Engineer + Geek tie the knot

Walking on Sunshine: Cocktail Hour

Walking on Sunshine: the little details

2012-03-04T09:58:00.002-08:00

Time to share all of the little details that I put a lot of thought and hard work in to!

Our seating chart was one of the first things our guests saw as they came upstairs. I still love the idea that we came up with.

Our guest book sign in a simple frame from IKEA with one of my favourite milk glass vases.

We didn't have a slideshow but I did put out a couple of baby photos of Mr. Gazelle and I.

Our upstairs reception room at the Brock House. We fit the maximum number of people in there that we could - 50 people in the main room and 6 people and a photo booth in a connected room. I loved the fireplaces, the beautiful molding, the chiavari chairs...

We kept the decor very simple with our zinc letters, photo frames and milk glass bud vases.

I wasn't too concerned about keeping up our purple theme for the flowers in the bud vases, I was more interested in keeping them inexpensive. The day before the wedding my girlfriends and I went to Costco to raid the roses in the flower department. The flowers there are great quality and a great value.

Our bouquets rested in larger vases on the head table.

For the wee ones I left a colouring book with stickers and crayons at their seat.

Our favours of Russian Earl Grey loose leaf tea with homemade shortbread cookies rested on our guests' bread plates.

I made a sign pointing the way to our photo booth with the free download from The Wedding Chicks.

Our cake topper was so adorable.

I loved our wedding cake which was exactly as I envisioned.

I gasped when I saw our reception room. It was just as I hoped it would be.

Did your reception space come together just like you imagined it?

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Sakura Photography*

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Walking on Sunshine: the Gazelles Get Married

Walking on Sunshine: the Gazelles Get Married

Walking on Sunshine: Cocktail Hour

2012-03-01T21:12:00.000-08:00

As soon as our ceremony ended cocktail hour on the lawn started. Mr. Gazelle and I got to the end of the aisle, we kissed, and the amazing staff at the Brock House were ready to hand us a glass of wine. Our bridal party joined us for a toast.

Hive, this is the part where I have to eat my words. Way early on in the wedding in the wedding planning I said my motto was *just say no to bubbles.* My aunt brought bubbles...

If she hadn't brought those bubbles we wouldn't have gotten amazing photos like this one:

Cocktail hour went by in a blur. I remember lots of hugs (and seriously, check out those bubbles in the background)...

I remember lots of smiles...

And lots more hugs...

And plenty of cheers...

We have photographic evidence that there were appetizers (and I heard that they were amazing) but I was so busy trying to say hello to all of our friends and family that I barely had time to eat any of them.

We also took some time during cocktail hour to take some family photos...which my niece was a total ham for!

The ribbon wands were a huge hit with the little ones at our wedding during the cocktail hour. My niece and her second cousin met the week of our wedding for the first time and they got on like a house on fire.

Before I knew it our guests were being ushered inside the Brock House for dinner. My Gazelle and I found each other and had time for a quick smooch.

While we waited for our guests to make their way inside we took the opportunity to see just how much fun it was to play around with those ribbon wands.

Soon we were told it was time for us to head inside for dinner. Good thing...I was hungry!

Did you have a cocktail hour right after your ceremony? Did that cocktail hour just zoom by for you like it did for me?

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Sakura Photography*

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Walking on Sunshine: The Gazelles Get Married

2012-02-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

Our guests had arrived at the Brock House and began to take their seats for the ceremony. They scoped out the ribbon wands we had left on their seats.

Brother Gazelle walked my mom down the aisle.

Then it was our groomsmen's turn.

And Mr. Gazelle...beaming and so handsome.

Next up my gorgeous bridesmaids.

Our niece took her job of flower girl very seriously and she was so cute.

All of a sudden it was my turn. I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head at this point including "please do not let me trip on these stairs!"

All of a sudden I spied my soon to be husband.

My dad gave me a kiss and shook Mr. Gazelle's hand.

