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SPR 10
vol. 9, issue 2, No. 18 Display until Oct 10
www.realweddings.ca CAN $4.50
02

0 74470 86401 1
Starry
Eyed
Love
Alana & Will
July 18th, 2009
Shawnigan Lake School, Vancouver Island

Written by Lauren Kramer

Photographed by Leanne Scherp
and Susannah Street
A
lana will never forget how she felt the first time she laid eyes on Will.
“The world just stopped,” she said. “He made such a strong impres-
sion on me.”
But timing was not in their favour when they first met. Alana was out on a
first date that night with an acquaintance of Will’s and it would be two years
until she was free again to circle back and pursue those first impressions.
Top The wedding festivities
“I remember where he was and even what he was wearing when our eyes first included two days of pre-wedding
met,” she says. “I’d asked him his star sign, Cancer, and found out he was born fun. Guests enjoyed a perfect
July day at Shawnigan Lake.
on my parent’s anniversary. He was my perfect sign!”
Full of personality, spontaneity and enthusiasm for life, the 34-year-old from Right While the couple
prepared for the ceremony,
Queen Charlotte City in the Haida Gwaii is delightfully unconventional. In guests played field
January 2008, now single, fortified with a glass of wine and driven by a strong games on the lawn.
desire to see Will again, she called him but only got his voicemail. Below Will and Alana had
When Will returned from a trade show in Orlando, he was stunned to find a “crazy hat party” on the
Alana’s voicemail. “At first I thought it was a work call,” he laughs, recalling Friday to welcome guests and
break the ice.
how her number had displayed as “Coast Eco Timber,” the company Alana
founded. “But her name rang a bell, and gradually it came back to me who she
was.”
The couple met for a drink at the Wedgewood Hotel and then headed out
for a game of pool. They got along so well that they met every night after that.
“I thought she had stunning good looks, a fabulous laugh and a great sense of
humour,” says Will, 43. “She’s fiery, wild and crazy, but I knew there was some-
thing special there.”
Within two weeks, Will asked Alana to move
in with him. “I was a lady,” she jokes. “I waited
three weeks!”
The two found they had lots in common. I wear my mind
Both love to read, watch movies and play on my sleeve..
Scrabble. “We’re both very involved in our own
respective businesses, and we love Roman his-
Will thinks before
tory,” Alana says exuberantly. “But we’re also he speaks
very different in some ways. I wear my mind on
my sleeve, while Will is more reserved, steady
and calm. He thinks before he speaks.”
Within 10 months of their first date, Will knew for certain he wanted to
marry Alana. He waited until the anniversary of their first date, took her for din-
ner at West Restaurant in Vancouver and got down on both knees to pop the
question.
It was just days after the wedding of Alana’s sister, and she had been so
absorbed in the family celebration that she never saw it coming. “I noticed
he was down on both knees and I knew immediately something was wrong
because he has really bad knees!” she laughs. But Alana had known for months
that she wanted to marry Will, and she joyously accepted his proposal.
The couple scheduled their wedding for July 2009 at the Shawnigan Lake

w w w . r e al we d d i n g s . ca 63
 With four months to plan a wedding of 300 guests,
Alana had no time to lose.

