It was so much fun meeting Rikki! As soon as she walked through the doors I knew she would be a blast to be around! I am so happy that she was able to come out for the shoot and be her bubbly giggly self. Thanks Rikki for all the laughs, looking forward to taking more photos in the future!

When did you get Engaged?
officially with a ring on Christmas eve.. dress was bought and wedding was planned a few months before that lol

When did you get married?
April 27th, 2016

How did you go about planning your wedding?         
We initially started planning a wedding here in town (Fort St. John) with a wedding planner Faye Anesty. She was amazing to deal with and absolutely worth it, she would be able to get us the fancier stuff (i.e chairs tables etc) for the same price we would be able to get the basic stuff. She would’ve set up and take down (huge deal for us.) We initially had a big outdoor wedding planned, however it was getting to be just too much. We both have huge families and felt obligated to invite too many people. So after a couple months of planning we threw in the towel and decided on a destination wedding. We love food and we sure the heck weren’t going to get married at a resort that had gross food. So I did HOURSSS of research on tripadvisor based on the location and reviews on food and then narrowed it down based on the wedding ceremony locations that were available. We ended up getting married on a private beach front deck at The Azul Fives in Playa Del Carmen. It was AMAZING. And super HOT a whopping 39 degrees (thank God I decided not to get a veil to trap all that heat in). We hired a wedding planner at the location and emailed back and fourth and I picked things based on pictures and sometimes sent images I had seen on pinterest and they were very accommodating.

What is the most important thing that had to be right? I wouldn’t say it was one thing.. just that it had to be stress free. It’s the start of our lives together its supposed to be fun and happy not full of worry over things that, in the end, don’t matter like tablecloths. So I guess having a wedding planner, and a destination wedding where they do all the work for you was the most important thing.

Why did you choose your dress and how much was it? There was next to no lace on it, also the train is amazing!! The year we got married EVERY dress was just covered in lace and I didn’t want to look like anybody else. We went into 2 dress stores in Edmonton and they literally did not have one dress that wasn’t at least ¾ lace. I believe it was $2100 with the belt I had added to it (with tax.)

How much on photography, why did you that photographer? We got an amazing deal because our photographer was new at destination weddings so I think we just had to pay for her to get there and then her accommodations. I loved her photography before and was planning on using her for our wedding in town so was wonderful we could take her with us. Felt so much more at ease having somebody local come with us in case something went wrong with our pictures when we got home, at least I’d be able to talk with her and have total faith I’d get them and be able to communicate what I wanted.

What was the best part of your day and why?  Marrying Shaun obviously! I think my favorite part was getting ready with my girls, drinking blended mojitos and being so full of excitement and happiness. Until having my daughter, that is the first time I had been so overwhelmingly happy my face hurt from smiling all day.

If you could do it all again what is one thing you would change?  We only went for a week and I wish that we had stayed for 10 days because the first few days were full of wedding stuff and we didn’t get to leave the resort to make the excursions others had went on.

If you could tell a future bride one thing she needs to do to make her day perfect what would that be? Pay the money to have somebody else plan it for you. You will basically pay the cost of him or her in your savings for the things you actually want. Also you wont be stressed out on the big day worrying if things are showing up or being set up or if anybody is running behind. You can focus on yourself and your man’s big day and actually remember it because you aren’t super exhausted.

Make Up: Angela Moody Makeup Artistry

Hair Stylist: Jessica Diehl

Florist: The Flower Hut

Photography: Hope Linzee Photography

Cassidy is such a lovely woman! She is the type of person who walks into a room and just brings a smile to your face. She has a huge heart for children and youth as well! I am so glad I got to spend some time with her and get to know her better! Without further a due this is her story and advice for future brides!

When did you get Engaged?
June 14, 2017 (Yesss.. 3 months!)

When did you get married?
September 17, 2017, Sunday morning wedding on the beach, brunch reception. All in Naramata, BC.

How did you go about planning your wedding?          First off you need to know, when Alex and I got engaged we were 4 hours apart and 14 hours away from where we were getting married!! I always knew my mom would do most of my wedding planning. She was an interior designer and just knows how to make things look good. So, we decided to have our wedding in Naramata where my parents live. My hubby and I did a lot of Pintresting (He calls it “the website that shall not be named”). We chose our colours first and then from there just bounced ideas off my mom and others who were helping. The venue we used required we use a certain wedding planning company. This was a bummer at first but ended up going over REALLY well! She worked well with our families and got SO much behind the scenes stuff done.

What is the most important thing that had to be right? The food was a HUGE one for us. We had a wonderful catering company (shout out to Joy Road in Naramata, BC!) that even filled the request from Alex that had his heart set on waffles at our brunch wedding! Other than that, I wasn’t too picky. I was also VERY sick the week leading up to our wedding day. I made sure to tell the wedding party that by the day of the wedding, if things weren’t perfect that that was that! Not so sweat the small stuff.

Why did you choose your dress and how much was it? I chose my dress because it was simple, elegant and I really liked the detail in the straps. I wanted something I would feel comfortable yet awesome in as well. I bought it online because I lived far from all my family, friends and any good bridal stores were hours away. My dress arrived in a box in the mail and I jumped up and down with the mail lady at our small-town post office when it arrived! $285 all together… Haha, including shipping!

How much on photography, why did you that photographer? We spent maybe $1,500? I can’t quite remember. We chose Caillum Smith from Preserved Light. His photos were very natural yet modern. He does a lot of tourism photography, so we also knew we were getting someone who had extensive knowledge of the area and how to photograph it. Our photographer was easy to talk to, had fun ideas and was on the same page as us. I really wanted candid, natural moments to be captured and Caillum was all over that!

What was the best part of your day and why?  Our reception. It was a bit overwhelming to know that literally everyone we loved and cared for were all in the same room. Alex’s aunt (who actually set us up!) was our MC. There were SO many laughs, it was wonderful to see everyone together and having fun… Alex and I both moved far from home to live in FSJ, so for us this was like a big reunion. I also loved “the reveal”. We had it in the pavilion at my parent’s house where Alex had asked my dad’s permission to propose. It’s still our favorite place to hangout when we visit

If you could do it all again what is one thing you would change?  My makeup. It just wasn’t what I had pictured in my head. The artist did a really nice job, it just didn’t feel like me. She “toned it down” once and by the time everything was done and then re-done there was no time to change anything else, so I just went with it. So I would tell my past self to speak her mind, be clear and maybe don’t try to accommodate everyone as much.. I also wish I had gotten individual pictures with my mom, dad and brother. We had family ones, but separate would have been nice too.

If you could tell a future bride one thing she needs to do to make her day perfect what would that be? Take it all in. When you are standing with your very, very soon to be husband, take time to really see everyone who is there. When my parents gave their speech, they had us take a moment to look out and just see everyone. This meant a lot to me, like I said above, both Alex and I had already been living far from a lot of our family and friends for some time.
I know you said one… But I think this is also important. Don’t sweat it! On your day there is no point in worrying or trying to change things. I made sure to tell our wedding party and families this. I didn’t want people coming to Alex or me with problems or concerns on our day. Basically, the deal was if it’s an easy fix go ahead and fix it, if not, no big deal. *This would kind of tie in with “the day” but we also didn’t go on our honeymoon until 3 months after our wedding. This was because of work but ended up being the best thing ever! Now having gone through the wedding day, though it was amazing, I could not imagine having to get on a plane the next day!

Make Up: Angela Moody Makeup Artistry

Hair Stylist: Shaylene Carter

Photography: Hope Linzee Photography