Alan + Nicole’s Whistler Wedding at the Edgewater

I love creating and performing custom wedding ceremonies in Whistler. More often than not, Whistler weddings take place outdoors. Nature offers many amazing ‘cathedrals’ of the heart. And when it comes to weddings Whistler BC has it all… from lakes to mountains to vast open sky.

Nicole and Alan, and their sweet daughter Sophie, were one of my most adventurous and nature-connected couples. Avid outdoors people, I simply could not imagine them getting married in any other Whistler wedding venue. The Edgewater Lodge has a stunning lakeside setting, perfect for a summer wedding.

I was so thrilled to serve as Nicole and Alan’s Wedding Celebrant and to vision a custom wedding ceremony for them that totally reflected their true selves and that involved their community as well as their daughter Sophie. Creating custom wedding ceremonies that honour the children in a couple’s life is very important to me.

In their five years together, Alan and Nicole have nurtured great depth and connection between them. There is a wonderful sense of ease to the relationship they describe as being, “spontaneous, playful, fun, active, understanding and perfect!”They share the same sense of adventure and instinctual commitment to get the most out of every second of life… be it family time, couple moments, engaged with the world around them, or with the family and friends they love so much. To say they love bikes is an understatement. Nicole has six and Alan has five. Even their daughter Sophie has two – and she’s still a toddler! Biking is a major part of their lives.

I’d like to share with you Nicole and Alan’s beautiful words about the future they stepped into through their totally custom wedding ceremony: “We want it to be an equal partnership where we make time for each other… and where we can talk openly, honestly, and often. We’ll ride our bikes together, laugh a lot, support each other, and be appreciative and forgiving of one another. We’ll feel contentment, happiness, and loved.”

The vows they wrote for each other were so personal… their words made everyone cry, laugh, and say ‘awww’. We had a very community based closing to the ceremony. And then little Sophie joined her mum and dad for their triumphant walk back down the aisle and towards their new life!

Was so touched by their note to me after the wedding:

“We will always remember our ceremony. It was truly a magical day and the ceremony you created was definitely everything we wanted it to be. Just thinking about it puts a smile on my face and gives me a feeling of love and warmth. And here’s what a friend of ours said, “The whole back row was crying and even I was welling up” ……… this from a big tough guy who’s probably not cried since he was 12 years old!”

Always a pleasure to collaborate with the lovely Wedding Planner Rachael Lythe from Sea to Sky Celebrations… the talented adventure photographer Robin O’Neill... and of course the Edgewater Lodge team.

Vancouver and Whistler’s Modern Celebrant Michele Davidson works with newly engaged couples to create transformational and totally custom wedding ceremonies. She helps couples expand their vision of their ceremony AND their engagement. It’s a one-in-a-lifetime folks… make it sing!!! Email Michele at Michele@moderncelebrant.ca for Vancouver + Whistler wedding ceremonies.  She also travels internationally for weddings! Bali anyone?

Real Weddings at Nita Lake Lodge

Quite possibly Greg and Leah’s wedding was the warmest and truest I’ve ever officiated. Maybe because she’s a prairie girl and he’s from the Maritimes. Those places seem to bring down to earth, authentic people into this world.

The wedding ceremony and reception were at the Nita Lake Lodge, my new favorite get-away-place from Vancouver. When I saw the bathroom in my suite, with it’s huge tub and separate shower, I nearly knelt and kissed the slate slab floor.  Oops. I digress.

It was a warmish day that called for an outdoor ceremony. Leah was so beautiful and full of excitement that I cried when she walked in, with her eyes only for Greg. There is something about this moment of a ceremony that touches me profoundly. It is a moment of hope, of beauty, and it is a moment where everything but love is suspended. Every one present feels it.

Greg’s warmth and tenderness as he took Leah’s arm was so I don’t know… chivalrous.  His gesture told us all that Leah is incredibly precious to him.

Their Love Story was so much fun to tell.  It really is worth spending the time to truly ‘get’ a couple.  Makes such a difference to the wedding ceremony. And sets an extraordinarily warm and personal tone to the entire wedding experience… for the couple and their guests.

I began their story with this:

“Leah and Greg kept me laughing with all the twists and turns that kept popping up as they told me how they met and fell in love. Just when I thought I had the story down pat, one of them would casually say something like: “And then I moved to Baffin Island” or “Oh yeah, that was the weekend I went picking grapes in the Okanogan…”

Guests learned things about the couple they hadn’t known, including close family members. And Leah and Greg were held in an important collective moment by people who love them. What a way to start a marriage!

How we did it

Several months in advance, Leah and Greg worked through the reflective process I’ve developed. They shared with me what they bring to the relationship and what their partner does that truly inspires them. Marriage is about deep appreciation and awareness… it’s important to set that intention early on.  Leah and Greg and I also sat down together in their own home so they could share on a more intimate level their stories, hopes, and personalities. It’s an entirely different experience meeting with people in their own homes. Most officiants don’t make time to do that, preferring to meet in their office, but I think that’s a real shame. A home reflects those who live there. It is part of their story!

I’m like a weaver… weaving by hand the personal, true-life story of those I work with. When seamlessly integrated into a ceremony (also written just for them), the many hours spent crafting it is so SO worth it. That’s why I call them ‘labours of love’!

A wedding ceremony is a memory that people hold their entire lives. It’s worth doing well. Very well.

These beautiful photos were taken by Photographer James Stockhorst.

A Custom Weddng Ceremony at Brew Creek Lodge

David and Louise’s wedding took place on a stunning afternoon at Whistler’s Brew Creek Lodge. One of those hot September days where summer hasn’t yet turned on her heels.

In the months prior to their wedding, I enjoyed getting to know Louise and David. Throughout the interview and reflection process it was clear that each adored the other for who they truly are. I had such a strong sense of their complete and utter confidence in one another. So it wasn’t a surprise at all to find them so at ease in the moments before the ceremony.

And during the ceremony, the way Louise and David looked at each other made me catch my breath a couple of times. David’s expression when he first saw Louise in her lovely gown, well, I thought I might not be able to speak for a moment. I never fail to be moved when I know that a couple has done the hard work to build a strong foundation for a deeply intimate marriage.

I think that is why I put so much into creating my ceremonies. The wonderful people who find their way to me are those who truly understand that their ceremony is not a hoop to jump through. This was very much the case with Louise and David.

They wanted their ceremony to be an expression of their innermost feelings, hopes, and dreams. To be symbolic of the intent with which they begin the next part of their journey together.

Louise and David taught me about the concept of ohana, which is the Hawaiian word for family. This is why I included a family ritual in their ceremony. After the vows had been spoken and the Marriage Register signed, I welcomed both mothers to come forward to join Louise and David for a heartfelt candle lighting ceremony.

You can see the warmth of these moments in Jennifer Echols‘ beautiful photos, which I’ve attached.

Joyfully yours,

Celebrant Michele Davidson, Wedding Officant, Vancouver and Whistler