French Kiss Events, Victoria’s luxury boutique wedding planning and design firm, specializing in creating weddings and events that are personalized down to the smallest detail.

Journal

Real Wedding: Alexei & Bob

I often find myself stumped for ways to start these posts, as I worry that I come off repetitive. I seem to always be saying how special the wedding was, how gorgeously it all came together etc. etc. But the truth is, EVERY wedding I am a part of is special! One of the things I love most about doing what I do, and the boutique nature of FKE, is that I get to know my couples so intimately. So by the time of the wedding, I usually feel like one of the family (you know…like that second cousin you only see at really important events, but knows how to boss everyone around when the time is right haha!). It makes me fall head over heels in love with my job every.single.time., and is the reason why every wedding is so incredible to me! But this one guys…this one you can feel it in the photos (thanks to the genius of Taylor Roades). The day was filled with so much laughter and joy, and a whole lotta love.

When I first met Alexei & Bob, I instantly fell in love and knew I had to work with them (thanks guys for hiring me!). Their love for each other was obvious from the first second, but they also were hilarious, talked about a mile a minute, and knew exactly what they wanted. Alexei is originally from France, and Bob is from the Praries. They met in Quebec while both at school, and the rest is history as they say. The coming together of their 2 families was at the core of this very authentic, relaxed and elegant al fresco soiree.

The design was inspired by the gorgeous gardens of The English Inn and its classic tudor building, and we made sure to keep a masculine undertone and “harmonious chaos” throughout. We designed all the spaces to flow naturally from one into another, and the unique palette of purples, greys & oranges mixed together with organic elements, helped to keep the spaces feeling perfectly unkept.

But what this wedding was really all about (other than the couple…doh!) was the food. Oh the food. It was non stop flowing all throughout the night, and Toque Catering absolutely hit this one out of the park. The family style feast, set at those 2 gorgeous long tables, combined both the Parisian and Prairie influences. Picture a meal that is never ending, with platters of charcuterie, gourmet cheeses, farm fresh veggies & flavourful mains. Guests drank copious amounts of wine, shared lots of stories and partied the night away. It was perfection. But if you don’t believe me, scroll through the photos to see for yourself. xo

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible!  All photos courtesy of Taylor Roades Photography.

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Planning/Design - French Kiss Events
Photography - Taylor Roades Photography
Venue - The English Inn
Catering - Toque Catering
Florals - Verbena Floral Design
Cakes - Ruth & Dean
Garden Duo - Simone & The Good Intentions
Band - The New Souls
Lounge Furniture - Bash Specialty
Tent & Rentals - Black & White Event Rentals, Pedersens, Party Mood
Beauty - Karley Reynolds & Cristina Woods

Real Wedding: Betsy & Ryan

Let's talk about the importance of having a really, truly, fun wedding, shall we?  That was the goal from the start for Betsy & Ryan, and we had a blast doing so!  Now don't get me wrong...we also set out to have a gorgeous wedding filled with metallics, geometric splashes, and a whole lotta marble; all of which we also totally succeeded at, if I do say so myself.  Set at the gorgeous Affinity Guesthouse property (one of my favs!), the couple, their family and close friends, spent the day playing games, eating delicious food (thanks Toque!), dancing the night away, and even singing a song (or 2).  It was perfect.  

We were also completely tickled to see that Wedding Bells loved this wedding as much as we did, and featured it back in May.  You can check it all out here!.  And so, without further adieu, here is Betsy & Ryan.  aka: #finallylynch.

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible!  All photos courtesy of Amee Nijjar Photography.

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Planning/Design - French Kiss Events
Photography - Amee Nijjar Photography
Videography - Kismet Creative
Venue - Affinity Guesthouse
Caterer - Toque Catering
Florals - Verbena Floral Design and Thorn & Thistle
Lounge - Bash Specialty
Linens - Faire la Fete
DJ - DJ Pro
Hair - Hairpins
Makeup - Artistry by Alexa
 

Office Talk: Edition 19

We are so lucky as wedding planners to get to eat some amazing meals from the top caterers around! As the major foodies that we are, we love summer time al fresco dining and thought we could take this opportunity to discuss some of our favourite indulgences lately...

Favourite Rosé

Summer Salad of Choice

Sweet Treat

Barb WalkerComment
Currently Inspired by: Edition 19

In the midst of wedding season, we are getting all the feels watching couples get married in front of their loved ones! This inspired us to share some of our favourite ways to maximize the emotions on your wedding day (that are also really good for photos!)

First Looks
We love it when our couples choose to do a first look! It gives them the opportunity to calm the nerves and spend a little more time with the person they are marrying on their wedding day. You are guaranteed an adorable reaction and the opportunity to catch a special moment on camera.

Photography: Katrina Massey

Photography: Katrina Massey

Photography: Erich McVey

Photography: Erich McVey

Dinner Seating
It's nice to see some of our couples opt out of a traditional head tables, and sit in the middle of their guests at the reception. This allows more of the guests to have a good view of the newlyweds and an easier way to interact with them!

Photography: The Nickersons

Photography: The Nickersons

Photography: Taylor Roades

Photography: Taylor Roades

First Dance
Having your guests gather around the dance floor for the first dance is always a romantic and emotion-filled moment to kick off the party. It's a a great candid photo opportunity that our couples cherish and their guests enjoy. Throw in some sparklers for fun!

