It’s about time! So many of you have asked me to see our wedding photos and we’re finally able to share them! For those of you who follow my blog for the sports & tech related side of things… I apologize! I’ll be taking a girly next couple of weeks to cover off the wedding I’ve decided to post them in a series of photos/categories to break it up and make sure I don’t miss any of the details. Over the course of 9 blog posts I’ll be covering everything from accessories, to decor, to the dress(!), the groom, the wedding party, the flowers, the food & drink, the activities, and of course our formal portrait wedding photos. Our wedding took place on September 3, 2011 in beautiful Tofino, BC Canada.

Note: All photos posted here copyright by Jonetsu Studios, our amazing wedding photographers!

I know that weddings are really about the love you share for one another that is shared with your family and friends, and that was very much true for our wedding. That being said, bear with me as I go through some material/superficial posts with all the details! The planning and the details were something I found really fun!

Those of you that know me really well know that I love shoes. A lot. So naturally the first thing I did when we got engaged was to start looking at wedding shoes. I know it’s kinda weird, but I was a lot more excited about the shoes that the dress at first! Unfortunately since the shoes were the first thing I bought, I spent probably way too much of my budget on the footwear… but hey, at least it’s something I can use again Pictured in the photo above are the champagne Valentino shoes (ordered specially from New York) that were worn for the ceremony, the bright blue Isabel Marant shoes from Paris (my something blue!) that were worn for photos and our reception, and then the glittery champagne Jimmy Choo peep-toe pumps that were worn for our first dance and for dancing the night away!

Every bride knows your feet are killing by the end of the night, so why not wear a pair of pretty ivory Valentino flip flops for dancing in the wee hours of the morning and walking back to the hotel?

Here’s a shot of the cute birdcage veil by Laura Jayne that I wore for the evening portion of the reception.

I was deciding between wearing a gold cross or a small crystal for the wedding and I ended up going with the small crystal necklace from Swarovski.

For my clutch, I went with a gold purse by Salvatore Ferragamo that was a lovely wedding gift, and my grandmother’s heirloom sapphire ring (my something borrowed as it was given to my mom) and diamond bracelet (my something old). She passed away this year so I really wanted to incorporate her into the wedding to let her know I was thinking of her. I really missed her there.

Allan bought his wedding band from Blue Nile and I bought mine from People’s. My ring was only $200! What a steal The rings are pictured on top of the wooden box that Allan bought for me from Tofino when he proposed.

I wanted a little bling and glitter so I purchased a set of custom-made earrings from Elsa Corsi, a Vancouver jewelry designer.

Here’s a shot of the earrings she designed, all made from Swavorski crystals.

Same goes for the bracelet!

Lastly, here’s two somewhat NSFW photos of the garter and the corset that I wore under the dress. I figure these are pretty much the same as posting swimsuit photos as they are quite tasteful so hopefully everyone’s OK with it. The corset is from Chantelle France and it was worth every penny! I loved how it felt under the dress and it was definitely one of my favourite accessories!

I ordered this beautiful garter (my something new!) from Etsy… it’s handmade with antique lace and a crystal with dangling lace flowers (can’t really see it in the photo). It matches a part of my wedding dress (pictures coming later!) so I loved that it had something in common.

And that’s it for the shoes and accessories! More photos coming soon

It’s that time of year again! Time to review 2011 in photos… it was a great year and a busy year, for so many reasons…

January

In January we headed over to Vancouver Island to visit Allan’s mom in Courtenay. One of the highlights included touring a beautiful fruit winery! I also started acquiring a number of accessories in advance of our wedding that year, including well… you know me… shoes.

February

In February we headed up to Apex Mountain (near Penticton) and I spent the weekend supporting Allan at the annual Apex outdoor ice hockey tournament and snowboarding some untouched powder. We also managed to get our wedding invitations out after tons of hard work doing all the illustrations, designs, and calligraphy ourselves.

March

Next we headed up to Kelowna for the annual video game industry ski and snowboard trip at Big White Ski Resort! Much snowboarding, foosballing, and hottubbing ensued. Then it was down to Seattle for the annual work charity ice hockey tournament! That’s me looking dorky in the front!

April

In April one of the most special people to me, my grandmother, passed away. It was a really hard time and I really miss her so much still. I wish she could have been there for our wedding, but I’m glad I was able to tell her all about our plans before she left us. Also that month we headed out to Tofino for a surf trip with two of our fave peeps in the whole world, Liv and Rob.

May

Lots more cooking and baking took place heading into the summer, including making a mascarpone cheesecake from scratch. Then it was up to the local mountains for newbie-ing it up at some downhill mountain biking! I’m still learning how to bike…

June

June was a memorable month as I saw my favourite sports team in the whole world make it to the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was an exciting time and I will never forget the highs and the lows of the playoff run. Here’s hoping for this year! We also went golfing and pitch-and-putting quite a few times in the summer, trying to make the most of Vancouver’s brief summer!

July

The annual surf and camping trip on Canada Day in July was a blast this year, with tons of surfing and friends around… not to mention catching some crabs and roasting them over the campfire. My friend Tara and I also hit up the Backstreet Boys/New Kids on the Block concert with floor seats!

August

In August we hit up my friend Amy’s annual event, dressing up for the horse races at Hastings Race Track. Then it was time to tromp around the city in various outfits for our engagement photos by our amazing photographers, Jonetsu Studios.

September

Allan and I got married in Tofino, BC on September 3, 2011. It was the best day of my life. There was so much lead up to it with a year and a half of planning, tons of crafting, construction, sewing, and insanity. But it was all worth it. I will always treasure my memories from this day and it really was the happiest day for me.

October

From September to October we left on our month-long honeymoon on a whirlwind cruise around Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. There were so many amazing days on our honeymoon, but special mentions go out to surfing in Portugal and dining at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant in London, England.

November

Following our honeymoon it was back to reality and work, but we still managed to find time to surf and snowboard just a week apart!

December

To end of the year we decided to stay home and enjoy our beautiful city and cozy up in the apartment together. We threw a dinner party and decorated our apartment. It was a great way to finish off a fantastic year.

And that’s it!

How was your 2011? What were your highlights?

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