How to Plan a wedding in 8 Weeks

(Please note that all the following photographs unless very obviously from an iPhone or from a point and shoot film camera were created by Christina Bourne of My Boots Photography)

Let me start by saying that this wasn’t my original plan.

I feel like I’ve been building up to write this for a while now. My (now) husband, Matt, and I were married October 8th, 2022. However, we were engaged on a lovely day sometime in mid April, 2019 and had planned to get married a little over a year later on June 13th, 2020.

But then the pandemic happened.

After a good cry, we paused all planning and and canceled our bookings. Occasionally, we tried to think about what we’d “really” like to do to honour our love when the world inevitably went back to normal (whatever that is). Honestly, it was really hard to imagine. We waited out the capacity limits, the dance restrictions, and the venue closures. We waited through family and friends getting sick, some getting married themselves, and babies being born. There was even some times I thought we’d never replan a wedding, we’d just stay engaged forever. Then, in the summer of 2022, we both actually caught the sickness that ruined our lives in the first place.

When we caught the virus, we were actually in our home province, Saskatchewan. Ironically, we caught it at different times from different events — but we both had isolated time to think “at home” in the prairies. Living in Vancouver had us previously considering doing the wedding on the West Coast, but that would mean having almost everyone travel out West to celebrate and we weren’t fully comfortable with the cost it would add. Having the wedding in Saskatchewan would make a lot of sense for us, but we could quite find a venue we loved and felt like “us”.

Now imagine me laying in bed in my mom’s heritage home, COVID running through my body, and it’s the heat of the summer in the Canadian prairies #lookinggood. Looking through Instagram, I see a post from someone I know about their friend’s wedding at the venue St. Chads in central Regina, SK. Now, Matt and I have been to St. Chads before for an event and we loved it. When we were planning our wedding originally we even reached out and they weren’t taking weddings at the time. But as I researched further, head pounding and body aching, I found that they had been advertising for weddings throughout the pandemic (!!!!!!!). I was so excited, I tried messaging them on on all platforms with no response. Days later I reached out to our good friend Sarah to see if she had any information about how to get in contact with the owners. As maybe the strangest turn of events of my life (not worth getting into too deeply here), my fiancé Matt was able to secure us a viewing of the venue when I was out of quarantine. Just before I headed back to BC.

The Venue

My mom and I went to see the venue and all its’ upgrades. MY OH MY was I in love. Though I was heading back to Vancouver soon, I knew that I wanted to secure the space if there was any way that I could. The last date available for the year was October 8th, 2023. After confirming with family that the date would be possible for them, we were relatively sold.

1. The first person that I needed to check in with was my dad. My dad lives in Vermont and was travelling to Saskatchewan to see our first little Baxter baby, my nephew Bowen. He confirmed quickly that the date was good to go.

2. Secondly, we asked Sarah if we could hire her. I honestly said the words “we won’t be able to do this without you”. Sarah is creative, kind, calm, and capable. She’d planned weddings in the past and with the countdown we had happening — I knew we needed her.

Oh, and also #NORMALIZE paying your friends. If you offer to pay your friends for darn honest work that they do, they will most likely offer you a discount and everyone leaves happy. Just pay your friends for their creative work, it’s the right thing to do.

3. The third person we needed to check with was our lovely photographer. Being a very popular wedding season I was almost praying that Christina of My Boots Photography was magically available. I wanted Christina to capture my day because she had been part of our original 2020 plan. Christina not only provides digital and film images, but she does mini videos that summarize the day. I just couldn’t imagine going through hiring anyone else. Somehow, she was available. #BLESSED

Preparing for the wedding from Vancouver meant having weekly FaceTime calls with Sarah that I will forever be grateful for. Sarah went over literally everything down to "who is delivering lunch on your wedding day”. She also took into account our specific requests to keep the event as natural and intimate as possible. We stressed that we wanted a wedding that felt like a big family supper; every person there was either family or a an old friend. When making our guest list, we tried to stay as close to 50 people as possible (we ended up having 70), thinking to ourselves, “when we have a cabin in the woods… somewhere off of highway #1… will these people visit us on their way to the mountains?” Having a little test like this helps a lot, being fairly social people.

