2021
The ultimate guide to Sea to Sky weddings
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contents weddings:
An epic elopement 6 Saying ‘I do’ in a winter wonderland 12 Night at the museum 18 features:
Wishes weddings do come true–eventually 10
How editing this magazine for seven years helped one 2020 bride navigate her pandemic wedding
Pandemic pivot
16
Sea to Sky wedding vendors continue to support couples in 2021 and beyond directory:
Business directory 22
COVER PHOTO BY
Logan Swayze
VENUE:
Ipsoot Mountain
COUPLE:
Anna Lengstrand & Keaton Carlson
(Read about this beautiful wedding on page 6)
4 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
publisher
Sarah Strother editor
Alyssa Noel publication art director
Louise O’Brien contributors
Brigitte Mah Keili Bartlett sales manager
Susan Hutchinson sales executives
Amy Allen Tessa Sweeney published by
Whistler Publishing LP, a division of Glacier Media Group #202-1390 Alpha Lake Road Whistler, B.C. V8E 0H9
604.938.0202
Personalized, fun and memorable wedding ceremonies.
Rev. Tracy Ann Kerr WEDDING CELEBRANT Civil or Faith based ceremonies designed for your best day ever T.ANNIE@TELUS.NET TRACY_ANN_KERR
604.966.8855 WEDDINGSINWHISTLER.COM
wedding:
An epic elopement Pemberton couple plans not-so-traditional nuptials overlooking an alpine lake where none have wed before
by: KEILI BARTLETT
A
s Anna Lengstrand and Keaton Carlson dreamed up what they wanted their wedding to look like, Anna knew she didn’t want a large ceremony. With her family in Sweden and Keaton’s in Alberta, a tentative guest list included at least 150 people. At the time, the outlook
6 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
for such a large gathering amid travel restrictions wasn’t looking good. Anna would joke that the two should slip away— and so they decided to pare down the celebration to the two people saying, “I do.” Without a word to friends and family, Anna and Keaton decided to elope—in style. Along with the officiant, photographer and friend Logan Swayze, the filmmaking talent of Calling Mountains Productions,
and the pilot of Blackcomb Helicopters, they climbed aboard a helicopter and were swept away to Ipsoot Mountain in Pemberton. As they flew over, the crew picked out a seldom-seen side of the lake, alongside a giant glacier, where it is most likely no one has been married before. Escaping into the mountains was important for the couple. Although they
have their own farm in Pemberton, as Anna said, they’d been spending a lot of time at home and were ready to explore some new terrain. The couple ski tours and sleds, and wanted to go somewhere rugged and beautiful that they’d never seen before. The scene, she said, took their breath away. “If you’re even thinking about eloping, just do it,” Anna recommended, adding that keeping the wedding between the bride and groom took away a lot of pressure and the stress of making sure guests were having a good time.
Ultimately, they could focus on each other. “We did this for us. We can still have a big party later for everyone, when COVID is over.” One thing that stayed the same from their initial vision was the couple’s first look: Anna had always wanted to ride in on horseback, her bohemian gown (custom made by Reclamation) flowing behind her. The only rehearsal the betrothed would have was for that first look, with Anna— wrapped in a duvet to mimic her long gown—riding her horse Stella toward where
Keaton had built an arch (that was covered by floral arrangements by Catherine Karpman of the Garden Shed). Overlooking Mount Currie, the landscape was a natural backdrop, but Anna stole the show. “I just felt so me and very special,” she said of the moment. “We get reminded every day when we walk back there, and it is so special to see the photos and know this is our home.” Once they landed back at their farm, friend and chef Mike Crane had an
WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021 7
elaborate spread for the newlyweds and those who helped their wedding come together. At a long outdoor table, big enough for social distancing, they raised a glass and enjoyed a rich meal complete with local salmon. Anna and Keaton splurged on a vegan cake from the Flour Pot and spent the next few days indulging. The bride and groom made sure to capture their not-so-traditional nuptials for friends and family to see, even though they couldn’t be there in person. “We made sure the whole day was photographed and filmed. That’s something I would recommend. If you elope, I think you should film and document everything,” she said, because it made sure their loved ones still felt like part of this lifetime event. With the video, everyone can hear every word of the vows, see every close-up, share every smile. “Sometimes I ask my husband, because he is more traditional, does he regret eloping? He says, ‘No. I would do it again, in a second.’”
