Andrea and Nathan may seem like a quiet and reserved couple, but they had an incredible jam-packed wedding full of fun and tradition they spun in their own way. This was also the longest wedding day out of the year for me in 2018, although it was definitely much longer for the couple – I’m sure they slept for like, 3 days afterwards to decompress! While it was a cold summer day, having just rained and snowed the days prior, Andrea and Nathan were the best sports throughout the outdoor photo portion (and so was the rest of their wedding party, seriously huge props). Andrea and Nathan had the most incredible spreadsheet for their wedding and I am pretty sure they could do this professionally now, after planning this amazing event.
The day started off with traditional Chinese door games (wherein the groom must convince the bridesmaids that he is worthy to see her) and the bridesmaids cooked up some really hilarious games, including a taste challenge (including things like wasabi paste and hot sauce), a singing challenge, and a balloon popping challenge. Needless to say, the challenges were aced despite Nathan not being a fan of singing (and he also loves wasabi so I guess he enjoyed that one challenge!). We moved on to a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, and afterwards, Andrea changed into her wedding dress and they braved a bit of drizzle to do their first look just outside the house. The ceremony and reception was done at SAIT Heritage Hall, which is a gorgeous building and the staff did such a great job in transforming the space for a wedding. The couple even braved the outside as the sun was gone for a few fantastic night time photos, which I always encourage my couples to do whenever possible.
Most of all, I was floored by Andrea and Nathan’s kindness and willingness to trust me completely in the decisions made around their wedding day. Their trust in me ultimately helped me in documenting their day in the best way possible, and I am very thankful to them for that!
Andrea and Nathan, thank you both for including me in your wonderful wedding experience!
Describe your wedding planning process!
A & N: We had 2 venues in mind after attending the Wedding Fair and in the end, narrowed it down mostly due to centrality of SAIT. We also liked the openness of the atrium for the reception and that we could have the ceremony and reception in the same location. The biggest challenge was scheduling 2 ceremonies with a reception in the same day but still ensuring enough time for photos.
What was your favorite part?
A & N: Our favorite part of the day was having all our family and friends together. Andrea was surprised by Nathan’s singing during the door games and she was also surprised by Nathan’s spontaneous dance moves during the first dance (completely unplanned and unexpected!). The door games and reception games were a lot of fun with unexpected results. We were also glad we had scheduled enough time in between things so we never felt rushed during the day.
What is your greatest piece of advice for planning a wedding?
A & N: Creating a spreadsheet with timelines which includes details (any detail you can think of that each vendor or family member will need to know) helped keep us on track – key advice given to us by one bridesmaid.
Ceremony & Reception venue: SAIT Heritage Hall // Officiant: Aye Chan Phyu // Bridal attire: Custom dress by Laura George // Groom’s attire: Tip Top Tailors // Transportation: Quest Limos // DJ: Revolution Entertainment // Hair stylist: Oanh Truong // Makeup artist: Joelle Wong // Florist: Philip Chong Flower Bar // Cake: Divine Bakery Calgary // Event Planner: Locke Weddings // Decor: Access Entertainment // Caterer: SAIT Chartwells