The Outfit

Now, I’m not about to say that I was an easy-going bride. My sister and I are not exempt from the Disney-raised wedding-crazed 90’s girls who practiced and dreamed about our “ideal wedding” in an ice castle. But I still needed so much help & a little bit of LUCK!

My dress, as an example (SOMETHING NEW), was handmade by designer Laurie Brown who not only took me on with 8 weeks to wedding day but also custom designed my dream dress and came to my home in Vancouver for the fitting. This dress, specifically, made my mom cry when she first saw it. I felt like such a bride and I can’t thank Laurie enough.

My shoes I already had (SOMETHING OLD) from my best friend’s wedding years before and they are comfortable, tall (like my husband), and blush pink. I knew I didn’t want white shoes but I also knew that I didn’t want to break in a pair that I wouldn’t be able to dance in.

My jewelry (the earrings) came as a bit of a godsend the day before the wedding from The Dress Form. Finding the perfect earrings the day before our wedding quickly became my obsession. My girlfriends were on deck with earrings that they had, a jewelry maker in Regina was ready to create something custom, my mom and I found two pairs at a bridal shop “just in case” (which I will be keeping forever and wearing on our anniversaries)… But I wasn’t sure what I’d choose until game day. I thought to myself “at least I have options” (more on the winning choice below).

And my veil… Well that was gifted to me by a bride I was photographing the weekend before. Her exact words were “you can have it if you want it!” AND THAT I DID! Thank you, Taylor! #SOMETHINGBORROWED indeed.

The day before the wedding…

I went into the city with my mom to do some last minute stressing (I did, in fact, cry in the car that my dress was “TOO BOOBY” and I didn’t know what to do) — the 8 week wedding planning was really coming to a head. My mom had graciously taken on the cake decorations and was purchasing flowers that matched my girlfriend’s dresses. Matt’s parents were preparing for the rehearsal supper and baking pies for the reception (just imagine 10 delicious homemade prairie pies!!). My dad and I went to the Hotel Saskatchewan where I would get ready the next morning — thank you for this gift, family.

Getting into my room, there was a box of flowers with a note and the earrings from Stacey (The Dress Form). Seeing the combination I cried for the second time that day and felt so special. The flowers were so beautiful, the hotel room was so perfect, the weekend was going to be an absolute sensation. Then was a stream of setting up, driving around, thinking about vows, seeing old friends, hugging family, being grateful, time fleeting, eating food, prairie autumn air, and there was even a roadside animal emergency somewhere in the mix (YUP, THAT’S RIGHT). Matt and I ended the night at the hotel, teeth whiteners and eye masks on, dancing to our favourite tunes as the city rushed below.

We broke a bit of tradition and spent the night together in the hotel before the wedding. Matt got ready with his friends and I got ready at the hotel. This piece I’d say to take with a grain of salt — it worked for us because we were already far from our home and away from each other so much during the week. I can honestly say that I see the merit to spending the night before the wedding apart, as well.

THE WEDDING DAY

Almost as soon as the groom left in the morning the ladies ARRIVED! I had hired Blush Beauty Bar to do a “hair and makeup” party instead of traditional full hair and makeup for everyone. Not only did it bring the time down but it also allowed for ladies to spend what they wanted. I honestly wanted it to feel like a 10 year old birthday party and it DID! Blush Beauty Bar was so great, I had worked with them in the past and they felt like family friends. We listened to music, chatted and ate a great lunch from my future mother-in-law (who is so sneaky and dropped it off at the front desk with the flowers!). I had always wanted to work with Payton’s Place Designs more as I’d shot two weddings with her creations in the past. Payton doesn’t usually do thanksgiving weddings but what I was asking for was so small (three corsages, two boutonnières and a bouquet), she agreed to take me on and I am sooooo grateful. I highly recommend having your flowers preserved and framed afterwards as well. I chose My Pressed Purpose to press and frame my flowers. It’s well worth the wait!! Also, pressed flowers are 100% part of my family culture.