School on Vancouver Island, where Alana had attended boarding school as a

child. With four months to plan a wedding of 300 guests, she had no time to
lose. “I recruited my dad’s assistant from work to help me plan the wedding, as
well as Christopher Jodoin of Vancouver’s Christopher J Designs,” she says.
Because almost everyone attending the wedding was visiting from out-of-
town, Alana arranged for friends and family to spend the weekend in the dor-
Top Will with his mitories at the school and planned a three-day extravaganza to celebrate their
brother and best nuptials.
man, Matt.
On Friday night, guests attended a salmon barbecue featuring salmon caught
Left The dramatic at her father’s fishing lodge in Haida Gwaii. To break the ice and create a fun
vaulted ceiling of atmosphere, guests arrived wearing crazy hats and danced until late into the night
the chapel lent a
traditional, stately to the sounds of a Neil Diamond impersonator, Nearly Neil.
aesthetic to the The next day Alana and her six bridesmaids prepared for the wedding at The
ceremony.
Aerie Resort in Victoria, while at the school, guests were treated to a field sports
Below Friends and day featuring tug-of-war and sack races, coordinated and organized by Alana’s
neighbours offered
congratulations after friend, Jonathan.
the ceremony. At 5:00 pm, guests gathered in the school’s chapel to watch Alana walk down
the aisle on her father’s arm. Her Shih Tzu dog Bear was the ring bearer, and
minutes before Alana was to head down the aisle, Bear lost the ring. “That was a
surprise,” says Will wryly. He’d tried to sway Alana from giving Bear the ring, but
she had been adamant about it.
“Bear is such an honourable dog,” she protests passionately. “He kept me
warm at night and with him around I was never lonely. It’s because of Bear that I
never married the wrong man!”
A frantic search for the ring ensued, and luckily, minutes later Alana spotted
it on the ground outside. As she walked down the aisle in her Monique Lhuillier
gown, she remembers feeling thrilled upon seeing her husband-to-be at the altar.
“He shone, he was so beautiful,” she says with teary eyes. “I felt so proud to be
becoming his wife and so happy about my future. It just hit me, oh my gosh, I’m
going to be his wife!”
At the end of the ceremony, organ music announced the newlyweds as they
walked out of the chapel, but it soon gave way to All You Need is Love, played by
musicians who popped up from among the guests. Will had arranged the band to
surprise Alana, tracking down musicians in Shawnigan Lake for the occasion.
A formal reception followed in the school’s dining hall, which was elegantly
decorated in blue, gold and khaki. Thirty school friends and a handful of teach-
ers were among the guests that night, and after dinner they partied to the music

64 r ea l we d d in g s
 1

The Dream Team

Venue – Ceremony &
Reception:
Shawnigan Lake School of The Odds, a Vancouver band, in a nightclub-style enclave designer
www.shawnigan.ca 2
Photographer: Jodoin had created.
LS Photography Alana comes from five generations of family in the forestry indus-
www.lsphotography.ca
Decor Rentals: try, so the next day, before heading home, guests were treated to a BC
Art of the Party Loggers’ Breakfast. “It was the hugest breakfast, with everything you can
www.artoftheparty.ca
Decorator: imagine,” she says.
Christopher J Design
www.christopherjdesign.com
The couple drove away from the wedding with Alana at the wheel of
Videographer: a 1966 Stingray Corvette belonging to her father—a car she had never
Don Young
donyoung@channelgroup.org
before been permitted to drive. They honeymooned in southern France,
Bride’s Dress: Cap d’Antibes and the Cotswolds before returning home to Vancouver
Monique Lhuillier, Bisou Bridal
www.bisoubridal.com to begin their lives as husband and wife.
3
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Today, when they look up at the stars, they know there are a few up
Frocks
www.frocks.ca there named after them. “Our master of ceremonies was UBC astrophys-
Groom’s & Groomsmen’s icist Dr. Jamie Matthews,” says Alana. “As his gift to us, he named two
Outfit:
Ralph Lauren, The Tux Store binary stars in the sky after us. They’re called Alana loves Will.” rw
www.thetuxstore.com
Bridal Party/Altar:
V&J Plant Shop
peter@vjplantshop.com Below To emulate the abundant natural beauty of Vancouver Island, the couple
Bartender/Servers: rented a profusion of small trees for the centrepieces.
4
Prolific Entertainment Group
rebecca@prolific

The Details
entertainmentgroup.com
Disc Jockey:
Summit Entertainment
eperala@shaw.ca
How they did it
1 Alana wore a Monique Lhuillier
gown with a sweetheart neckline.
The bridesmaids wore different styles
of blue dresses to complement their
different body types.
2 Patisserie Daniel in Victoria made the
chocolate and organic cherry cake.
3 Nearly Neil added to the fun atmo-
sphere of the Friday night before the
ceremony.
4 The designated “kids area” had con-
tainers overflowing with chocolate,
candy, crafting supplies and toys.

w w w . r e al we d d i n g s . ca 65