We were ready!

Our ceremony flew by. I forgot my lines when I had to repeat after our marriage commissioner resulting in a few laughs.

Mr. Gazelle and I chose to write our own vows following Mrs. Jam's advice. Despite keeping our vows a secret from each other we said very similar things to each other - talking about our love for biking and hiking in the mountains and spending time developing and enjoying culinary creations with each other.

Our flower girl was having fun playing with her "Here Comes the Bride" flag.

Our friend Pam read "Consider Love" by Sandra Boynton. I've had this book for years and the simple story urges us to consider all kinds of love and its moods and many ways. It was perfect.

Now it was time for us to exchange rings.

And we were married!! You may kiss the bride!

Our recessional song - Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves began playing.

We boogied back down the aisle while our guests waved their ribbon wands and cheered.

Best. Wedding. Ever.

Did you and your spouse decide to write your own vows and were you surprised by how similar they were?

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Sakura Photography*

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Walking on Sunshine: Posing Party

2012-01-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

Wow Hive, sorry for being MIA for so long! Work got crazy busy right before Christmas, then Mr. Gazelle and I were having a blast at Disney World over the holidays. We are back now, so let's get back to recapping the Gazelle wedding, shall we?

After our first look it was time to have a little fun and take a few photos!

Granville Island was an amazing place for photos because we were able to get such a huge variety of backdrops. First Mr. Gazelle and I hung out on a hill.

Then Mr. Gazelle hung out looking oh so handsome with his groomsmen.

Then it was my turn to hang out with the girls!

Our photographer Leslie told us to pose...so we pulled a Charlie's Angels pose out...which is apparently what everyone does. Posing fail!

I loved the photos we got against this blue wall!

We definitely gathered a few looks as we walked around the island, including a tourist that wanted to take our picture too.

We also had a bit of fun trying to jump in unison!

Group hug!

At this point it was time to say goodbye to our bridal party and take some photos of just the two of us. We popped inside Granville Island Market as folks did their Sunday afternoon shopping.

With the Burrard Street Bridge in the background. This is one of my favourite spots in Vancouver!

We had just enough time before the ceremony to drive to some woods near the Brock House for a few more photos.

All of a sudden it was 6:00. Time to hurry up and get to the Brock House. Mr. Gazelle and I had a wedding to get to!

Having this time to take photos before the ceremony was great. As a bridal party we had so much fun together. As for the two of us, Mr. Gazelle and I kept looking at each other saying, "We're getting married today!!" I loved the pictures of the two of us from this time and having a few hours to spend together before the ceremony was so special to me. I don't think I could have waited until our 6:30 pm ceremony to see Mr. Gazelle!

Did you and your bridal party take photos before or after the ceremony?

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: Our First Look

2011-12-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

Our photographers arranged our first look at Granville Island. Granville Island is a place we love to visit every time we are in Vancouver so it seemed perfect for our first look. I was running late, but now all I could think about was that I was so close to seeing Mr. Gazelle for the first time on our wedding day. While our photographers were on the phone coordinating our first look the girls adjusted a few pieces of my attire, including my necklace which kept twisting.

Mr. Gazelle was waiting for me on the marina with his groomsmen.

After everyone was in place it was my turn to walk towards Mr. Gazelle

I had a huge smile on my face but I was also choking back sobs. Almost there....I totally thought he would turn around once he knew I was behind him!

See, he totally knows I'm there but he didn't turn around. I tapped him on the shoulder.

I'm here...you can turn around now!

I'm pretty sure the first word out of his mouth was, "Wow!"

We shared a smooch as he handed me back my bouquet.

Mr. Gazelle then wanted a moment to take it all in - my dress, hair and flowers. He kept exclaiming how beautiful I was.

It was really nice to have this moment together. It was one of my favourite parts of the day! Our ceremony wasn't until 6:30 pm. This gave us a chance to spend a bit more of the day together and to revel in the fact that we were getting married!! I love seeing photos of the look on Mr. Gazelle's face from our first look!

