Peter and Andrea returned to Vancouver Island for their wedding celebration, the place where they met 10 years prior. After scouting wedding locations in Victoria as well as up island, they decided to host a casual outdoor celebration at Fairburn Farmstay in Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. "The moment we visited the farm we both knew that was our wedding location," Andrea says. "We were able to see the beauty of the location and its potential (even though our first visit in January was wet and cold!), and the fact that they had an outdoor wood burning pizza oven didn't hurt either. And yes, we worked that heavily into our menu! The farm owners, Brett and Mary-Anne, were so accommodating, extremely helpful and so easy to communicate with along the way."
"Our vision was to host a casual outdoor wedding that had the feel of one of those long summer dinners with family and friends. Although it was laid-back, we didn't want to compromise on taste, good food, and special, personal touches. I have a bit of an obsession (truly, you should see our apartment!) with simple neutrals and rustic tones, so the color story was champagne, lace, burlap and a touch of peach.
Photographer: Luke Liable | Venue: Fairburn Farmstay, Vancouver Island, BC | Catering: Amuse on the Vineyard | DJ: Jeremy Baker of Spin the Black Disc | Tent + Rentals: Special Occasions | Decor + Design: Andrea Bava | Day of Coordinator: Blue Lily Weddings | Bridesmaid Dresses were from Zara | Grooms Suit from Outlooks | Wedding Favors: Soaps from Saltspring Soapworks
Perhaps it was the huge wrap around patio that circled the 135-year-old farm house, but I instantly felt a Southern-inspired theme. Since I grew up in rural Okanagan and my husband is from the Island, our invitations read: "Join us where Island meets farm." Wanted that laid-back style to show through the entire day.
My dress was a Galiana from David's Bridal but was heavily altered to make it my own be the extremely talented Joanna Delaney of Joanna Delaney Design and Dressmaking http://www.joannadelaney.com.
I always knew I wanted to take the lead on as much of the wedding planning process as possible as I work in the event industry by day. However, we could not have pulled the wedding details off without some extremely talented friends and vendors!
Not all brides perhaps have this patience or affinity for spray paint and craft Sundays, but I loved scouring for gently used decor and updating it to make it our own. Painting mason jars, sewing our lace runners, hand-drawing the signage, and having my supremely talented Father-In-Law custom make our chalk board to host the menu for the cocktail hour, seeing all those handmade touches on the wedding day made it feel so unique and personal instead of renting our decor elements.
Although it was a bit of a trend at the time, we both loved the simplicity and beauty of baby's breath for the floral arrangements. Ot was a huge budget saver for our centerpieces, too! We purchased the flowers from Thrifty Florist and I arranged them with the help of my bridesmaids.
Our wedding invitations and stamps were designed by my friend who is also a designer.
Leave A Comment