If you’re having your wedding in Spring or Summer this year (or any year, really) in Vancouver, then you’re probably going to be paying premium prices for venue rentals, hotels, etc.

After all,this is peak wedding season AND peak tourist season in Vancouver!

But there ARE ways to save money while having a Spring/Summer Vancouver wedding! Here’s how:

1. Skimp on flowers

If your wedding ceremony or reception will take place in a garden setting, don’t bother with expensive floral arrangements. The surrounding greenery and flowers will provide plenty of natural beauty. Use inexpensive decorations on the tables if you feel you still need something (like votives, simple vases with twigs, or even just platters of beautiful food).

2. Skip the heat lamps

Okay, but be careful with this one! While skipping the heat lamps is a great way to cut costs, don’t forget that Vancouver weather can be very fickle! If your event takes place outdoors in the evening, a little rain is all it takes to make your guests chilly. The weather is the biggest challenge for a Vancouver wedding! But if the city’s in the middle of a summer heat wave, you can probably safely skip the heat lamps.

3. Use flowers and foliage from your garden

Raid your garden… your parents’ garden…. your friends’ gardens… There is plenty of beautiful foliage to be had for a Vancouver wedding in spring and summer. It doesn’t need to be fancy — use cherry blossoms, pussy willows, or daffodils in the spring. In the summer months you can use any kind of flower, branches, even ferns if you like them.

4. Go more casual

While you’ll probably still want the wedding dress of your dreams, a Spring or Summer wedding in Vancouver can look lovely with simple sundresses for the bridesmaids, and less formal suits or even just shirts and ties for the groomsmen. Nobody wants to be wearing a three-piece suit on a sweltering summer day!

5. Head to the beach!

Rather than renting an expensive location for your wedding ceremony, find a free outdoor location to say your vows. Vancouver beaches offer spectacular views; there are also plenty of beautiful parks around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland that are lovely for wedding ceremonies. Make sure you know the rules of you location before planning anything, though!

Different restrictions apply to different areas. For a list of beaches and parks in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, including the regulations regarding wedding ceremonies at each, sign in at www.myperfectwedding.ca/login.

Not a member? Sign up at www.myperfectwedding.ca for instant access to 150+ in-depth reviews of wedding ceremony and reception venues in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, plus Vancouver wedding planning guides, local resource lists, and more!

Spring is springing! And that means time to get your check-list items ticked off, for all those Vancouver brides planning a Spring or Summer Vancouver wedding!

By now, most importantly, you should have booked your Vancouver wedding venue. If you haven’t booked your wedding venue yet, do it now!

Then, move on to the other items on the following checklist!

(To see part TWO of this wedding-planning checklist, which lists all those last-minute details, log in at www.myperfectwedding.ca.)

PART ONE: YOUR SIX-STEP WEDDING PLANNER 

STEP 1: Congratulations, you’re engaged!

r  Book your ceremony location

r  Book your reception location  

r  Book your officiant to perform your wedding ceremony

r  Book your photographer

r  Book your videographer

r  Book your florist

r  Book your band, DJ, soloist, or other musical accompaniment

r  Book your caterer

Still haven’t found your Vancouver Lower Mainland wedding reception venue for your Spring wedding???

Don’t panic — it’s not too late.

The most popular Lower Mainland wedding venues might be all booked up, but you might find some flexibility if you are willing to have your wedding on a Friday or Sunday instead of the popular Saturday.

You might also still be able to book a Saturday morning or early afternoon wedding, allowing the venue time to set up for another wedding later that same day.

So don’t assume all is lost! Call your favourite Lower Mainland edding venues and discuss the various options with them for your wedding ceremony and reception.

Not sure which venue you want?

Well, for a Spring wedding, your best bet is to look for a venue that features an outdoor area (like a patio, veranda, or garden) for photos and possibly your ceremony. You may even wish to add heat lamps and possibly tents to this area to make it more usable on chilly Spring evenings — and in case of rain.

That way, you can showcase the beauty of the season at your Spring wedding, but keep guests (and yourselves!) warm and dry throughout your wedding.

You’ll definitely want to find a venue that has a back-up plan in case of bad weather, whether that means tents or a separate room for your ceremony (if applicable), or a back-up area for photos.

Another wonderful option for a beautiful Spring wedding — when nature is at it’s prettiest but the air is still a little cool for an outdoor event — is to have your reception in a glass-domed room that lets all the nature in.

Venues like this one and this one  offer stunning glassed-in areas with spectacular views.