Time for one last smooch...

...and then it was time to have some fun and take some pictures!

Are you doing a first look?

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Sakura Photography*

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Walking on Sunshine: Guys Get Ready

2011-12-13T21:18:00.000-08:00

While Leslie from Sakura Photography was photographing us girls her husband Mark met up with the guys at their hotel while they were getting ready.

Mr. Gazelle had some really cool purple socks...

And we had picked up some fun socks for the best man and groomsman too. I am amazed at Groomsman M's balance while putting socks on!

It doesn't take nearly as long for the guys to get dressed so Mr. G checked his hair...

Put on his tie...

And his vest...

And Best Man D helped him put his jacket on.

Groomsman M sure looked swanky in his suit and hat!

I really wish I knew what this conversation was about...

Finally Mr. Gazelle was ready to go, but not before reading my note.

And with that the men were ready! On to our first look!!

PS - I love the massive smile on Mr. Gazelle's face!

Did you have a second shooter to take photos of the guys getting ready?

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Sakura Photography*

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First Married Christmas

2011-12-10T08:43:00.001-08:00

The other weekend Mr. Gazelle and I put our Christmas tree up. This wasn't the first time that we've hung ornaments on the Christmas tree together, but somehow it felt different this time now that we are married. We've collected a few ornaments over the year that will remind us of some special things and occasions.

Mr. Gazelle has a dream to own a boat some day. So I bought him one! Perhaps a bit on the small scale though...

We love to hike in the mountains...

...and apparently so does Santa.

This Empire State Building ornament will always remind me of our honeymoon.

And finally, I chose to make an ornament with all kinds of bits and pieces from our wedding. I bought a plan glass ornament from Michaels. I filled it with strips of our invitations, the purple and white twine we used on our invites, programs and favours...

...pieces of our thank you cards, our engagement picture moo cards...

...a piece of fabric from the bridesmaid dresses and some French veiling from my hair flower.

Our tree.

How are you remembering your wedding during the holiday season?

Walking on Sunshine: Becoming a Bride

2011-12-04T10:46:00.001-08:00

With my make up done and my somethings taken care of it was now time to get dressed! Around this time I also realized just how late we were running. I think this is right where BM-D is telling me not to worry and to just enjoy everything.

I slipped into my dress and the girls started to lace up my corset.

Bridesmaid D is a corset master! This is one of my favourite photos of D from the day.

While I was getting laced up I read a note Mr. Gazelle had left behind for me. We didn't exchange gifts but we did exchange notes. I think we were both afraid to say too much and give away our best material that we could use in our vows but I loved reading Mr. Gazelle's note.

It was then time to try and rig my beloved hair flower! I had tried super gluing it and it still didn't hold. I was ready to leave it behind but my girls and the photographer were determined to get it to work.

Success! Thank you ladies!!!!

Time for my borrowed garter.

And quite possibly the most awkward shoe putting on shot ever...

A quick toast...

And it was time to go!

I love these photos of my parents. They look so happy!

Time to get in the car!

Were you running late on your wedding day? Did it stress you out at all?

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Sakura Photography*

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Walking on Sunshine: My Somethings

2011-11-30T18:03:00.001-08:00

I didn't have a chance to share my somethings with you before the wedding, so here we go!

Something New: dress, shoes, and jewelry

I loved my dress...

...and all of the detail on the waist...

...and the bust.

My bracelet was from J. Crew. I thought the pearls and rhinestones echoed the detail on the waist perfectly.

My necklace was a gift from my mom.

My earrings were the first piece of jewelry I picked for my wedding ensemble.

My beloved purple Floral Fandango shoes from Anthropologie that I went to great lengths to get.

Something Old and Blue: antique gazelle pin

I wanted something to represent Weddingbee on me. I found this gorgeous antique silver gazelle pin on eBay. I tied a blue ribbon to it to represent my something blue.

