Bigfoot Donuts @bigfoot.donuts | Cake: Cakebread Bakery @cakebreadbakery | Dress: Brooke Tyson Ritual @brooketysonritual | Suit: 

Indochino @indochino & Eton @etonshirts | Groom’s Party Shirt: Alex Mill @alexmillny | Wedding Rings:

Evorden @evordenjewellery | Shoes: Aeyde @aeyde & Reike Nen @reikenen_official