To find other Lower Mainland wedding venues that might be perfect for your Spring wedding, including in-depth reviews of over 150 wedding venues in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, go to www.myperfectwedding.ca.

Winter Wedding Ideas

If you’re getting married in the next few months in Vancouver or the Lower Mainland, then you know what it’s like to plan a winter wedding. The flowers are harder to come by; your outdoor options are limited (or completely eliminated!); your weather concerns increase… and so on.

Well, here’s a list of ideas to help you finalize the details on your winter wedding!

1. Add some faux fur
Nothing says luxury like a bride wrapped in elegant white fur at her winter wedding. Try a stole or a wrap — or even an old-fashioned muff — to add this touch of decadence to your event. And don’t forget: fake fur saves you money AND is more humane!

2. Spread some icy blue
When most of us think winter weddings, we think red pointsettias, maybe some gold accents… Another way to design a super elegant winter wedding colour scheme is to stick to white and silver, but throw in a few touches of pale, icy blue (like on your wedding cake, for example, or your favours). The effect: cool, elegant, and stunning!

3. Think outside the pointsettia
If you like strong, rich colours, then red pointsettias are going to be a great option for your winter wedding. However, if you want a more subtle colour scheme, then you could consider white pointsettias as an alternative — they’re beautiul, and tend to be easier to find these days than in the past. Another option is to buy or find a large number of sticks or branches, cut them to similar (but not identical) lenghts, and spray paint them either white or silver. Arrange them in glass vases as a striking accent to your winter wedding, emulating the bare branches on the trees outside, but in a stunning, artistic style.

4. Lights, lights, lights!
One thing that’s easy to find around the holiday season is Christmas lights. If you’re going to be having your winter wedding after the holiday season, you’re in luck, since you’ll be able to pick up plenty of lights at bargain prices! You can decorate almost any space with strings of small white lights (or try pale blue if it suits your event) to add even more sparkle to your winter wedding. Try wrapping lights around trees or through the branches that you’ve spray painted.

5. Stock up on silver bells!
Again, if your winter wedding falls near to or after Christmas day, you will be able to find bargain-basement prices on decorations like silver baubles and other tree decorations. Try purchasing large bags or buckets full of silver, white, and pale blue baubles (tree ornaments) and use them to fill the same style of vases you used for your branches. (Obviously, you’ll need to use the colours that suit your particular colour scheme.)

Good luck planning your winter wedding!

For more information and articles on how to plan your wedding, including tips on booking the perfect venue for your wedding ceremony and reception, go to www.myperfectwedding.ca.

If you live in Vancouver or anywhere in the Lower Mainland, then you know that your wedding day might be a rainy one — whether you’re getting married in November or August.

Of course, some times of year in Vancouver are better than others if you’re planning an outdoor wedding in Vancouver... and anything but the summer months will likely be too chilly anyway.

But whether your wedding will be in the Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter, you risk having a rainy wedding day.

But don’t dispair! It’s not “ironic” to have rain on your wedding day, as Alanis Morrisette would have you believe. In fact, some even say it’s a good omen of fertility for your marriage!

Here are some tips for what to do if you have a rainy wedding day:

• Check the forecast in advance so you know what kind of weather to expect on your wedding day.
• Always ensure you have a back-up plan in case of rain — do NOT plan an outdoor event without a tented or indoor option, at any time of year, for a Vancouver wedding.
• Consider having a number of umbrellas on hand for guests to use to get from place to place (parking area to reception hall, for example).
• Consider having your groomsmen or ushers escort guests through the rain with umbrellas.
• Make sure you have a large golf umbrella for yourself so that your wedding dress doesn’t get wet! The bigger the umbrella, the better!
• Consider wearing outdoor shoes when you’re travelling through the rain, then put your beautiful wedding shoes on when you’re safely indoors. You wouldn’t want to step in a puddle in satin bridal shoes!

Finding the right Vancouver wedding venue for an off-season wedding can test the nerves of even the most unflappable of brides!

After all, the West Coast of British Columbia isn’t exactly known for its sunshine and good weather from October to, say, April each year!  It’s rain, rain, rain…

So the long list of FABULOUS outdoor wedding ceremony and reception sites are non-options for a January bride.  And you can be left scratching your head – where DOES a gal and her fiance plan the big day?  Especially if you need a Vancouver wedding venue with both a ceremony AND reception site???

Yes, many standard banquet hall and golf course wedding venues can transform their dining areas into your ceremony site.  But this can feel a little, um, uninspired… unromantic… and UN-dramatic.