Photography: The Nickersons

Photography: The Nickersons

Photography: The Nickersons

Photography: The Nickersons

Real Wedding: Emilie & Greg

To say that I loved working with this couple, would be the understatement of the year.  I first met Emilie at Kelsey & Colin's wedding, back in 2015, and was so flattered when she reached out to me about her own wedding the next year!  We hit it off right away, and thus began such a fun planning year!  And to add the cherry on top of an already great day, their wedding was recently featured on Rocky Mountain Bride

Taking place on Greg's parents property, their wedding was as true family celebration!  The couple, who split their time between Russia (where Greg plays professional hockey) and Canada, couldn’t wait to throw a celebration back home with all their closest friends and family, hailing from all around the world.  Food from around the globe was served up (thanks Toque!), a nod to the couples travels and eccentric palette. Think fish taco's, thai salads & tandori prawns...  We filled the rest of the day with all of their favourite things: ice cream, great music, indigo details and tropical plants.  The drinks flowed, the band rocked all night long, and the couple couldn’t stop grinning ear to ear. It was just the perfect day!

So, without further adieu, Emilie & Greg!

**Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the complete list of all the kick ass vendors that helped make this day so incredible!  All photos courtesy of Katrina Massey Photography.

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Planning/Design - French Kiss Events
Photography - Katrina Massey
Catering - Toque Catering
Florals - Cartref Gardens
Beauty - Heartwood & Co.
Band - The Broken Strings
Furniture - Bash Specialty

Office Talk: Edition 18

Oh hey there July! We've been a little MIA on the blog lately, but that is simply because members of the team have been travelling to various cities including Napa, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Beaune, and Nice! Which I'm sure we will fill you in on in future blogs! Meanwhile, we are back in full swing preparing for so many GORGEOUS upcoming weddings, that we are beyond excited for. We truly think this will be our best season ever!

Check out some of our favourite things we are enjoying this summer while we hustle through wedding season!

Summer Song

Current TV Binge

Lazy Summer Day Plans

Currently Inspired by: Edition 18

Colour, colour & more colour!  With the days getting warmer (amazing!!!!), and the summer wedding season basically upon us, we are loving all the colour that we are seeing pop up in our feeds.  And when we say colour, we don't mean bright or bold (although that can be really fun too).  Instead, we mean taking a palette, and "stretching" it a little.  So, whether it's infusing some pale peach and darker shades of pink into that blush/natural look, or playing with tone on tone in the greys, blues or purples, there are so many ways to give your palette just a bit more depth through colour.  So, without further adieu, here are some fun colour inspired design elements we are currently loving!

Coloured Napkins on Coloured Linens
No need to shy away from colour! Many people choose to keep either their linens or napkins a neutral, but we love using different tones of the same colour at our table settings these days.

Source: Ruby & James

Source: Ruby & James

Source: Pinterest

Source: Pinterest

Tassels & Pom Poms
There is nothing that says it's a party like tassels and pom poms! Using either of these as subtle accents is a quick and easy way to show that you really care about the little details.

Source: Pinterest

Source: Pinterest

Source: theprettyblog.com

Source: theprettyblog.com

Mix & Match Stationary Colours
Try using different coloured paper from your colour palette to incorporate the wedding decor into your design right from the beginning!

Source: Page Tuzee Design

Source: Page Tuzee Design

Source: Good Heart Design

Source: Good Heart Design

Office Talk: Edition 17

May is a super exciting month for us here at the FKE office! The whole team is flying to wine country (a.k.a Napa Valley!) for a gorgeous destination wedding, and we can't help but discuss our excitement at every opportunity!! This trip has us chatting about our favourite travel essentials, podcasts to listen to on the plane, and of course all of the wine we are going to be drinking after the wedding to celebrate. Check out our Instagram @frenchkissevents for the behind the scenes of all the fun in Napa! 

Travel Essential

Current Wine of Choice

Favourite Podcast of Armchair Expert:

Currently Inspired by: Edition 17

April showers has been a reality here for us this month so far, and we are really craving that summer sun full of outdoor soirées and al fresco dining! Meanwhile, we are scrolling Instagram for some sunny inspiration, and we thought we would share some of our favourite accounts at the moment. 

@jennalamevents
Headquartered in Northern California’s beautiful Napa Valley, Jenna Lam Events is a fully integrated event planning and design firm, producing seamless events and weddings worldwide since 2012.  Since discovering them a couple months back, we have loved seeing their most current designs, and have definitely book marked many of their insta's for future inspiration.

Source: Instagram @jennalamevents

Source: Instagram @jennalamevents

Source: Instagram @jennalamevents

Source: Instagram @jennalamevents

@celsiafloral
One of our favourite Vancouver based florists who creates gorgeous botanical-Inspired florals with a love for mixing vintage and modern ideas.  Their team always manages to make us stop scrolling long enough to drool over the florals, and we just love how romantic yet fresh their designs all are.

Source: Instagram @celsiafloral

Source: Instagram @celsiafloral

Source: Instagram @celsiafloral

Source: Instagram @celsiafloral

@amberinteriors
Amber Interiors is a full-service residential design firm that combines light filled rooms, colourful textiles, natural elements, earthy textures, and brushed metals to create stunning interiors.  We've said it again, and again, but seriously.  SO much of wedding design is inspired by interior design, and this lady has us swooning!

Source: Instagram @amberinteriors

Source: Instagram @amberinteriors

Source: Instagram @amberinteriors

Source: Instagram @amberinteriors

Office Talk: Edition 16

Happy spring!! Our first wedding of the year is this month and we are so excited to get our feet wet again. Happily, the sun has been making more of an appearance lately and we are loving it. Barb and baby Madison are currently down in San Diego soaking up some California sun and we are pretty jealous here in the office, but in the meantime enjoy some of our April favourites!

Spring Fashion Staple

Patio Drink of Choice

Recipe We Want to Try