I pinned the gazelle to the crinoline under my dress.

Something Borrowed: garter and bees

My friend Tara lent me her garter that a friend had handmade for her. It was so sweet of her to let me borrow it. It was absolutely gorgeous. We did not do a garter toss so only a few people knew it was there.

I also had the travelling bees with me that have been making their way around the hive! Unfortunately by the time I got them (darn you Canada Post strike!) I didn't have much of an idea for how to incorporate them on the day. I carried the bees in my purse.

How did you incorporate the somethings in your wedding day ensemble?

*All photos courtesy of the amazing Sakura Photography*

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: We Rehearse
Walking on Sunshine: Let's Hike Up a Mountain
Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver
Walking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Walking on Sunshine: Getting Glam

2011-11-28T19:13:00.001-08:00

You guys...this is exciting!! We are at the part of the recaps where the professional photos start!

After the salon we rushed home to get our make up on! The girls started getting glam on the patio with our amazing make up artist, Megan from ML Makeup Artistry...

I enjoyed some time hanging out with family and friends.

My parents had ordered some pizzas while we were at the salon and I was starving. I was worried I may not be able to eat later so I definitely made sure to devour some pizza.

In between bites the doorbell rang. Our bouquets were here!

Seriously you guys, when my flowers arrived it all really started to seem real. The bouquets were perfect and just as I had visualized. I loved them.

Soon the doorbell rang again. This time it was our photographer Leslie! Her husband Mark was dropping her off on his way to photograph the men getting ready. She got to work photographing little details and it was my turn to get made up.

Megan did an awesome job on my makeup. We talked about the things that worked from my makeup trial and the things to adjust. She was so fun to be around and she made me feel beautiful. I would not hesitate to recommend Megan! Also having Megan come to our house was a fantastic idea. She was able to make the girls look gorgeous while I was able to relax and hang out with the rest of my friends and family.

I was ready before I knew it. Time to become a bride and get my dress on!

Was getting made up a relaxing part of your wedding day?

*Personal photos are noted, otherwise all the amazing photos are courtesy of Sakura Photography.*

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: We Rehearse
Walking on Sunshine: Let's Hike Up a Mountain
Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver
Walking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Back to my roots

2011-11-21T20:38:00.001-08:00

Like most brides I grew out my hair in anticipation of the wedding. It had been ages since I've really grown my hair out. Post wedding I hung on to the length as I was curious to see just how long I could get my hair. Well...how long it would get before it started to drive me nuts!

Wanna see?

Don't mind me while I whip my hair...

Well, four months post wedding it officially started to drive me nuts! The ends felt dry and it was taking longer and longer to dry and style in the morning. This weekend I said so long to 6 inches of hair.

I also decided to go back to my roots by getting my colour as close to my natural blonde colour as possible. The slightly warmer blonde feels perfect for fall/winter and my hair is feeling so much softer (not to mention that it took much less time to dry this morning).

Did you wait a few months after your wedding before cutting your hair or could you not wait to cut it off?

PS - Yes, I own a lot of yellow clothing...

Walking on Sunshine: to the salon!

2011-11-20T09:22:00.001-08:00

Wedding morning dawned. I'm normally a pretty early riser and today was no different. I enjoyed some quiet time in the room by myself as Mr. Gazelle was checked in to a hotel. I took the opportunity to read through my vows and to finish putting pen to paper, expressing what I wanted to say. Soon it was time to emerge, say good morning to my family and friends all staying at the house, and then to make my way to the salon to get my hair done.

Myself, my maid of honor, bridesmaid and flower girl all had a hair appointment at Suki's Salon on West Georgia in Vancouver. I picked this particular salon because they were open on Sundays and they had plenty of stylists on hand Sunday morning who specialized in up dos. It is also where I have had the most amazing shampoo experience ever! I was pretty excited when my stylist suggested that they wash my hair at the salon in the morning so she could dry it exactly as she needed it for my style.

