On November 22nd, we joined our fellow wedding vendors at the 8th annual BC Professional Wedding Awards at the Hard Rock Casino in Coquitlam. It was an amazing night for us to catch up with old friends, sample delicious hor d’oeuvres and wedding cakes, drink wine served by a flying fairy (yes, really!) and cheer on some of the amazing work in our industry of love. Plus, we got to take home a little love for ourselves!
Our team at the 2017 BC Wedding Awards!
We are so honoured and excited to announce that Young Hip & Married received top honours in our category. Our very own Officiant Randy Hamm was voted Top Wedding Officiant in BC. Way to go, Randy! Another member of our team, Officiant Kristen Olynick, was also chosen as one of the top three finalists!
Congrats, Randy!
Way to go, Kristen!
Randy won for his Western Wedding with Andrea and Hill. Here’s Randy with the story of that amazing wedding:
I first met Hill and Andrea when they requested relationship coaching in preparation of their marriage. As we talked about their wedding it became obvious I was a great match for their ceremony. They wanted a western theme with fun bits spread throughout a thoughtful ceremony. We came up with a coconut clicking groom entrance (ala Monty Python), a hearty Yee-Haw response to the community pledge and even a bride-roping symbol of unity.Not only were they pleasantly surprised these were allowed and encouraged, they were thrilled with how we figured out the perfect balance of quirky humour and touching sentiment. The venue, Fort Langley, lent itself to the western theme, and dressing the part was a lot of fun for all of us! Besides telling their personal story, bringing in how others see them and balancing differing spiritual viewpoints, I also offered them a cowboy poem to go with their theme. In the end, they loved what we came up with and the wedding was a blast.
Photo by Kat Grabowski – Art and the Aerialist
Photo by Kat Grabowski – Art and the Aerialist
Photo by Kat Grabowski – Art and the Aerialist
Photo by Kat Grabowski – Art and the Aerialist
Vanadis & Jeff knew what they wanted for their destination wedding in Pemberton on June 17th. Meeting up over herbal teas, they shared their amazing love story. Vani (as she preferred to be called) was from Venzuela & Jeff’s family from Trinidad. They explained to me that they wanted their wedding to reflect who they are as a couple, their values and passions for music, travel, natural beauty, intimacy of family and close friends, and amazing culinary experiences! They desired to use primarily local vendors to support the community they were being married in. Vani & Jeff envisioned a fun celebration, delicious food and non-stop music, aiming for a rustic chic vibe with a personalized ceremony script.As some guests did not speak English, they asked me if I’d be willing to speak some Spanish during the ceremony. I hesitated as I don’t speak Spanish. Yet with the heart connection we were making, I knew that I could accept the challenge and help to create the ceremony of their dreams. In the eight months prior to their wedding day, we got to know each other better as I began to put their story together for the ceremony.I love destination weddings for so many reasons. The top reason is spending quality time together. With no one having to dash off or drive endless minutes through traffic to get anywhere after the rehearsal, everyone is so relaxed and in the moment. Getting to know each other and learning more about Vani and Jeff from their friends and family’s perspective was such a gift to me. Vani and Jeff stayed true to themselves, created the wedding day of their dreams and I was filled with joy to create a personalized wedding ceremony script.Together, we nailed it! And with mucho mucho practice, I was able to deliver some phrases in Spanish! So happy I said “si” to Vani y Jeff!
Photo by Mathias Fast Photography
Photo by Mathias Fast Photography
Photo by Mathias Fast Photography
Photo by Mathias Fast Photography
Riana Ang-Canning has been working with Young Hip & Married since 2017. She is a professional content writer with experience in travel, lifestyle and weddings. Riana not only writes Young Hip & Married blog posts but is also involved with the company's internal communications, social media, copywriting and more. She knows YHM, and the wedding world, inside and out!
