Victoria + Keelan by Nora Hanako Photography - Together Journal

Wanted it to feel fresh, light and colourful.

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

Victoria is a paralegal and Keelan is a jet fuel marketer, we have two kids Margot (4) and Dawson (2). We love spending time with our family, travelling, and being active outside and within our community.

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

We met through a mutual friend, who set us up on our first date as a double date. Victoria thought Keelan was handsome, funny and intelligent.

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

For Victoria is was very quickly, she asked to move in together within the first 4 months. Keelan is genuinely the best person I’ve ever met; he is kind, smart, and fiercely loyal.

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

We knew we wanted to be with our immediate family on our wedding day; we wanted it to be surrounded by love and our nieces and kids. We loved the Parisian elegance of being married in a chateau. Colours were influenced by the backyard garb party vibe and our guests were asked to also wear similar colours. Wanted it to feel fresh, light and colourful.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

My wedding dress was a big element, I picked a dress that was very different and elegant with the sleeves but plunging neckline. Keelan wanted a suit that had colour and was vibrant (that’s how we landed on green). Then, we wanted the scenery to have a huge impact, being surrounded by hills, space and greenery.

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

Enjoy the process, but also don’t sweat the small stuff. We had to change our venue the day before we got married, so it wasn’t about the perfect day but the smaller details for us. We were surrroud by our (the right) people, i choose little vow books and wore my grandmothers ring on my shoe. I chose things that were special to me, even if no one else around me would notice. We ate good food, and we really made the day spending that we wanted, however the day went.

What was one, or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

Outfits, venue and our photographer. The day goes by so fast, but you have pictures for a lifetime. The stress and everything else faded away, but we both had a vision of how we wanted to look and feel on our wedding day and that came to fruition through our outfits, venue and then, of course, our amazing photographer. Nora, we brought over all the way from Calgary, AB, she has seen us from couple photos, to maternity photos and family photos so it was only perfect to have her there for our wedding day as well.  

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

It is still fresh, but the fact that we changed venues the day before wasn’t ideal. The reality is that it was the two of us in it together and ready to take on anything!