I had originally thought that I would go for a low side bun, as per my hair trial. The week of the wedding I found new inspiration while watching the Top Chef Canada finale. I love the host's lost centered bun and the way her hair looked from the front. My biggest issue with my hair trial was that I wasn't a fan of how my hair looked from the front (that I sadly never got a picture of). Here is my new inspiration, courtesy of Thea Andrews on Top Chef Canada:

Screen Shots via Top Chef Canada

My stylist loved the change so she got to work drying and hot rolling my hair.

In the meantime the other girls were getting glam. Our flower girl was busy colouring while she had her hair curled.

BM-D was getting a ton of volume added to her hair in preparation for her updo.

Unfortunately our flower girl spilled her hot chocolate while getting her hair done so she was a bit unhappy at times. :(

Luckily she came around later and wound up looking adorable.

Here I am getting the finishing touches on my hair.

After my stylist finished my hair it was time to put in my hair flower. The one that I had worked so hard to make and absolutely loved. Way back when I made it I had decided to just glue a barrette on to the back. As my stylist placed the flower in my hair and closed the barrette it went SNAP! The glue had become brittle in the months that I had made it and the barrette separated from the fabric. There was no way to fix it at the salon and I had super glue back at the house. I figured I would just fix it later.

Time was marching on (seriously...your wedding day goes by so fast) and we had to hurry back to the house to get made up. Here's the finished do though...

My hair held up really well all day and night as well. Apart from a few fly aways it was still structurally sound by the end of the night.

Big thanks to Brother Gazelle for being our photographer at the salon and for looking after our flower girl when she got a wee bit surly over spilled milk.

Did you run into any unforeseen issues with your accessories on your wedding day?

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: We Rehearse
Walking on Sunshine: Let's Hike Up a Mountain
Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver
Walking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Walking on Sunshine: Step by Step

2011-11-14T16:23:00.001-08:00

A little music to help set the mood...

A few of my girlfriends and I had a hot date to rush to after dinner. It just so happened that New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys were playing in Vancouver the night before I was getting married. It was like fate!!

See, I loved the New Kids as a teenager. I'm pretty sure I had The Right Stuff on constant replay on the boom box in my bedroom. I even saw them in concert with Bridesmaid D on their last reunion tour a few years ago.

That time I dressed up in an old sweatshirt from grade 8 (that oversized monstrosity was labelled a medium), I tucked and rolled my jeans and bumped my hair. It was awesome. When BM-D found out they were in Vancouver she declared it fate and that we had to go. Besides? What better way is there to spend your last night as a single girl reliving your teenage dreams of yesteryear? Yeah, we were all pretty excited.

I'm also a pretty huge Glee fan so it was cool that Mr. Scheuster (cough, I mean, Matthew Morrison) was the opening act. He can really sing!

Pretty soon it was time for the New Kids and the Backstreet Boys to come out. Yeah!! (PS - awesome photo bomb BM-D!)

I know this can be a pretty polarizing topic amongst women but I definitely think that the New Kids trump the Backstreet Boys. Their tunes are catchy and Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre sure can belt the songs out. I may have screamed like a teenager as the guys came over to say hello to our section...

Plus they can still bust out the exact same awesome dance moves! But, whether you are a New Kids or a Backstreet fan it didn't matter, everyone was a winner. The show was fantastic in a totally retro 80s/90s kind of way.

There was only one thing that was bugging me at the show.

I still hadn't finished my vows yet!!!

I had actually brought my pad of paper and a pen in case inspiration struck while at the concert. Unfortunately unless I was going to quote lines from Step by Step in my vows inspiration was nowhere to be found. Mind you...maybe the concept isn't all that bad?

Step 1: We can have lots of fun...

Step 2: There's so much we can do...

Yes? No?

OK hive, spill the beans. Were you a New Kids or a Backstreet fan? Or were you more into N Sync?

