Walking on Sunshine: Our Rehearsal Lunch

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 Rehearse

Walking on Sunshine: Let's Hike Up a Mountain

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

Walking on Sunshine: We Rehearse

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: Let's Hike Up a Mountain

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

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

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

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: Pre-Wedding Vacation

Walking on Sunshine: We Arrive in Vancouver

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 trial scheduled 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…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!

Walking on Sunshine: Pre-Wedding Vacation