We loved the idea of more formal, black-tie attire in a naturally beautiful setting.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We are Canadians living in San Francisco – Mark works in software, and Emily works in biotech. We love spending our time exploring the city we live in – our weekends often consist of long walks around the city, often stopping for a snack, coffee, or glass of wine along the way. We love to travel, cook, and spend time with our family and friends. We’re typically either planning our next trip or sourcing out new spots for adventure in the Bay Area.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met in Victoria during university – Mark was from Toronto and Emily from Calgary, and somehow, our friend groups overlapped, and we started spending more time together. We were in different faculties, so we never had a class together, but we always managed to find each other on campus (there may have been some sneaky schedule memorizing!) Our relationship grew naturally as we got to know one another and shared many great West Coast experiences together.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
M: This happened in a flash when we were at the Calgary Stampede together early in our relationship. I was a complete outsider to the culture of Calgary and the Stampede, and Em acted as my guide. While she was teaching me how to two-step, I had a perfectly clear and fully formed understanding that I was going to marry her.
E: For me, there wasn’t a specific moment that I knew I wanted to spend my life with Mark, but something I just felt early in our relationship. I would catch myself imagining our future together and would always find some reason to spend more time together. I still feel this way even after 12+ years together!
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding.
Casual elegance. We loved the idea of more formal, black-tie attire in a naturally beautiful setting, where wild terrain became this stunning backdrop without us having to change a thing; we liked the confidence of using geography as a principal design element. We also wanted to make sure no one, including us, felt like they couldn’t be themselves. We gravitated to natural styling elements to complement the natural beauty of our venue and give an understated, rustic, romantic feel to the day.
What styling and visual elements worked best for you?
We wanted to lean into the natural beauty of Galiano Island and Bodega Ridge and have our design complement the venue. We went with lots of raw textures, terra cotta pots for visual interest, and some of our florals, lemons, and organics for garnish. The Wednesday Wedding Co team took our Pinterest vision and turned it into the most epic design plan that was almost exactly what we saw on our wedding day. Lauren at Gossip Floral put together floral arrangements that were a blend of unique and delicate seasonal flowers that fit perfectly with the natural elements of Bodega Ridge. We totally trusted Gossip Floral and our design team to pick florals that mixed in some pops of colour and gave a whimsical, understated vibe.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
We both really enjoyed the whole planning process! We tried to keep it fun and spent one night a week focusing on wedding planning together. Communication was key in creating a collaborative planning process, and we both actively shared our thoughts and feedback throughout planning. We both felt equally involved in planning, and our wedding weekend felt like the perfect mix of both of us.
We would definitely recommend working with a wedding planner. Wednesday made our entire planning process a dream – they were extremely professional, communicative, and fun to work with. There is a lot that goes into planning and designing a wedding, and even though we had an idea of what we wanted, there is no way we could have executed it in the same way if we didn’t have the WWCo team! Working with a planner really does help ease your stress and allows you to really enjoy your wedding day without worrying about the little details.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
We both wanted to feel elegant on our wedding day, but also like ourselves. Mark wore a mohair tuxedo jacket that was formal but also light and breezy, which was ideal for the warm weather we had during the ceremony. Emily found her dress almost immediately and fell in love with the beautiful liquid satin fabric – it felt like the perfect texture for a west-coast wedding. One of our guests commented that it was like the inside of a seashell, which was perfect for our coastal vibe.
What was one, or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on?
We knew that our photographer would be such an important choice – this is the person you spend the majority of your day with (aside from your partner) and who creates the photos you look back on to remember your day. Working with Lauren Kurc was one of the best parts of our wedding day. We had so much fun with her, and the photos she captured were absolutely stunning – we couldn’t be happier with them!
Food was also an important part of our wedding. We both love food and didn’t want it to feel like an afterthought. One of the reasons we chose Bodega Ridge as our venue was their amazing food, and it did not disappoint! A lot of our vendors had done weddings at Bodega before, and all commented on how amazing the food was. We didn’t have time for a tasting before our wedding, so we were going in blind (crazy, we know), but the food was better than we could have imagined and something our guests still talk about.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
In all honesty, our wedding day felt so seamless and perfect! We know this was due to all our amazing vendors who went above and beyond to make our day feel special. We really got to enjoy the day together with our family and friends, knowing that everything behind the scenes was covered. It was important to us that we went through the day feeling like the guests of honour and not the hosts.
We did hear after the fact that some resident goats got loose during our welcome dinner and had to be ushered off the patio by the staff! We’re a bit sad we didn’t get to witness that ourselves, but it just shows how attentive our planner and the Bodega Ridge staff were!
BRIDE Emily Bray, @em_bray GROOM Mark Boos, @mwboos VENUE Bodega Ridge, @bodegaridge PHOTOGRAPHER Lauren Kurc, @laurenkurc STYLIST Taryn Sanderson – Wednesday Wedding Co., @wednesdayweddingco PLANNER Abbee Seath – Wednesday Wedding Co., @wednesdayweddingco FLORAL Gossip Floral, @gossipfloral CELEBRANT Our friend, Kendra ENTERTAINMENT SoundStripe Music Co., @soundstripemusicco HIRE Sie Collection, @siecollectionyvr; Bespoke Decor, @bespokedecor; Bodega Ridge, @bodegaridge CATERING Bodega Ridge, @bodegaridge STATIONERY & SIGNAGE Wednesday Wedding Co., @wednesdayweddingco WEDDING RINGS Tiffany & Co, @tiffanyandco ENGAGEMENT RING VRAI, @vraiofficial BRIDAL DRESS Palm Dress – NEWHITE, @newhite_bridal BRIDE’S SHOE Schutz, @schutz BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Earrings – Jenny Bird, @_jennybird HAIR & MAKEUP Alisha Hopps, @alisha_hopps BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE The Noir – Le Labo, @lelabofragrances TUXEDO Single-breasted Mohair Tuxedo – Prada, @prada GROOM’S SHOE Tux Plain Toe Oxford – Florsheim, @florsheimshoes GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Pour Homme – Brunello Cucinelli, @brunellocucinelli_brand
