Morgan-lee + Stephen’s Bohemian Lakeside Wedding!

In June 2019 we got to celebrate a seriously awesome couple, Morgan-lee and Stephen! From our first consultation with these two, one thing was really clear, they wanted their wedding day to be fun. Like, really, really fun. Cocktails, food trucks, live music, dancing, and more cocktails were on the agenda and we were immediately so excited!

We can’t wait to share this gorgeous lakeside wedding with you featuring images from the talented team at Samba Joy! Enjoy!

One of the most exciting challenges we get to take-on as wedding planners is a blank slate. A property or space that is totally unique and can be molded into anything. Working on a venue build-out on a private property is one of Emma’s favourite things and when Morgan-lee and Stephen found out they were able to hold their wedding at a family friend’s lakeside property – it was time to create some magic!

Countless site visits, measurements (and more measurements), maps, venue layouts, and so (so!) many lists went into the creation of this project. It was one of our biggest, and most rewarding build-outs to date! Recently, we were honoured to receive Best Wedding Planner of the Year at the Vancouver Island Wedding Awards for our work on this wedding and last week found out this wedding has also been honoured as a finalist in the Wedding Planning Under 150k category at the Canadian Special Event Awards (the winners will be announced in the months ahead!).

Starting from scratch means the practical things come first. Toilet trailers. A power source. How vendors and guests were going to navigate the one way, 4 km dirt road to the venue with no turn around opportunity. Then it was on to tenting and lighting! After the essentials were nailed out, we got to figure out the fun stuff. The stuff that makes a wedding day unique. Morgan-lee and Stephen wanted a relaxed West Coast bohemian vibe, with pops of colour. Their venue was surrounded by lush trees and a gorgeous private lake so their inspiration was a perfect fit for their venue.

The week of the wedding our team was on site every single day overseeing the preparation and set-up. One of the best gifts these two gave to us, was the amount of trust they had in our team to deliver a wicked celebration and a stress-free day. The week of the wedding they didn’t come to the property at all to check on the set-up progress, instead they wanted to be surprised and get to experience the transformation for the first time along with their guests! Instead of doing the rehearsal ceremony on the property, they opted to do it at Bear Mountain and hosted the rehearsal dinner gathering there as well.

The Wedding Day!

Morgan-lee and Stephen began their wedding day surrounded by their gorgeous bridal party. The sun was shining and it was going to be a perfect summer day.

The Set-up!

Tina and her team at Platinum Floral Designs set up a gorgeous pampas grass installation overlooking the lake. It was the perfect statement piece for the ceremony and with the pops of colour throughout, it also was the perfect accent for Morgan-lee’s stunning floral filled bouquet. To complement the ceremony arch, we had all the boho decor ready to go. For the ceremony, we mix and matched chairs, colourful Moroccan rugs down the aisle, with pampas grass filled lanterns lining the sides. To keep things fresh, we went with modern and fun signage that provided guests with details on what to expect for the celebrations!

For the clear top reception tent, we traded the usual set-up of tables + chairs for colourful lounges filled with the most beautiful pieces from BASH Specialty. These lounges were comfortable, cozy, and the perfect style for mixing and mingling. We had a few long wooden tables set aside for family members that we accented with colour lanterns.

Four Frames brought Dazel, their vintage photo booth trailer, and the Bubble Bus made it’s official wedding debut!. The Bubble Bus is a tap truck that you can pour just about anything out of and fittingly it was filled with champagne and a selection of local draft beers! To keep guests busy during cocktail hour, we also had a ton of lawn games from the Four Frames collection!

The Ceremony!

The ceremony began and no one could hold back tears as Stephen saw Morgan-lee for the first time walking down the aisle.

It was a beautiful ceremony, with personal vows and lots of happy tears.

Cue the confetti!

Cocktail hour!

Post ceremony, the group enjoyed Aperol Spritzs and guests moved straight into cocktail hour. The Wandering Mollusk had a live oyster shucking station and the Fireside Grill had an epic charcuterie station ready to roll as well as passed canapés. Twist of Fate served up signature cocktails at their two bars and everyone enjoyed the sunshine!

The Party!

Going with the untraditional theme, there was no set dinner time, no buffet line, and no rules about when it was your turn to go up! To keep things casual we brought it two local food trucks, Taco Revolution and Indecent Risotto, to serve up dinner! Having food stations and mixed seating really allowed guests to get up and move around and eat when they wanted to.

One of our favourite parts was that Morgan-lee and Stephen wanted to also include their favourite restaurant, Fireside Grill, in the festivities so, in addition to the food trucks, the restaurant’s team was on site with a beautiful seafood station and a beef slider sandwich bar. There was so much good food!

When guests wanted something sweet they had plenty of options: Portofino cookies (Stephen’s favourite!), a freezer full of ice cream, a cake from The Bake House, and homemade treats from the grandparents. Everything was delicious and guests were full and happy!

After speeches and toasts, the party really started – the sun went down and it was time to dance! Girl on Wax DJ’ed and Tumblin’ Dice took the stage. It was one epic dance party that lasted all through the night. The clear top tent looked incredible and these photos of Morgan-lee and Stephen’s first dance will forever be some of our favourite first dance photos ever!