dahlias | Ultimate Bridesmaid

So, this is a bridesmaid blog. I get that. But nonetheless, I often receive wedding submissions. And for a long time I’ve told myself that if I ever stumbled on a wedding with a sweet bridesmaid story, I’d share it with you. Well folks, that day has come. What could be sweeter than a bridal party filled out by the bride and groom’s younger brothers and sisters (plus their BFFs, of course)? Bethany and Joel chose to hold their casual, rustic ceremony on the grounds of Providence Farm, not too far from their hometown of Victoria, British Columbia. The pure fun of the day shines through in the pictures from Christa Nicole Photography, from the cheeky bridal party portraits to the groomsmen’s matching argyle socks to the bouncy castle at the reception (they even rented bloomers so the ladies could bounce worry-free!). Bethany and Joel really put their personal touch on every aspect of the ceremony. Bethany made the bouquets herself, using dahlias listed on Craigslist by a local farm and eucalyptus from her own garden. She also made the groomsmen’s boutonnieres, repurposing coffee sacks that groom Joel brought home from his job as a coffee roaster. The couple even wrote their own wedding ceremony—that’s right, not just the vows, the whole shebang! The cake cutting was performed with a sword, a family tradition in the making: Bethany’s father received the sword as a member of the Governor General’s Horse Guards in 1982 and used it to cut the cake in his wedding to Bethany’s stepmother in 1999. I love how all the handmade details highlight the couple’s sense of humor, spirit of fun and obvious love for their families—and each other.

From the bride:
“Our wedding party consisted of our siblings and very bestest friends. By some miracle, both my husband and I have the same number of siblings, but of opposite genders! So, I had my two sisters, Joel’s sister, and my best friend (since we were 15!) stand up for me, while Joel had his two brothers, my brother and his best friend stand up for him.

My bridesmaids were great. When it came to decided what to wear, originally we were going for the mismatched theme. But, the girls were having such a difficult time finding affordable coordinating dresses (that didn’t scream ‘bridesmaid’), that we were giving up hope until we spied this dress from Modcloth. At $60, how could you go wrong? Plus, they had that sweet, sundress-vintage flair that felt so right.

My favourite detail of the day would either have to be the ceremony (we wrote it ourselves, and our bridal party was a big part of it!) or the dancing once everything was dark. Oh, and obviously our bouncy castle…how could that not be a favourite detail?! We rented bloomers so ladies could bounce worry free. Also, as almost 80 people stayed overnight, we hosted a breakfast the next day and it was great to get to hang out with everyone after our night of fun. Oh, and one more—my husband is a coffee roaster, so I made the boutonnieres and bunting from used coffee sacks, and all the guests got to enjoy freshly made lattes and Americanos at breakfast!”