And what bride doesn’t want a little DRAMA for her big entrance???

Our advice?  Before you agree to get married on the dance floor of your reception hall, why not check out some the truly spectacular heritage homes and mansions for rent across the Lower Mainland?

Imagine hosting your ceremony in the two-storey, front-entry hall of an old Victorian manor, making your entrance down a grand staircase lit with candles and scattered with rose petals.

Or,  having an intimate standing-room-only ceremony in front of a grand fireplace?

… Many of these heritage mansions require little decoration beyond seasonal flowers because their elegant antique furnishings provide the ambiance you need.

To get the complete list of heritage mansions that are perfect for Vancouver wedding venues, become a member of MyPerfectWedding.ca!

It’s not quite wedding season yet… but it IS wedding planning season!!

Most of the big Vancouver wedding fairs are traditionally held in January and February, but more recently there is an increase in the numer of wedding fairs held in October and November.

So don’t miss out on these upcoming Vancouver wedding fairs!

November 8th
Urban Wedding Gala Bridal Showcase
www.urbanwedding.com/weddingshow

• What: Wedding fair put on by Urban Wedding Planners
• Where: Roundhouse Community Centre, Yaletown, Vancouver 
• When: Annual event held each fall (November)
• Admission: FREE
• Comments: An unconventional wedding show with no vendor booths – emphasis is on personal interactions. Up to 500 guests attend the show with approximately 50 vendors.

November 9th
Forget Me Knot
www.forgetmeknot.ca

• What: Boutique wedding fair catering to North Shore brides 
• Where: Holiday Inn, Hotel & Suites, North Vancouver
• When: Annual event held each fall (November)
• Admission: FREE for brides; guests $5
• Comments: A boutique wedding show focussed on local industry in North Vancouver, with approximately 30 vendors.

November 15th
Love Struck Bridal show
www.lovestruckbrides.com

• What: Cocktail-party style upscale wedding event 
• Where: Vancouver Club, Vancouver 
• When: Annual event held in November 
• Admission: $45 for brides; $35 for guests ($50 and $40 at the door)
• Comments: With a maximum of 1,000 brides in attendance, couture gown shows, and free gift bags that include silver jewellery, this upscale show involves drinks, canapés, nail salons, makeup stations, and more!  

November 15th
Creme de la Creme Grand Wedding Showcase
www.cremedelacreme.ca  

• What: Upscale wedding event
• Where: Four Seasons Hotel, Vancouver 
• When: Annual event held in November 
• Admission: $45
• Comments: Referring to itself as the “most opulent show of the year,” this deluxe wedding show is put on by Countdown Events event planners.   Mini manicures, makeovers, and good things to nibble on are included.

The most popular months for weddings in the Vancouver Lower Mainland are the spring and summer months, especially June through September — but most wedding venues consider May through October their “peak season” (i.e., the most expensive wedding and reception venue rental rates!!)

Brides thinking about having a winter wedding in the Vancouver Lower Mainland have a lot of lovely options open to you. The following list includes some great reasons why you might want to have a winter wedding — PLUS tips on how to pull it off in style…

1. Winter weddings can be less expensive! If you avoid the few weeks around Christmas, a winter wedding at most Vancouver Lower Mainland wedding and reception venues can be significantly less expensive than a spring or summer wedding.
2. Winter weddings can “piggyback” on the holiday season! If you decide to have your winter wedding after Christmas or New Year’s Eve at a banquet hall or reception facility, chances are they will have some pointsettas, candles, ribbons, wreaths, and other decorations that you could use for your event.
3. Winter weddings can be cozy and unique! Consider compementing your winter wedding theme with details like ice wine… luxurious comfort foods… sparkling snowflake and silvery accents… perhaps an ice scultpure… You can also reuse those gold and silver balls from your Christmas tree — fill vases with them for immediate impact!
4. Winter weddings mean… Winter honeymoons! Though winter can be cozy and romantic, it’s also a great time to go somewhere hot and sunny for a vacation with your new husband! On the other hand, if you have a summer wedding, why go to a sunny beach when the weather’s perfectly good at home?

Don’t think you need to be restricted by time of year when planning your wedding. With the right wedding and reception venue, you can have a wonderful winter wedding!

Check out the 150+ wedding and reception venue reviews for Vancouver and the Lower Mainland at www.myperfectwedding.ca to find the perfect indoor space for YOUR winter wedding!