Autumn Vancouver Wedding

Keely

Oct 21, 20244 min read

Last Saturday, Nick & Angie got married in Vancouver inside a private garden surrounded by their closest family and friends. The groom’s childhood best friend officiated the ceremony, and the mid-October weather was better than we could have even dreamed up.

N and A had a stunning, candle-lit cocktail hour and reception at Brix & Mortar. They had no planned speeches, but their friends and family were eager to grab the mic and share the sweetest stories about them. The evening was filled with big smiles, huge laughs, and enough espresso martinis to go around.These two were so relaxed the whole day; they took time to enjoy the autumn scenery and sip tea with their guests. It was clear that they were really living in and enjoying each moment as it came.

A collection of wedding photos of a bride and groom.

Before the ceremony...

We picked N & A up from their hotel and drove them to the ceremony venue, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Angie’s hair and make-up was done, but she wasn’t in her dress yet. She was wearing a gorgeous, red, traditional Chinese cape while she mingled and greeted the guests. The guests arrived well before the wedding ceremony to enjoy a tea tasting ceremony with the bride and groom.

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver BC.

When it was nearly time for the ceremony, the bride went into one of the rooms at the venue and had a quick moment with her mother as she combed her hair with a traditional Chinese comb. Then, with her mom’s help, Angie got into her dress and had the first look with Nick just minutes before the ceremony, while the guests were getting seated at the ceremony site.

Ceremony time!

When it was time for the ceremony – what the whole day is really about – N & A walked in together, said their “I Dos”, and participated in a Chinese wine tradition. They stood below a gorgeous tree with vibrant yellow leaves, the sun was shining and dancing off the leaves just enough to illuminate the couple below. Beautiful BC was truly showing off for us on this day with the clear blue sky and bright autumn colours!

A bride and groom sharing their first kiss at their wedding ceremony.

The ceremony was short, sweet, and not too serious. I love that, throughout the whole day, they really did things their own way. They kept some traditions, broke others, and made the day what they wanted it to be.

A private space for wedding photos...

Right after the ceremony, we did some quick family photos at the garden and then we spent the rest of our time at this venue taking bridal portraits with N & A. We were allowed by the venue to go up into an “off limits” part of the garden, just for photos, and they turned out so well. We also got some golden hour shots as the sun was going behind the buildings. The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden has so many photo options – everywhere you turn is beautiful greenery and unique architecture. And because the garden was closed for the wedding, we had the whole place to ourselves to get all the shots we wanted.

A bride and groom looking at each other, standing beside a bright teal pond and standing under a leafy green tree.

A black and white photo of a couple's shadow as they are just about to kiss.

After photos, we dropped N & A back at their hotel for Angie to change into her reception dress. Once she changed, we went up to their hotel rooftop for just a few minutes of photos, which added so much variety to the photo gallery!

A bride being twirled by her groom, her wedding dress flying out from behind her.

Reception time!

From there, we drove the couple to the reception venue, Brix & Mortar. Brix & Mortar is a gorgeous, cozy, modern restaurant in Yaletown. We hadn’t been there before but we were floored walking in by how gorgeous it was in low-light. Their courtyard space was perfect for a candle-lit cocktail hour, and seeing it for the first time in person made us so excited to eventually capture a wedding ceremony there as well.

A courtyard filled with wedding guests, a big, gold chandelier hangs in the middle lighting up the space.

N & A enjoyed cocktail hour with their guests before everyone was invited into the main reception space to have their dinner orders taken. N & A stayed out in the courtyard, and each table was invited one-by-one out to meet them and take a group photo with the newlyweds. After we finished all the group photos, N & A had their big entrance into the reception.

The reception was so much fun; there were no planned speeches but instead of clinking glasses, guests had to tell a story about the couple or read them a poem to make the couple kiss. There were so many fun stories shared, and a group of the couple’s friends even performed a song!

N & A had one of the prettiest wedding cakes I’ve ever seen – or should I say, several cakes! – and they were covered in figs and dried flowers, perfect for fall. The dinner was delicious, the espresso martinis were flowing, and the dessert table was a masterpiece. What more could you ask for from a wedding reception?

Three wedding cakes of different sizes, all of which are decorated with white icing, dried flowers and figs.

Recap

N & A had a perfect fall wedding day downtown Vancouver last weekend; the sunny weather, the garden ceremony, the modern reception space, and the fall colours really made the day spectacular. We are so happy for Nick & Angie and we had a blast spending the day with them, capturing the memories they'll cherish for a lifetime.