Carissa & Tyler's Hart House wedding was an absolute masterclass in classic luxe style. Glamorous but not gaudy, luxurious but not ostentatious, classic but not stuffy. This is how to do modern glam!

And, most importantly, still FUN.

I knew right away arriving at the couples' home where Tyler and his pals were getting ready that this was not going to be some uptight, overly prim affair- the guys were already having a great time, making the inherent chaos of prep coverage feel fun and easy! Usually the more people, the more chaos, but these guys had their sh*t together and we were in and out in record time with a couple cold ones to combat the heat in between (for them, of course haha). 

 

Hart House is a classic when it comes to lower mainland venues, and it's easy to see why- beautiful Tudor manor with a massive sun-drenched lawn sitting pretty right on Deer Lake, there's no mystery why it's so popular. And it was done up in style for Carissa & Tyler's big day with lush but delicate florals, pale pink and dreamy cream, little touches everywhere that whispered of Carissa's strong Italian roots- the setup would have fit right in on the banks of Lake Como or a Tuscan villa. And to go with those Italian roots came the accompanying big Italian family! I lost count of the number of nonnas and nonnos, zias and zios, but was truly impressed by their fortitude under the scorching heat out on the lawn for the ceremony!

And what a gorgeous ceremony! After their first look and some portraits, Carissa, Tyler and their wedding party hid away as guests arrive and filtered from the shade of the upper lawn past the reception tent to the ceremony site. That view really does all the work! And happy to report the resident geese were very well-behaved on this occasion as they grazed in the background of the altar. As mentioned, it was a real scorcher- I think this was the hottest one of my season, and major ups to the whole wedding party somehow looking sunkissed and dewy as opposed to the melting puddle I was! Good thing we're not there to look pretty ;)
 

Post-ceremony it was cocktails-a-plenty back in the shade, and then into a reception with heartfelt and funny speeches (Tyler's 2 best men in particular had some... colourful anecdotes to share!) and a truly delicious spread from the Hart House catering team who always knock it out of the park. As planners populated the most epic dessert table I've ever seen (as if the FOUR full cakes weren't enough, there were plates and plates of delicate Italian pastries in a truly mind-boggling confectionary display), Dolce Amore was arriving on scene with their gelato cart to tempt those still sweatin' it post-sunset (ie me).

The distant strains of Fleet Foxes' festival set a few lots over drifting across the lake accompanied the last of the speeches, leading right into first dances and the end of our coverage, for what honestly felt like a true fairytale wedding!

(2nd shooting for Nomad by NK)