Andrea Butler and Jamil Bashir were married in an elegant ceremony at St. Andrew's-Wesley Church in downtown Vancouver. To extend and enjoy their union the couple hosted their reception the following evening at the sleek Vancouver Art Gallery. From dress to getaway car, the wedding was classic and chic. Erica Chan captured the couple's two-day celebration, coordinated by Nargess of Fleur de Lis Events.

Andrea's gown came courtesy of her dress-shopping entourage. She told us, "I had imagined myself in a specific, sleek, vintage-inspired dress. But when I tried it on it just wasn't me." At the first shop of the day the bride asked her two sisters, mother, and friend/wedding planner to pick out their favorites for the fitting. The dress hunt was done. "They all looked totally different from what I would have chosen for myself, but when I put them on-- one of them was just perfect."

Andrea had her makeup done by Vancouver artist Ariana Q. The bride's "something borrowed" were two delicate pearl earrings. She laughs, "I hadn't realized I wanted earrings until I had my dress and veil on that day." Her sister took off the earrings and pressed them in her hand.

The couple's wedding rings were designed by friends and local jewellers. The designer, her husband, and husband's parents gifted the couple their gold bands along with a blessing of sorts. "His parents have been married for over fifty years," Andrea explains. "A good omen for us!"

Another elegant touch: St. Andrew's-Wesley Church boasts the longest aisle in Vancouver. The bride cites the beautiful light through stained glass windows as one of her favorite elements. The location choice was also a sentimental one; it's the closest grand venue to the downtown hospital where the couple met (also making it easy for the couple's friends on-call at the hospital to attend). Despite the towering, sacred venue, the couple's ceremony was incredibly personal. The pastor wove together the two families' beliefs and included a romantic candle-lighting.

On first seeing Andrea and Jamil's photos, we were especially drawn to these dramatic city-scape black and whites. Photographer Erica Chan matched the newlywed's classic celebrations with timeless, urban captures post-ceremony.

The couple hosted a beautiful white reception at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Andrea elaborated on the party noting, "While we're both in medicine, we both love the arts and wanted to reflect this aspect of ourselves in the choice of reception venue."

"We actually held the reception the following night, to give our out-of-town guests some time to explore the city," Andrea notes. "It gave our friends who were locals time to do their own thing, as they had stayed in town over the long weekend to celebrate with us.  We wanted the festivities to stretch-out for them and fill the weekend rather than begin and end all in one day. It also gave us a chance to relax together, go for a couples massage, get a good sleep, grab brunch the next morning just the two of us, and really enjoy the celebrations the following night (well-rested)."