My husband (Michael Mauro) and I first met in 2018 when his friend was dating my friend. We would casually run into each other at events our friends brought us to, and every time he would introduce himself to me as though we had never met before! On New Year’s Eve that year, our friends hosted a party where, once again, Michael introduced himself to me. I laughed and finally called him out, telling him that we had met several times before. That sparked our first real conversation, and we immediately clicked. We ended up talking for hours that night and never stopped.

He did such a good job surprising me! He secretly involved both of our sisters in creating the perfect decoy event. His sister had invited us, along with my sister and her boyfriend, to The Shed at Cypress to celebrate one year until her wedding day. I was so focused on celebrating this special day for her that I didn’t suspect a thing or realize that the three of them had been planning so much behind my back. Before dinner, my two sisters and I took our dog for a walk while we were waiting to meet all of our partners. We were walking along the Trestle Bridge in West Vancouver when I spotted Michael standing in a little clearing with string lights waiting for me. I was absolutely shocked! Afterwards, we went to The Shed for dinner, where both sets of our parents were waiting to celebrate with us.

We had an incredible wedding planner (Nicola Jane) who brought our two different styles together so perfectly. Michael has a very traditional, classic style, while mine is much more colourful and playful. When deciding on the overall look and feel of the day, the words we kept coming back to were warm, personal, and full of florals. We wanted everything to feel cozy and inviting, with personal touches woven throughout the day. We had cocktail napkins made from old cards we had written to each other, match boxes with our dog on the cover, and a memory shelf filled with photos of family members who had passed away. Every detail felt like a little piece of us and our story. The entire day was so full of love, and it turned out to be even more beautiful and meaningful than we ever could have imagined.

We got married at the Stanley Park Pavilion in Vancouver. There wasn’t any particular significance behind choosing the venue other than the fact that we thought it was absolutely beautiful. We fell in love with the dramatic backdrop of the dark heritage building, surrounded by bright greenery and gorgeous gardens. We also loved that the ballroom was such a beautiful blank slate. It gave us the freedom to bring our vision to life and create a space that felt completely and authentically like us.

I don’t know if I had a specific inspiration in mind when I first started wedding dress shopping. But once I started trying dresses on, I found myself consistently gravitating toward dresses with a floral element. I actually found my dress on Everly Bridal’s website while doing some research before my appointment at the store. I immediately sent it to my sister and said, “I think this is going to be my dress.” The moment I tried it on, I knew. It was so obvious that it was the dress. I just felt completely like myself in it and felt beautiful in every angle.

It’s hard to choose a favourite part because the entire day truly felt like the best day ever. My husband and I were just having so much fun together. But if I had to choose, some of my favourite moments were the few minutes immediately after the ceremony. We hadn’t done a first look, so those moments were the first time we were really able to talk and be together that day. We were both just so giddy and excited and it was such a happy, surreal feeling that I’ll never forget.

My biggest advice is to just soak it all in and enjoy every single moment with your partner! It can be so easy to get caught up worrying about things going wrong or stressing about the weather, but when you’re surrounded in a room full of people who love you and your partner, none of those little things matter. There is something so incredibly special about being surrounded by that much love.

Photographer: @nomadbynk Content Creator: @eastoncontentco Planner: @nicolajane.ca
Venue: @stanleyparkpav Entertainment: @abouttownentertainment
Florist: @forrealflowers
Dress: @everly_bridal
Rentals: @ellssievents | @pedersenseventrentals | @social_ingredients
Transportation: @limobook
Makeup: @makeupbyisabellamartini Hair: @jadekugelmanhair
Officiant: @prideandjoyceremonies | @wedbyjane
Cake: @labisebakery
Tan: @tancouver