We arrived in Tofino the night before and checked into our resort, The Long Beach Lodge, just south of Tofino, right along the beach! The anticipation to see the ocean for the first time was welling up inside me. It was a beautiful sunny day and the drive out from Nanaimo took a lot longer than planned (you weren’t kidding Jill!), putting us in Tofino late in the day. The drive was amazing, never been on such a windy, up and down road before. We passed through a section of old-growth trees called Cathedral Grove, absolutely serene and peaceful.
Back to Tofino, we checked in, late in the day. Our room was perfectly comfy with a touch of romance, ocean view of course. It was from our room that we first saw the ocean and anxiously opened the balcony doors. The sound of the waves crashing in was soothing and surprisingly loud. Warm fresh air filled the somewhat stuffy room. There were more people on the beach than expected that’s for sure! The tide was high that day and found out that it goes quite low at night. We breifly met with Martina, the wedding planner who made sure we knew the tide would be low the following day, so much more beach would be available for the ceremony. Locals knew all about the tides, when it would be high and when it would be low. According to Adrian it has something to do with the moon phases.
The next morning was the big day, my best day, the day I got to marry my best friend! It was a slow relaxing morning; the ceremony wasn’t until 3 in the afternoon, so nothing felt too rushed or hectic. I admit, I was a smidge anxious, it was in fact my wedding day! But I wasn’t scared or nervous or have cold feet like so many talk about. I’m sure that it was largely thanks to eloping and avoiding a big spectacle wedding…that and I was happy.
Adrian and I had a nice breakfast down in the Great Room, then I was off to my hair and makeup appointment.
Studio One was a quaint little salon, not too far from the Resort, which ended up rather convenient. It, like the rest of Tofino, had a laid back earthy feel. Not to mention it’s an Aveda Salon, which is only very natural earth friendly products. Admittedly, Studio One was out of our price range that I estimated in our budget. Due to the size of Tofino, there weren’t many options, so I took a deep breath and booked with them anyhow. Let’s face it, there was no way I was going to do my own hair and makeup. If at any time a woman deserves to be pampered, it is most definately her wedding day. Rhonda my stylist did an excellent job of making my thin hair look almost as full and beautiful as the woman in the picture. My makeup with a hint of smoky eyes turned out just as I wanted too. Thanks Rhonda, for a relaxing pampering experience, I sure do enjoy the slowness of Tofino time. Oh, and kudos to whoever thought up hand massages while clients sit with full head of rollers under the drier…genius!
End result: Worth every penny, no regrets.
Crabapple Floral sure came through for us! We picked a Black Calla Lily for Adrian’s boutonniere and for my bouquet Red Gerbera Daisies with Black Calla Lilies. I emailed them a picture of a bouquet wanting something quite similar and they nailed it! A big thanks goes out to them for entertaining a brides pickiness and delivering such beautiful flowers.
Our ceremony was short and sweet, just as I always wanted. It was 3pm in the afternoon, sun a blazing. It must have been about 28 that day but felt hotter. No cool breeze off the water, with Adrian and I melting in our beautiful attire, but managing to still look our best. Did I mention all the people on the beach? Funny how two different locals that day at different points had said to us that it looked like Florida out there and you know what, it kind of did! Lets just say we had at least a couple hundred witnesses or so.
Our Commissioner recited a lovely ceremony, perfectly aligned with our surroundings and before we knew it, we were pronounced and husband and wife.
If anyone is ever in the Tofino area and needing a photographer, we highly recommend Michael Farrow. Michael is who we chose after browsing online and in addition to his talent and style, he fit into our price range! We got well over 300 shots from a two hour session. When booking I didn’t think this would be enough time to get the variety of shots I was hoping for but it ended up being just right. Not too rushed but didnt seem to drag out either. Thank you Michael, for being so fun and entertaining all the while making us feel at ease. Adrian and I really enjoyed ourselves. Just one thing looking back at the pictures, to any other brides out there getting pics done in the ocean, just let your dress down for heaven sake, get wet!
After our photo session, we had an hour or so before our dinner would be served in the Great Room. We returned to our room to relax a bit. I tried to clean up the sand from the bottom of my dress, but that just wasnt happening. We were gladly surprised when we entered our room however. The Lodge had kindly given us some gifts to enjoy the evening, along with a gift and card from my work. There was a big beautiful bouquet of flowers over the fireplace, with of course red gerbera daisies, red roses, white star gazers and mini white orchids like the ones I wore in my hair. I was so excited I love flowers. Plus their was a bottle of white wine, a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and a fruit with cheese platter. A lovely card from the Lodge as well as two engraved Champagne flutes to keep.
Let me rave about the excellent food at the resort as well, served in what they call the Great Room. They have this amazing restaurant with a menu that changes with the season and what can be found locally. Not to mention the aroma wafting through the staircase up from the lobby, no wonder its a hot spot.
We sat at a cute little table with white linens, next to the window which was casting a glowing light as the sun was setting. We ordered off the menu our three courses, taking full advantage of the local fresh seafood offered. Full and completely satisfied Adrian and I chose to have our dessert and mini wedding cake delivered to our room.
The wedding cake was chocolate with chocolate frosting. But not just any chocolate, really special chocolate, possibly from belgium or somewhere divine. It was the best cake I have ever eaten. Unable to finish the cake-made-for-two we put it away in our little fridge, possibly to have for breakfast. Which is exactly what we did, in addition to the continental breakfast the next morning in the Great Room. We had the option to have breakfast delivered, but there was something refreshing about a cup of coffee next to the french doors that let the cool morning ocean air in, that we just couldn’t pass up.
Lastly, but not least I would like to mention where I got my dress. Since we were eloping I didn’t want an expensive, too elaborate dress, but still a wedding dress. We had told our families of our plans, so my Mom had come with me in search for my dress and my sister made it along one time too! We searched at a few different shops in the city, I tried on quite a few. I always wanted one with color and that’s exactly what I got, a splash of red! Bellezza Bridal is the first shop we went to and where I ended up going back to make my purchase a few weeks later. Natalia, who I assume owns and runs the shop herself was great. If you are in Calgary Wedding Dress shopping, check it out. It’s off the beaten path, but worth it!
Looking back everything worked out, you could even say perfect, almost as though it was meant to be!
Happily Married,
Alanna