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: We Rehearse
Walking on Sunshine: Let's Hike Up a Mountain
Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver
Walking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Walking on Sunshine: Last Night as a Single Gal

2011-11-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

The night before the wedding Mr. Gazelle and I kissed farewell and went off to do our own thing. He met up with his guy friends at the Pourhouse for a night of cocktails (which by the way guys, it was apparently amazing). I met up with some of the girls for dinner at Glowbal Grill.

It was a great chance to see some friends that just arrived in town and to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in ages! Even though a lot of the girls didn't know each other we had a great time enjoying some delicious food and good conversation. It was nice and low key...just what I wanted.

Dinner was over too fast and soon it was time for dessert. Our waiter told us about these special crème brûlée shots they had.

Interesting...let's give it a try!

Some of the girls got in on the action too.

Cheers!

Yum...

It was still early but a few of us had to rush out the door. We had to hurry up and make it to our next destination...

What did you plan to do the night before your wedding? Did you want something low key or did you whoop it up?

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: We Rehearse
Walking on Sunshine: Let's Hike Up a Mountain
Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver
Walking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Walking on Sunshine: Our Rehearsal Lunch

2011-10-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

After our rehearsal on the beach it was time for lunch! One of the tricky things about planning a wedding outside of our hometown was figuring out where we could go for a rehearsal lunch or dinner. I searched for a space with private dining rooms and the ability to select a set menu to keep our costs in check. It was tough.

When my mom suggested renting a house near our venue it changed everything. We'd have a big enough place that we could host a lunch at the house and keep the budget reasonable by making our own food and providing our own alcohol. Brilliant! After our blustery rehearsal we got back to the house and hung out on the patio.

We also got out our photobooth props to see if they would be any fun for use on the big day.

I think they were a hit! In the meantime, our amazing parents were hard at work helping to make lunch.

Brother Gazelle took a moment to work on some of his Master of Ceremonies material.

We also practiced some of our dance moves!

Soon lunch was ready! We had cedar planked salmon.

And beef tenderloin with a chimichurri sauce.

Along with plenty of salads.

And some wine!

Good times!

After a delicious lunch it was time for cake.

I had ordered a cake from Notte's Bon Ton Bakery, an old family favourite shop. Mr. Gazelle and I used the opportunity to practice our joint cake cutting skills.

*Photo courtesy of Brother Gazelle*

Someone was keeping a keen watch on the cake...

I think everyone left thoroughly stuffed. We had a great casual lunch where everyone was able to relax. I'm so glad that it worked out this way!

What are you planning for your rehearsal meal? Are you having one? Would you want to host one yourself or let a restaurant take care of everything?

*Unless otherwise noted all photos courtesy of our friend David Murchison*

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Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in VancouverWalking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Walking on Sunshine: We Rehearse

2011-10-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

On a blustery morning we got together to rehearse! We couldn't rehearse at our actual venue since there was an event going on. Instead we all met up on the other side of the fence at Jericho Beach early on a Friday morning.

Our amazing marriage commissioner ran through the bones of the ceremony and told us all where to stand and what to do.

This was also a great chance for our niece and flower girl to practice waving her "Here Comes the Bride" flag. My dad helped her with her timing. :)

She did great! She got a little shy at the end and ran the last part of the "aisle" to her mom.

Soon it was my turn to walk down the "aisle" with my dad. It really hit me - Mr. Gazelle and I were getting married soon!

I had brought a little stereo with our ceremony tunes saved on my iPod. When the Vitamin String Quartet's version of Coldplay's Yellow came on the emotions welled up inside.

I met my soon-to-be-husband at the end of the aisle with Jericho Beach and the gorgeous Burrard Inlet in the background. Unfortunately BM-D wasn't able to make it out for the rehearsal but my friend Pam (who would also be doing a reading for us) stood in for her.

*photo by Brother Gazelle*

Did I mention that it was really windy out? I hoped that the weather would be nicer for our wedding day in two days time!