photography: Logan Swayze I am a professional wedding and portrait photographer living in the amazing mountain town of Whistler, B.C. I truly love spending time with people and draw inspiration from their connection to one another within the beauty that surrounds them. Everyone has a unique story and my desire is to tell that story through honest and creative imagery. I feel lucky every day to be able to do what I am passionate about for a living and am honoured to be the one trusted to capture people’s memories that will last a lifetime. loganswayze . com
vendors: Videography Calling Mountains Productions Cake The Flour Pot Hair and Makeup Kerry Waring Officiant Jeremy Postal Stylist Jessie McNaught Flowers Catherine Karpman/ The Garden Shed Helicopter Blackcomb Helicopters
8 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
Photo: Kristine Cofsky
Photo: Kristine Cofsky
Photo: Robin O’Neil
Photo: Cakewalk Media
WEDDINGS AT BIG SKY
YEARROUND Private & Charming • Personalized Menus • Breathtaking Scenery @BigSkyGolfClub
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BIGSKYGOLF.CA | 604.894.6106 | INFO@BIGSKYGOLF.CA
WWW.FLOWERSANDJULES.COM Floral Designer & Grower Inspired by season and love story
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Offering captivating Wedding and Elopement photography in the Sea to Sky area.
leahkathrynphoto@gmail.com | www.leahkathrynphoto.com | 604-902-4162 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021 9
feature:
Wishes weddings do come true—eventually HOW EDITING THIS MAGAZINE FOR SEVEN YEARS HELPED ONE 2020 BRIDE NAVIGATE HER PANDEMIC WEDDING
LOGAN SWAYZE
by: ALYSSA NOEL
H
ere’s one perk of editing this magazine that no one tells you about: when your turn comes to plan a wedding, you already know every vendor and venue from Squamish to Pemberton inside out.
10 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
Little did I know just how much this would come in handy as a 2020 bride. Our Plan A wedding (with deposits secured at the tail end of 2020, before the C word turned our world upside down) went something like this: a forest ceremony at Squamish’s Sunwolf resorts where our nearest and dearest would stay
in cute on-site cabins, dance the night away under a tent with a clear roof and smattering of lights, then cap off the perfect day with a massive campfire. From dark wood harvest tables to gold candleholders woven through table greenery, even the details were set. Then along came March.
By May we realized this pandemic would not be short lived and postponed our July wedding to the same date in 2021. But in the meantime, we longed to get on with life. So, drawing from seven years of writing about Wishes weddings, we hatched several plans for several scenarios. They ranged from gathering our close local friends, hiking up a mountain outside Pemberton and getting married in the picturesque alpine, to having our parents (who were all desperate to come) self-isolate for two weeks in Alberta and join us for the big day as our sole guests. In the end, July’s numbers were low enough that the latter option was possible. I reached out to North Arm Farm, one of the most stunning venues in the Pemberton Valley, to see if they were offering elopement packages and, sure enough, they had a reasonable option for weddings under 10 people. From there, we scouted a spot deep in their fields, underneath Mount Currie, for the ceremony, used some of our existing vendors—Natacha Trottier for hair and make up, A Fox in the Flowers for bouquets and the arch, Linda Marshall as the wedding planner, and Tracy Kerr as our officiant—and recruited a few new ones as well, namely Logan Swayze for photos and Calling Mountains Productions to both livestream the ceremony to everyone at home and produce a video we could show the following year. All of them were wonderful, but, in all honesty, it was not the best day of my life. Countless things went wrong—from the oppressive heat and mosquitoes to our misbehaved, but adorable dog. And, still, it stings that some of the people closest to us weren’t there to celebrate. But, in the end, I don’t regret it. My dad walked me down the aisle, my mom served as my maid of honour and my wonderful in-laws made the day special. The meal was particularly memorable and I cherish our stunning photos and video with all my heart. And, in the end, there was one perfect moment during the ceremony.
LOGAN SWAYZE
My mom and my father-in-law were serving as our witnesses and signing our marriage certificate, leaving my husband and I standing off to the side to finally just breathe for a moment and take in the scene around us. Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing” swelled on the little speaker and, in the same moment, we seemed to recognize both the feat we pulled off and the event we were in the midst of that would forever change the course of our lives.
