Christy + Chris by Nadia Hung - Together Journal

We opted for abstract, minimalistic florals that went with the natural charm of our venue and location setting.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We’re creatives who love art and adventure. We run our own businesses, but when we’re not working, we love spending time outdoors, hiking, snowboarding, camping with friends, or taking off on long road trips. We also have two golden retrievers who we absolutely love and adore. Our cups are filled when we get to have our friends over for dinner and engage in long, interesting conversations about anything and everything.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Chris: I first saw Christy in a viral BuzzFeed video years ago, and I was immediately captivated by her aura. I reached out to propose a collaboration, and as fate would have it, we both happened to be in the Pacific Northwest that very week – she had come from Los Angeles, and I was living in Canada at the time. We decided to meet for a spontaneous hike in Whistler, and that first date became the first day we started dating. I remember taking a photo together on that hike and thinking, “This is going to be the first photo in our family album”

Christy: We weren’t expecting to fall in love on this day, but that’s exactly what ended up happening by the time we sat down for dinner at a sushi restaurant in Squamish and found ourselves unable to end our conversations. I found his charisma and passion for all these interesting ideas fascinating. There was an earnest enthusiasm about him that drew me in – and I still love that so much to this day.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

There wasn’t one defining moment for us. Over 9 years, we had under our belt countless adventures, mundane afternoons, and heartbreaking challenges, which we navigated hand in hand. I guess these experiences over the years only continued to affirm to us that we were meant to walk this life together.

On our first date, we talked about the idea of marriage and what that means to us. We both agreed that getting married shouldn’t feel like a dramatic leap or a grand finale but rather a celebration of the everyday love that we cherish and will continue to nurture. Our wedding day, nearly a decade later, felt like a tribute to that promise. It was a truly special day, but it was also just another day in our life together, and we loved that.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (Theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes, etc.)

We wanted to create an intimate gathering that felt like a warm, personal dinner with our closest family and friends. We opted for abstract, minimalistic florals that went with the natural charm of our venue and location setting, ensuring nothing overshadowed what truly mattered to us: the people.

Instead of over-the-top florals that would get in the way of our guests seeing each other across the table, our incredible florist, Chloe, created small, artful arrangements that beautifully accented our tablescape. The colour palette was mostly comprised of soft, natural hues, like cream, dusty rose, burnt orange, and forest green. We played with a lot of textures also to echo the natural environment of our wedding location.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you?

Our ceremony took place in the backyard of a charming cabin that sits on a hilltop overlooking the forest. We loved having this backdrop for our wedding, especially because our love story began in the mountains.

We wanted our decor to simply enhance what’s already there. So Chloe designed our florals to intentionally blend into the scenery while subtly accentuating the ceremonial landing spot

We also loved our choice to go with one long, serpentine-style table for our reception. We thought the organic shape and texture of the tables/drapes worked really well with the environment. It was also great that everyone could easily see and chat with each other because of the shape of the table.

In a way, the understated design choices were a nod to the idea that the magic of our day was not in grand displays but in the genuine interactions and connections we shared.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

Planning our wedding in just 45 days turned out to be an exciting challenge. It did not come without immense stress at times, but the tight timeline forced us to zero in on what was truly important to us and not what was expected out of a couple getting married. This constraint pushed us to be intentional, stripping away the unnecessary details and allowing our values to shine through instead.

One of our biggest highlights was how our friends and family rallied around us, helping with quite literally everything: from organizing games to cooking meals for the weekend to setting up the dancefloor, chairs and tables, and even tiering our wedding cake. Their support and involvement overwhelmed us with so much gratitude and truly made the weekend unforgettable. For couples starting out, our advice is to lean on your community. Even if you’ve hired all the right vendors to do the heavy lifting, remember that those who love you want to help and be involved. The memories of our friends and family working together to help create our special weekend will forever be the greatest gift from our wedding.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?

Christy: Chris chose a blue suit because blue is both of our favorite colors and also the color we wore on our first date! Also, he just looks so good in blue.

With our wedding planned on such short notice, my dress shopping journey was kind of unconventional. I had to solely rely on sample rack sales and online shopping for ready-to-wear gowns. During my third bridal appointment, I found a dress that I loved which had this intricate lace pattern. Although I loved the lace, I didn’t love the bodice of the dress. It had these sleeves that didn’t quite cover the full length of my arms, and also had a jewel neckline which I really did not like.

My sister, Julie, encouraged me to take the plunge and reinvent the gown into a strapless dress with detached sleeves. After buying the dress and putting in the alterations order, about a day passed before I fell into a pit of anxiety and started ordering alternative dresses just in case. I was so scared that the alterations were going to turn out to be a disaster and I would have no dress at all because I had run out of time. Luckily, all of that anxiety vanished when I went to my first fitting. Turns out it was okay to trust our instincts!

What was one, or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on?

For us, having delicious food–and more than enough of it–was non-negotiable! Our private chef, Janay, and her talented team created a meal that was as visually stunning as it was delicious – leaving us totally full and with plenty of leftovers to enjoy. We had hired her before for a birthday dinner and everyone was simply blown away by her dishes. So even though we received quotes from other food vendors in the area that were more cost effective, it was a no-brainer for us to splurge on Chef Janay.

Just as important to us was the photography, and Nadia was our god sent creative collaborator. For our wedding day, we specifically wanted photos that were truly candid. We wanted our photos to go beyond posed or polished “looks,” and focus instead on documenting the day’s raw emotions and authentic moments more than anything. The photos we got back instantly bring us to that very moment when it was captured, and we’ll always feel so grateful to be able to look back on them.

We also worked with Nadia to do our engagement photos which had a very different vibe and look. It was also the funnest photoshoot we’d ever been to! For this shoot, we went with a curated concept, so a lot of the photos were very aesthetic driven and specific in its mood. By deciding to work with Nadia for both our engagement and wedding photos, we feel we got the best of both worlds. It was the absolute right choice for us, and she blew our expectations out of the water again and again.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

Christy: I was running very behind schedule (which is sadly on brand for me) on our wedding day. As a result, our ceremony proceeded without any rehearsal. We didn’t have any time to walk through our processional, or the music cues, or the outros. We simply trusted that everyone involved would instinctively know what to do and that everything would be just fine.

And in the end, everything turned out to be more than fine, actually. It was beautiful and alive. I think not having a perfectly choreographed ceremony allowed us to just let go, give in to the moment, and be fully present for every minute of it!