We got to practice putting rings on.

Soon it was time to practice our recessional. Brother Gazelle was playing DJ for us with the tunes. I'm pretty sure when this picture was taken he was asking me, "Walking on Sunshine? Are you sure this is the right song? Is that what you really chose?"

"Yes!" we shouted.

The music started up and we made our way back up the aisle.

We couldn't help but boogieing.

The rehearsal made it all seem so real - we were getting married soon! Feeling as ready as we would ever be for Sunday it was time to eat!

Were you unable to rehearse at your actual venue? What did you do instead?

*Unless otherwise noted all photos courtesy of our friend David Murchison*

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver
Walking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Walking on Sunshine: Let's Hike Up a Mountain!

2011-10-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

The majority of our wedding guests were from outside of Vancouver. I really hoped that everyone who traveled to our wedding would be able to enjoy some of the great things the city had to offer. For those who were up for a bit of a challenge I organized a group hike on Thursday morning up the Grouse Grind - one of my favourite things to do in Vancouver!

Eight intrepid explorers set out to hike the Grind on a day where the clouds hung low over the mountains.

The hike isn't exactly a beautiful or easy hike. Grouse Mountain is a local ski hill and the Grind takes the tough way up the mountain where most everyone else takes a gondola up.

The Grind is 1.8 miles long and you gain 2,800 meters along the way.

The locals lovingly refer to it as Mother Nature's Stairmaster.

Picture from Cousin MB

Back when I had initially proposed this as a wedding week activity my brother decided to turn it into a competition. He was determined to beat me up the mountain! Within about five minutes he had taken off out of sight and he definitely arrived at the top well ahead of me. Way to go Brother Gazelle!

Shortly we were hiking within the clouds and it was crazy humid out there.

Picture from Cousin MB

It was a tough hike but it was a great way to spend the morning with family and friends. Mr. Gazelle and I stuck together...and here we are at the top! You couldn't see a thing!

On a nice day this is the usual view that greets you at the top of Grouse Mountain.

We all grabbed a bite to eat at the cafeteria at the top after our tough hike, then it was time to catch the gondola down.

When planning your wedding, have you thought about creating a group activity for your guests leading up to the big day? Would you propose a hike up a mountain?

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver
Walking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver

2011-10-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

After a few days in the interior of BC at my parents’ place for a bit of pre-wedding vacationing it was time to make our way to Vancouver. My folks decided to rent a big house just a couple of blocks away from the wedding venue and it was large enough for both Mr. Gazelle, myself, my brother, sister-in-law, niece and our best man to stay at too.

Photo by Sakura Photography

It was one of the best decisions ever (good call mom!) as it was nice to have a home base as opposed to being in a hotel.

We were all supposed to arrive in Vancouver on Tuesday, but the morning we were to set off my mom said that she had way too much work left to do on the bridesmaids’ dresses. They wouldn’t be able to leave until a few days later, but we had to leave for Vancouver right away since I had my makeup trialscheduled for the next day.

With plans up in the air Mr. Gazelle and I drove down to Vancouver and arrived at the house. We decided to head out to dinner, just the two of us, and indulge our Top Chef geekiness. We had eagerly been following Top Chef Canada and the show had crowned its first winner the night before – Dale McKay of Ensemble in Vancouver. We figured this was a good opportunity to check his restaurant out.

We got gussied up…...and enjoyed a Fois Gras Sundae......and some black cod in a Thai broth......and a very yummy souffle.

Did you have any curveballs the week of your wedding? What did you do?

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!

Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver

2011-10-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

Photo by Sakura Photography

It was one of the best decisions ever (good call mom!) as it was nice to have a home base as opposed to being in a hotel.

We got gussied up…and enjoyed a Fois Gras Sundae…Black Cod with Thai Broth…and a very yummy soufflé.Did you have any curveballs the week of your wedding? What did you do?

Get caught up with the Gazelle recaps!