Okanagan Summer Wedding

The Couple:

Scott & Breta

Location of Ceremony:

Deadman Lake Ranch, Oliver BC

Wedding Date:

September 25 2021

Q: What tips would you give to someone who wants to DIY their wedding flowers?

A: Get help! From family and friends. Make an example bouquet for your helpers to duplicate. That way it will only take a few hours (but plan for an entire afternoon) Make centre pieces as simple as you can without compromising elegance. Also be prepared that some of the flowers you ordered might not be available when your order is packed and you may have to make a last minute decision. Have backup flower choices ready in case this happens for one or more of your original selections.

Q: Why did you choose to DIY your wedding flowers?

A: My mom instilled her love of flowers in me; I looked forward to it being something we could do together.

Q: Did you DIY anything else at your wedding ?

A: Lots! My sister and I decorated the copper wedding arch that my husband built which was set upon a antique Persian rug in the middle of a wide open field with the view of the mountains; my sisters, parents, and friends collected dried flowers for us for months so that we could make the dried flower confetti for our walk back down the aisle; the table centre pieces (ruscus ring around a bamboo lazy-susan, and white lantern on top); a sprig of olive branch in the perfectly envelope-like folded napkins to symbolize peace; and wedding favours (little hand sanitizer bottles with copper clip that said “in sickness and in health”with our wedding date); and little decorative touches such as the flower bouquets made by me, my sisters and my mom, hanging on the aisle chairs that mimicked my and the bridesmaids bouquets. It was all outside, so on the weekends leading up to our wedding, I had also strung twinkle lights in all the lilac bushes surrounding were the open air tent was placed for dinner; homemade signs were also placed to guide guests. There’s probably more that I’m not remembering!

Q: What was the “theme” of your wedding?

A: We didn’t really have a theme but we wanted it to be elegant and timeless (focused on white/cream, dusty blue wildflower colours, and dusty rich greens found in eucalyptus and olive leaves).

Q: What was your favorite part about your wedding

A: My most favourite part was what our wedding symbolized to us and all our loved ones being able to witness that. However, my favourite details of our wedding was my wedding dress (rich ivory satin with a full skirt and satin buttons that started at the top of my back and went all the way down the end of the chapel length train, my custom made veil with wildflowers all along the trim around my face, the arch/altar decorated with blooming sage brush, lilac leaves and eucalyptus and olive branches from youfloral in the middle of the field placed upon an antique Persian rug, the bouquets that my mom made and how all the details came together to make it feel elegant and timeless.

Q: Anything else you’d wanna share!

• my brother in law surprised us with his vintage baby-blue 1952? Chevy with white interior as our getaway car, got so many beautiful pictures with it!
• Also loved our head table, an antique oak table with lion heads carved into each corner – made me feel like we were in Narnia 🙂 had a ruscus vines ontop of a printed wildflower runner
• my mom also made our beautiful 3 tier wedding cake with the blue thistle flowers and my great grandparents’ and grandparents’ cake topper. It was beautiful.

Their Recipe:

• Ruscus x 4 bunches
• Anenome (White Panda) x 1 bunch
• Blue Eryngium x 2 bunches
• White Majolica (soft blush color) spray roses x 2 bunches
• Craspedia x 1 bunch
• Limonium x 2 bunches
• White/Cream Hypericum x 3 bunches
• White Waxflower x 1 bunch
• Grey (Early Grey) Roses x 1 bunch
• Baby Blue Eucalyptus x 1 bunch
• Silver Dollar Eucalyptus x 2 bunches
• Cream Roses – Spray x 1 bunch
• Olive x 2 bunches

Vendor Love

• Food: Joy Road Catering in Penticton BC
• Wedding Dress: Bliss Bridal in Kelowna
• Linen Wrap Dresses: Nichstore
• Groom and Goomsmen’s Suits: Tip Top Tailors in Kelowna
• Rentals: Westminster Party Rentals in Penticton
• Flowers: YouFloral
• Desserts: Illichmann’s in Kelowna
• Photos: Maria Cihlar Photography & Nadia  Iannone