This past weekend in Victoria on Vancouver Island was an absolute blast! Lots of amazing food, friends, activities… and best of all… I got to attend my very first wedding!

The weekend started off Friday night at the Bengal Lounge at the Fairmont Empress where we feasted on their famous curry buffet. I had the pomegranate and cucumber mojito (AMAZING) while we listed to live jazz and enjoyed the fabulous room. Later on a few friends joined us for some more drinks.

In the morning Allan and I had an appointment for our own wedding next year, so we quickly grabbed some breakfast at Shine Cafe. I had the blueberry french toast and Allan had the classic full breakfast.

Then it was off to the Bug Zoo with Trev and Crista! It was a lot of fun but also super creepy! I did not hold any of the bugs but Trev, Crista and Allan were all very brave and held some up so I could snap some photos. Be sure to check out the photo with the cockroaches beside the PC Gamer magazine. Haha!

Trev decided to wear a millipede moustache that day.

They also got to hold a tarantula which was absolutely creepy! Pretty much my greatest fear right in front of me. Gave me the shivers!

Later on that day we all got dressed up and ready for the wedding and headed to Veneto Dining Lounge for tapas, dinner and drinks. We ordered the beef short rib tagliatelle which was delicious and the pork tapas (mongolian ribs yes!).

The boys and girls all looked great! I thought Allan looked especially handsome in his new getup… Huge Boss sports jacket and pants, Etro shirt, Etro tie and Cole Haan shoes… RAWR! He looked so sharp! Don’t worry ladies, we fixed his tie later in the night…

Here’s Allan and I at the wedding…

… Amy et moi…

… Trev and Crista…

… Ben and Alissa…

And then it was time for the wedding to begin! The entire weekend the ONLY lens I had was my crappy 1.4 50mm lens… my other lens was in repair so the entire weekend I was pretty limited in terms of any of the shots I could take. Boo!

Congratulations Mike and Emily! It was a beautiful wedding. I was definitely holding back tears.

Here’s Emily with her fabulous shoes.

The night was filled with lots of fun including funny pics in the photobooth, the party bus and line dancing.

We ended the night at 7-Eleven to pick up some pizza pops to prevent any hangover in the morning. It was a success.

The next morning we all met for brunch at Ferris’ Oyster Bar. The banana-rum french toast was one of the best french toasts I’ve ever had!

Group at brunch.

It was a fantastic weekend. It ended with a gorgeous ferry ride back to Vancouver and Amy, Alissa, Allan and I went and saw the movie “Salt”.

What did you do this past weekend?

It’s no secret to readers of my blog that I am often late in putting together posts. I have a huge backlog of photos and posts to be made. And I’m trying to get through them methodically. In this case, I am 8 months overdue…

So yes, here we are in September, and I am finally putting up our Valentine’s Day getaway weekend on Vancouver Island with Allan.

Our first stop for the weekend was Victoria. Victoria has charm, no doubt, but really I love to travel there for the food, and for the accomodations.

One of my favourite places to stay in the whole world… the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Yes, it is old, traditional, and a little bit stodgy… but that’s why I love it.

It’s all about attention to detail. Beautiful fabrics, wallpaper, patterns, furniture, lighting, moulding…

The rooms are small and simple. Ours had a great view of the Victoria harbour…

A quick walk on some cobblestone streets in the moonlight for some fresh air, and then off to dinner…

Victoria is well-known for its fantastic restaurants… but my favourite happens to be right in the hotel. The “Empress Room” is the main dining room at the hotel. Whenever I eat here, I am whisked away to another world from another time…

Nothing is modern here. There’s nothing innovative or unusual about the decor or the food. This isn’t a trendy place to go. It’s not the place to see-or-be-seen. This is where you go if you want delicious, traditional food that is incredibly rich with absolutely the best service in all of BC.

The Empress has recently reworked their drink menu and their bartenders have gone through extensive training to mix drinks the “classic” Victorian way. I don’t know what that is, but each drink we had was strong, clean, fragrant, and tasty.

The food is SO good here. While it may not be for everyone’s palate, it really does suit mine. The flavours are always spot on, and their menu is always local and seasonal. But best of all, it’s always extremely rich. Nothing subtle here. I can’t say enough about the service. Although we always try to be seated at Earl’s table (my favourite waiter), every member of staff is impeccable and courteous. Yes, the silver platters are an over-the-top traditional touch. I don’t care. It’s awesome.

Dessert is always amazing too. This time Allan tried a peach cobbler, and I had the chocolate marshmallows with gold leaf. No ordinary marshmallow, it was filled with homemade marshmallows, hazelnut filling, and a crumbly dark chocolate crust at the bottom… then dipped in dark chocolate. Mmmmm.

You can’t help but feel a little small in the room. All the furniture, lighting, wallpapers and fabrics are ridiculously decadent. But there’s a large wood burning fireplace at the end of the room that softens it all and makes you feel like you’re at home. It’s kind of like being in your rich grandma’s house from another life.

Every floor has different patterns, decor, and antique pieces and fine art on display.

We love to wander the hallways in the hotel.

I loved this lamp in our room.

Of course, no Valentine’s Day is complete without a little cherry-red lace!

I fell in love with this antique armoire in our hallway.

The morning came a little too early and of course we had to order room service.

Then it was off to the Empress Spa for a couple’s massage and some rest and relaxation in their mineral pool. We definitely felt pampered.

We said goodbye to the hotel. Opened in 1908. It’s one of those places you go to visit because you know everything is going to stay the same.

And well, as for the rest of the weekend? I had already covered that in a previous post. It was off to Mount Washington near Courtenay on Vancouver Island to visit friends and snowboard our little hearts out.