Now, nine months after that day, I can say I’m truly glad we did it—and pushed our reception, still at Sunwolf, back one more year. Not only will this 2022 party mark our two-year wedding anniversary and the first birthday of our first child (due this July), but hopefully it will also be a chance to celebrate the end of a global pandemic that has kept us all apart for far too long.
WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021 11
wedding:
Saying ‘I do’ in a winter wonderland Jayne and Chris Andrews found their unique wedding venue at the top of Mount Sproatt
by: BRIGITTE MAH
A
midst snow-covered trees, glistening icicles and the crisp mountain air, Jayne and Chris Andrews celebrated a love that began 18 years ago. The UK couple said their Whistler wedding was nothing short of perfect, as they
12 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
and their close friends were able to squeak in overseas travel before the full brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The pair met in a pub nearly two decades ago and, eight years later, Chris proposed on a snowboarding trip. But in between their engagement and their wedding there were triathlons, a trip around the world, and two children. Then one evening, at the same pub
where they first met, they decided it was time, and began planning the annual snowboard trip that would be unforgettable. Jayne wanted something unique that wasn’t a replica of the weddings they had experienced on repeat over the past few years, and when the idea of getting married on a mountain by a log cabin in the winter was floated, she knew that’s what she wanted.
The couple chose Canadian Wilderness Adventure’s Mount Sproatt cabin in the Callaghan backcountry as their venue and invited a small circle of family and friends along. Although they told their guests that the trip would include a wedding, they held back all the details. “We keep it a secret from them,” said Chris. “They were told where they had to be, and that’s all they knew. They had to pack something warm and a change of clothes, but we kept the whole wedding a secret.” Three days after arriving in Whistler, Jayne and Chris’ guests stood in the Village waiting for a mini van to pick them up and
shuttle them to the Callaghan. Jayne was with them, resplendent in her elegant dress, and together with their two young children, they loaded into the snowcat to travel up Sproatt. “I had this big princess dress and was trying to get into the snowcat with it,” said Jayne. “It was a bit ridiculous, really, but I didn’t care. I had chosen this dress and I loved it.” While Jayne was travelling in the snowcat, Chris and his brother sledded to the ceremony site on snowmobiles. Chris had kept this part a secret as well. “When [my brother] saw the snowmobile
he was like ‘No way!’” said Chris, who had only ridden on a snowmobile for the first time a few days prior. When they all arrived, everyone was greeted by a sparkling wintery wonderland at the top of the mountain. Jayne and Chris’ youngest daughter scattered flower petals on the snow while Jayne walked through the fresh flakes and petals to meet Chris. The sky was a brilliant blue, the sun sparkled off the trees and the icicles hanging from the cabin’s eaves, and whiskey jacks fluttered around as Jayne and Chris solidified the feelings they had experienced when they met 18 years ago.
WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021 13
They shared a charcuterie board with their guests before sitting down to a steak dinner. And while their guests were inside, Jayne and Chris snuck outside to experience their first moment alone as husband and wife. They danced in the snow under the velvety night sky as a myriad of stars twinkled above. From the cabin a warm orange glow emerged and as they watched their family and friends laugh and eat, the glow echoed in their hearts, reflecting the love they felt for each other and their guests. “It was just magical,” said Chris. “It was the wedding pulled out of our imaginations and we couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
photography: Zoe Lomoro I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I’m just going to say it, I’m pretty fun at a wedding! I’m supportive, helpful, I love to get to know people, and I like to make people laugh and enjoy each other’s company. I want the couples to feel at ease and have a good time on their wedding day, and if I can help achieve that what a WIN! zoelomoro . com
vendors: Venue Canadian Wilderness Adventures Officiant Jeremy Postal Hair and Makeup Kerry Waring Video Calling Mountains Productions Flowers Senka Florist Catering Kim Eijdenberg, Canadian Wilderness Adventures
14 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
Love wins!
