WedLuxe Magazine Winter/Spring 2014 Vancouver & Western Canada | Page 48

pomp

and

ceremonies

On the wedding day, the
couple had two ceremonies.
The first (legal ceremony)
was an intimate gathering
with just five people, and
took place on the roof of
the Penthouse Suite at the
ROSEWOOD HOTEL GEORGIA.

The remaining guests arrived
at the hotel’s Reflections
Outdoor Restaurant &
Lounge for a champagne
reception where they each
had a polaroid photo taken for
an art installation that would
be revealed later in the day.
During this time, Philip and
Christene snuck away for a
‘blind’ photo shoot with each
other in the art deco elevators
of the hotel. “We were each
in an elevator with the doors
open, but couldn’t see each
other. We snapped a polaroid
there for a pivotal piece to add
to the artwork later in
the evening.”

Philip rejoined the party just as the couple’s
nephews were handing out little invitation
cards instructing guests to meet him in the
lobby for next steps. “We thought it would
take some time for everyone to finish their
drinks and make their way down, but it was
almost instant!” says Christene.
Philip led the guests across Georgia Street and
up the carpeted steps of the VANCOUVER ART
GALLERY.

Once guests passed the (bow-tied) lion
sculptures at the entrance, they were met with
a white paper flower wall and huge bordeaux
coloured floral arrangements.
Four oversized images were hung in each
of the four alcoves above the rotunda and
dramatically uplit. They featured black and
white prints of the couple, taken during their
engagement photo shoot, and the couple’s
lion emblem.
The decor scheme of the second ceremony
was black and white, which coincided
remarkably well with an exhibit that was on
display at the VANCOUVER ART GALLERY
during the wedding.
In the rotunda (where the ceremony took
place), Evan Orion of FLOWERZ hung clouds
of hydrangeas amongst the white hanging

48

Winter and Spring 2014

Molo lights. Singer Rob Hamilton of SIDE
ONE entertained everyone with his vocals
and acoustic guitar. To signal the start of the
ceremony, the vocal group SAID SEBASTIAN
(with wedding planner, Erin Bishop as a
member) sang an acapella version of the song
‘My Heart With You’ by The Rescues as the
couple’s family were escorted to their seats.
The wedding party walked down the aisle to
the song ‘Skinny Love,’ and the vocals of the
song faded out as Christene’s dad walked her
down the aisle.
Laurie Barnes was the officiant. “Laurie was
the girlfriend I was with the night I first met
Philip. From the moment we first started
talking about our wedding, Philip and I knew
we wanted it to be more personal than an
unknown officiant,” explains Christene. “It
was also a secret that Laurie was marrying us.”
After the ceremony, guests were led into the
forecourt of the gallery for cocktail hour
where passed canapés catered by SAVOURY
CITY CATERING & EVENTS were served.
One end of the space featured a large custom
wall built by PROMOSA. The installation
featured graphic frames that showcased
guest names with descriptive words and
stories pertaining to each person, as written
by Christene and Philip. Two black frames
were placed in the centre of the wall featuring

WESTERN CANADA EDITION

designs that Philip and Christene had created
for each other.
“During our elevator shoot we had FILOSOPHI
EVENT PLANNING snap a photo of each of
us separately and one in the elevators. The
separate ones went up in our frames and the
one of us together went up in an oversized
frame with the quote ‘the sum of the whole is
greater than the sum of the individual parts,’
which really sums up our relationship and our
wedding, and our marriage so far!”
The custom art installation was a conversation
starter during the cocktail hour. When the
newlyweds rejoined the party an hour later,
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