French Kiss Events
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

Posts tagged The Empress
Real Wedding: Tiff & Levi

Over 10 years ago, 2 teenagers met while on summer vacation at a campground in Canada with their families.   They instantly became friends, and not long after that, started dating.  After over a decade of growing up together,  falling in love, and building an incredible life together, they decided to make it official in beautiful Victoria, BC!  And I'm thanking my lucky stars, as they chose FKE to bring their day to life, and oh man...it was a good one folks! Taking place at the 2 most iconic venues in the city, Hatley Castle and The Empress Hotel, their wedding vision was grand from the start of the planning, and we pulled out all the stops to bring it to life!  

One of my favourite things about this wedding, was the epic seating chart that we pulled together.  I've had this idea for a few years now, and we were just waiting for the perfect wedding to create it at!  As guests arrived to the ceremony, all of their pics were snapped at a portrait station (thanks Four Frames!) near the entrance to the Castle.  Those photos were then printed and turned into polaroids that we displayed at the couples reception, acting as the guests personalized escort cards!  It was a huge hit, and something that everyonewas blown away by.

The reception space was overflowing with luxurious details and we infused the couples impeccable taste all throughout.  The neutral palette of soft creams, greys & blush tones, helped transform the ballroom setting into a modern day take on the traditional space. The menu, custom designed by The Empress's chef, was served tapa style, inspired by all the couples favourite eats! Ranging from sushi to maui rib sliders, the food was a hit!  And as the lights dimmed, guests partied the night away to Side One's 8 piece band (always a favourite of mine), photo booth, Mojito bar and Popcorn station!

It was definitely a wedding to remember, and for sure the party of the summer!  One of the things I love most about weddings though, is no matter how much planning you do and how many incredible details there are, often the best moments of the day are the unplanned ones.  This was definitely the case for Tiff & Levi.  After dinner, the couple sneaked out with Ryan Flynn and Kismet Creative for some sunset shots down in the harbour.  A band busking in the harbour congratulated the couple, and then asked them what their first dance was.  The song was "Georgia" by Vance Joy, and without skipping a beat, the band began playing it for them, and they had their first dance right then and there, in the harbour, just the 2 of them.  Pure magic!  You can see this gorgeous day unfold below, and make sure to check out the incredible video by Kismet at the top! 

**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 Ryan Flynn Photographer.  Video courtesy of Kismet Creative.

Planning & Design - French Kiss Events
Photography - Ryan Flynn Photography
Videography - Kismet Creative
Ceremony Venue - Hatley Castle
Reception Venue - The Empress
Florals - Verbena Floral Design & Thorn & Thistle
Stationery - Love by Phoebe
Band - Side One
Cake - Passion for Cakes
Linens - Faire la Fete
Hair - Conscious Hair
Makeup - Carly Flint
Photobooth - Four Frames Photo Booth

Real Wedding: Catherine & Patricio

Last week, we were "shout it from the roof tops" excited to finally get to share this dreamy elopement from last May, on Grey Likes Weddings!  Oozing in Texan charm, and overflowing with romance, moody florals, and a couple ridiculously in love, this wedding was what a wedding planner's dreams are made of!  

Catherine first reached out to me in the beginning of March, with her vision of a simple and romantic elopement on the west coast.  Based out of Austin, Texas, Catherine & Patricio decided to skip a large wedding (400+) and instead keep the day as authentic to them as possible.  Working with them was seriously a dream, as their impeccable taste and trust in me (thank you C&P!!!), made my job as easy as can be! 

We drew inspiration from the historic setting at The Empress, as well as their love of vintage poetry, to create a warm, intimate and lush space for this very special occasion.  Surrounded by only their closest family (13 guests total), the days focus was on the coming together of the 2 families, and the celebration of the new adventure that they were about to embark on.  The details throughout were filled with beauty, and perfectly curated to represent their love for one another, and the darker colour palette of marsala, peach, rose & garnet, suited The Library room beautifully.  Music, an incredibly important part of both families, played a central role.  And just before dinner, the Eryn Sharpe Trio entertained the guests, while they all danced, laughed and celebrated the newlyweds!  It was truly magical to witness!!

And the florals...can we just stop for a second and talk about those florals?  Verbena Floral Design absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one!  The mantle place was the focal point of the entire design concept, and my jaw still hits the floor whenever I look at it! Both Best Bouquet & Best Overall Florals at the BC Wedding Awards were awarded to this wedding, and we couldn't agree more!  I could seriously go on for days and days about this wedding, but I think I'll let the beautiful images do the rest....enjoy. 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.

Planning/Design - French Kiss Events
Photography - Taylor Roades Photography
Videography - Paper Heart Films
Floral Design - Verbena Floral Design 
Venue/Catering - The Fairmont Empress
Hair/Makeup - Erin Bradley
Paper Goods - Caribou Creative
Rentals - White Events Studio
Ceremony Music - Opus String Trio
Reception Music - Eryn Sharpe Trio