Celebration Planning • Event & Day of Orchestration • Birthdays • Baby Shower • Milestone Events • Renewal of Vows Adventure Elopements • Funeral - Celebration of Life • Corporate Productions • Event & Decor Rentals • Floral Designs
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feature:
Pandemic pivot HOW SEA TO SKY WEDDING VENDORS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT COUPLES IN 2021 AND BEYOND
LEAH KATHRYN PHOTOGRAPHY
by: ALYSSA NOEL
W
hile COVID-19 has decimated much of B.C.’s wedding industry over the last year, there’s one trend that’s emerged as a result: epic elopements. Whether couples chose a spot tucked away in the lush, green rain forests of Squamish, took a chopper to a remote
16 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
Whistler mountain top, snowmobiled to a Pemberton ice cave, adventure—and love— still won the day. Officiating many of those stunning nuptials was Jeremy Postal, who you will find on the internet as The Whistler Wedding Pastor. “My experience has been a little different from other vendors in the sense that pretty
much every other vendor is expendable to a wedding—except the officiant,” he said. “They still need that core group of vendors: photography, somewhere to do the wedding, whoever is going to legalize it.” While Postal did see an initial drop off when the pandemic first hit in spring 2020, by the end of the year, the number of weddings he attended was about the same as
Val St-Arnaud of Calling Mountains Productions
PHOTOS BY LOGAN SWAYZE
a regular year. That could be because, even before coronavirus, he had chosen elopements as his speciality. “Suddenly, my market grew,” he said. ‘Whistler provides so many unique options. We have so many worldclass experiences. We can tag onto our experiences. One wedding we did last week was with Headline Mountain Holidays and Blackcomb Helicopters. We flew to the Pemberton Ice Cap and snowmobiled up to the ice caves. That is a pretty unique experience. It takes a special kind of couple to do that sort of thing.” A report released this spring from hellosafe.ca, a platform that compares Canadian insurance companies, estimated the province’s financial loss in the wedding industry to be more than $158 million. Making matters worse, pre-pandemic, in February 2020 revenue was up a whopping 40.9 per cent from 2019. In Whistler, there were 56 weddings celebrated in January and February 2020 and just 30 weddings in the same months this year, accounting for a 46.43 per cent decrease. (Pemberton was not included in
the report.) However, it’s not all bad news. Both the report and local vendors are anticipating 2022 to busier than ever for weddings with engaged couples from 2020 and beyond vying for their dream events. “The last few weeks, I’ve been getting more and more inquiries for 2022,” says Carlee Cindric, a wedding and event planner and owner of Pocketful Productions. “People are getting engaged, vaccines are rolling out, people are starting to feel confident about 2022.” Her advice for couples planning for next year: move quickly, and be open to mid-week weddings. “For couples looking to get married, there are [a few] things they need to tick off their list sooner: the date, venue, photographer, and/or videographer, their wedding officiant and wedding planner—whether it’s the day of or full service. Those are the people that are going to fill up the fastest,” Cindric said. Calling Mountains Productions, a Sea to Sky videography company, has seen their business grow during the pandemic. Early on, they started offering livestreaming
services and added a drone to the mix. “When everything shut down it was a good time for us to train more and figure out what we needed to do,” said Valerie StArnaud, founder and owner of the company. “For us, we’ve been really lucky. We’re the one service people are like, ‘Now that I can’t have people at my wedding, we need video.’” While bookings were on the upswing in 2020, they’re poised to be even busier in 2021. “I would say 80 to 85 per cent of our clients are elopements,” St-Arnaud added. “Before it was full-day weddings.” Part of the appeal of video is capturing your big day to share with loved ones who couldn’t attend. However, now that couples have had a taste of the keepsake video offers, it seems likely the medium’s popularity will stick around after big parties are back on the table. “I’m very cinematic and I will apply different techniques based on the couple’s vibe and the way it’s going,” St-Arnaud said. “It’s about the views and everything, yes—I realized the drone is super important in that as well—but I like to build a story.”
WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021 17
wedding:
Night at the museum Vancouver couple makes their wedding a work of art
by: KEILI BARTLETT
S
hortly after Avery Holland and Geoff Butt shared the news of their engagement, Avery’s mother gifted the couple a beautiful abstract painting. The piece would ultimately inspire the artwork on their wedding invitations, which invited their loved ones to the
18 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
ceremony at the Audain Art Museum. Avery and Geoff wed on Feb. 22, 2020, the anniversary of their first date. With a winter wedding, an indoor venue was a must, and the Audain was more than capable of hosting their 125 guests. “We both love skiing and both our families grew up going to Whistler on weekends, so Whistler was a natural
choice,” Avery said. But it was the Audain that brought it all together. Avery said they loved how modern the museum is, with its striking presence and ability to let the outside in. The sleek building, its steep angular shape reminiscent of the surrounding mountains, is nestled next to the heart of Whistler Village. While the black
metal exterior creates a timeless feeling, the interior’s cedar beams and large windows frame the outdoors, bringing the natural elements inside. The surrounding evergreens are complemented by the cedar inside, creating a warm, minimal space that guides the focus to art or an event. A high peak ceiling in the private section of the museum is similar to that of a church. The outdoorsy couple, who are based in Vancouver, can often be found on the slopes of Whistler anyway, Geoff said, making the most of time with family and friends. They decided to make a weekend of it, and invited their guests to join them on the mountain to ski the day before their wedding. Together, they enjoyed a classic après in the Village complete with a retro ski-themed photo booth. “In the summer sometimes at our age it just can become wedding after wedding after wedding,” Avery said. “Being off season, I think people were extra excited for a chance to get together.”
WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021 19
It was also a relief not to have to worry about the weather, she added. For the ceremony, they timed it with the early winter sunset. End-of-day sunlight streamed through the window, sparkling off the snow-covered trees. White flowers by A Fox in the Flowers complemented the snow. The unofficial officiant, Geoff ’s aunt, infused the formalities with family stories, making the moment incredibly personal. Side One performed live with a gentle guitar during the ceremony and accompanied a long happy hour, as the
museum transformed into a wedding venue. Avery said her favourite part was being able to work with the Audain to customize the food menu and the drinks, creating two cocktails to commemorate the couple. “The meal felt very much like us,” Avery said, of their family-style feast by The Collective Kitchen. “And we brought in ice cream for dessert from one of our favourite places in Vancouver: [Rain Or Shine Homemade Ice Cream].” As luck would have it, many of their guests later told them it was the last in-
person event most of them would attend for months to come. For the newlyweds, it was the last meal they would eat out until their first wedding anniversary. “We got messages from friends being like, ‘This was the last fun thing we’ve done in the last year,’” Geoff said. “We feel fortunate.” As for the artwork featured on their invitations, their wedding planners from Spread Love Events gave them the custom original artwork as a keepsake. It’s now a centerpiece for their home.
photography: Cat and Jeff Hey! We’re Cat and Jeff of The Apartment Photography. We see ourselves as the lively, dynamic, fun and occasionally goofy couple that absolutely adores creating meaningful connections with our couples. We’re so lucky to call the Pacific Northwest home and if it isn’t the grandeur of the landscape that inspires us, it’s the genuine, kindhearted people we have the honour of capturing. Off the clock you’ll find traveling the cities of the world in search for the best food and tastiest cocktails. theapartmentphotography . com
vendors: Venue Audain Art Museum Caterer The Collective Kitchen Ice cream Rain or Shine Homemade Ice Cream Wedding coordinator and Decor Spread Love Events Band Side One Hair and Makeup Line Artistry Florist A Fox in the Flowers Rental Companies Pedersens & The Reverie Co
20 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
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directory: COMMISSIONERS Tracy Ann Kerr 604.966.8855 tracyannkerr.com
CATERING Picnic Whistler 604.698.7387 picnicwhistler.com
Leah Kathryn Photography leahkathrynphoto@gmail.com leahkathrynphoto.com Logan Swayze loganswayze.com Zoe Lomoro zoelomoro.com
RENTALS
Whistler Woodfire Pizza 604.902.4949 whistlerpizza.ca
Spark Event Rentals 604.894.0047 sparkeventrentals.com
FLORISTS
VENUES
Flowers and Jules info@flowersandjules.com flowersandjules.com
Audain Art Museum 604.962.0413 audainartmuseum.com
TRANSPORT
Big Sky Golf Club 1.800.668.7900 bigskygolf.ca
Blackcomb Helicopters blackcombhelicopters.com
PHOTOGRAPHY Cakewalk Media Inc 604.418.9791 cakewalkmedia.ca
WEDDING PLANNERS Pocketful Productions 604.938.3800 pocketfulproductions.com
The Apartment Photography (Cat & Jeff) theapartmentphotography.com
The Whistler Elopement Company 604.935.9471 thewhistlerelopementcompany.com
Emily Serrell Photography 604.966.6472 emilyserrell.com
Whistler Wedding Planners 604.938.2564 whistlerweddingplanners.com
22 WISHES WEDDING MAGAZINE 2021
Masterpiece Moments
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