THE CAKE

OK are we at the good part yet? I’ll give you a little spoiler — we were on time! My purse was packed with film camera, lipstick, vows, and thank-you cards, and the boys were already at the venue.

We did our friend photos before while guests were arriving. This seriously helped calm my nerves! Matt greeted friends and family as they came through the door and I was able to catch our amazing cake baker before she left! Which comes with a story of its own:

As a helping hand, I asked my mom to handle our wedding cake. I had wanted something three tiered if possible, and I know that carrot cake being a dense cake can usually handle such a task. My mom had hired our neighbour in town, Cora’s Cupcakes and Baking to take on the task. I’d previously been a babysitter to Cora’s kids so I was really excited to have her in the mix.

Later into the planning, I mentioned to friends what our cake was. Matt then said to me, a bit hesitantly, “…I don’t actually like carrot cake”. (!!!!!!) I did not expect this! So in a bit of heat, we decided that we both like tiramisu and maybe a tiramisu flavoured cake would be possible… Well I have to say that Cora is an absolute magician because not only was the three tiered cake TRADITIONAL ITALIAN tiramisu, it was the best cake I have ever had at a wedding.

Cora froze, delivered, and assembled the cake on site on her BIRTHDAY! I was so grateful to run into her on the wedding day because the cake was such a big part of the special event. My mom had used wheat from my brother in law’s farm and flowers that matched my girlfriend’s dresses. I have never seen a wedding cake actually be eaten at the wedding, but I swear everyone had a piece. Matt’s parents safely froze the bottom layer (or what was left…) for future anniversaries.

The Ceremony

As friends and family came in through the open church doors, the string band played. Matt and I were pretty conscious of the size of our wedding and we wanted our wedding parties to mingle with guests and make the room feel full.

Matt’s mom walked him down the aisle. We had Matt’s dad walk my mom down the aisle and his sister and brother walk down together. Then, my sister walked down as my “flower girl” (DREAM COME TRUE), and my dad walked me down through the sea of love that was the wedding of my absolute dreams.

Walking down the aisle towards Matt was absolute magic. The string band had stopped and I had requested to walk down to “Patience” by the Lumineers as it represented the long wait to be legally one. The Lumineers are also our band! Walking down the sunlit aisle I felt the feeling that lovers feel when it’s a room full of people but you are alone together. My dad delivered me to the “alter” where Matt and our amazing wedding commissioner, Brittany McGeough, were waiting. Brittany as our wedding commissioner is a whole other story.

When Matt and I were first engaged, finding our commissioner was so easy. My mom’s best friend, Jan, was a Pastor in another town. We would be having Jan at the wedding as it was, so over a chat one day we asked her… “will you marry us?” — which she yelled, “of course!”. Since we had postponed our wedding, we kept in touch with Jan but she was diagnosed with breast cancer and tragically passed away about four weeks before our wedding.

In honour of Jan and how much it meant to us that she was going to be marrying us, it didn’t feel right to then welcome in a stranger. Already having my own bag of trust issues, I wasn’t keen on getting just anyone to marry us. We put a bit of work into it but ultimately decided that we’d get legally married at city hall either day before the wedding or sometime after and my father would step in as a “priest” for the ceremony. This seemed like a good idea to me, but my Aunt Adelle had much better ideas. Auntie Adelle called me and suggested a friend’s daughter to do our ceremony. I wasn’t keen at all, she still seemed like a stranger to me! What if she was weird or super awkward! However, my Aunt has a way with people and Brittany had rearranged her Thanksgiving plans to accommodate us on short notice. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to do — SHE COULD HAVE BEEN ANYONE! Brittany met us on FaceTime to get to know us, and wouldn’t you know it, I had been an educational assistant years ago in her amazing classroom. I LOVED Brittany, she was an amazing teacher and person. Always laughing, so honest and true. It was the best gift that we could have asked for, such a lucky chance. I can’t recommend Brittany enough.

WE DO

Matt combined forces and got his outfit from both Colin O’Brian in Regina (THANK YOU RYAN HUNT!) and Brascia’s Tailors in Vancouver. Both were amazing to work with and he looked absolutely stunning — #HELLOHOTTY. I had no idea what he was planning but I did know that I wanted him to feel like himself.

My mother-in-law, Tannis, made the handkerchiefs for all the boys and folded them oh-so-nicely. We had agreed on no boutonnière for Matt, but both of our dads had one.

Our vows were written by us. I wrote mine by hand and Matt typed and printed his. Neither of us compared notes or took any courses. I always wanted to write our own vows and speak from the heart, which is exactly what we did. I really should have gone first though because I wasn’t sure I could say mine after Matt recited his!! I have to say that while Brittany was doing her shtick, all I was really doing was looking at my fiancé one last time (sorry, B!).

My aunt was called to the alter to do a reading for us. She did a beautiful reading of the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, slightly adapted. It was gorgeous and made the moment feel so surreal. Then, Matt’s best man brought our rings from my uncle’s jewelry store (as was my engagement ring). We opted for plain gold for both so they matched. I had even bought a twin ring for my wedding band to wear alone but I honestly haven’t wanted to wear it alone once! #BLINGBLING

After signing our marriage papers we came back to the alter and had a moment together while our witnesses signed. This was honestly an unexpected special moment where we were just together for the first time without any pressure. Husband and wife, pre-first kiss. What a special time being moment that we’ll never get back. And of course, upon “I do” and our first kiss I had requested “Heart of Gold” to start playing over the audience. That beat at the beginning of the song was EXACTLY what I wanted to walk down the aisle to, #WIFEDUP for the first time!

THE RECEPTION

The musicians moved to the “reception hall” and we had a feast! Walnuts Catering took care of all food, bar, signature cocktails (“The Matt” & “The Maple”). You wouldn’t believe the compliments that we got on our food — thank you so much, Walnuts! We were their last wedding after 30 years in the industry.

My dream for the reception was to have open wine bottles along the wood tables like a huge family supper. We put linen, eucalyptus and candles along the middle to create a dreamy wood cabin feel. A bit of a rustic French vibe if you would! #PROTIP: Sarah had the idea to freeze the candles before using them so that they didn’t drip on the material!

The reception brought beautiful speeches, a few games, a poem, and that amazing cake I mentioned above. Our MC duo was great friend Katelyn and my cousin, Colby. They did a smashing, heartfelt job.

One thing that made me so happy was (HOW CAN I CHOOSE?!) was having an audio guest book at our wedding (photo below). I was never sure how to make the regular “old” guestbook something fun to do, but I came across the company After the Tone on Instagram a few years ago. Even though we were planning with a major time crunch, this was one of my #MUSTHAVES. But they and other companies were out of stock for our wedding date!

Matt’s childhood best friend, Andrew, came to the absolute rescue and made one from scratch! We were so obsessed with it and the recordings, it was a great way to relive the night.

THE DANCE

And as fast as we came in, we were off to the dance! Our guests spread out around the “highschool style” dance floor and enjoyed the popcorn bar (THANK YOU ALEXA), and homemade pies, all made by Matt’s mom Tannis. Our first dance was to the song “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young, which we later heard almost everywhere when we came home to Vancouver. This was an incredibly happy accident.

Matt was pretty adamant on not having a DJ, maybe his only request. He wanted to be in control of the music which ended up being the most fun aspect of the dance — I literally turned to Matt at one point and said “THIS IS THE BEST BECAUSE IT’S ONLY MUSIC WE LIKE!” Which was the absolute best gift to ourselves. We love to dance and I was honestly on the dance floor the entire rest of the night.

We eventually turned the speakers towards the lighter part of the floor, where Sarah had strung string lights, and stayed closer to the bar. Before our guests started to leave that night, I read a note from my purse that I had written in 2017. It was a letter I had written about how happy I was, just in the moment having been enjoying my job, love, and life. I read it to symbolize how happy I was in that very moment, wanting to freeze time again.