Alannah + Jordan
#&FLREALBRIDE FEATURE
THE PARIS GOWN
Inspired by their young love, a nod to the 70’s, and the naturally beautiful landscape of Pender Island, a tiny island off the coast of BC, Alannah and Jordan tied the knot with friends and family in an intimate celebration. Complete with wildflowers, mismatched plates and a chic vintage touch, with some traditional Chinese wedding clothing at the reception to honour the grooms heritage, these lovebirds will no doubt spend the rest of their lives travelling the world and growing together.
THE DEETS:
Bride
Alannah Kolarcik Liem
Groom
Jordan
Photographer
Madison Joy Company
https://www.madisonjoycompany.com
Location
Pender Island, BC
Venue
Wedding ceremony took place at Theives Bay Marina Park, reception at the Pender Island Community Hall
Headpiece
Made by my mother in law
hair/makeup
Hair: my aunt, Carolyn Nichols
Makeup: Adria Stevenson
https://instagram.com/adriavr.mua
Shoes
Steve Madden
Cake
Vanilla Leaf Bakery
Flowers
Done by bride and bridesmaids
Describe you and your guy? How did you know he was The One?
Jordan and I met when he was twenty and I was seventeen. He swept me off my feet immediately, and I quickly learned he was the one for me. He’s everything I ever dreamt of having in a partner in so many ways. He’s funny, kind, honest, communicative, confident, mature, assertive, driven, and so much more. From the beginning he has taken care of me, grown alongside me, and most importantly, shown me unconditional love. Three and a half years later, Jordan landed a contract to play hockey professionally. This involved him moving to China and we were wary of the effect long distance would have on us and our relationship. We decided to give it a try and it truly made our relationship stronger. During one of my visits, Jordan proposed in Shanghai in a hotel room – a genuine surprise. We planned the wedding quickly and married six months after getting engaged.
What's your bridal style?
My bridal style was focused on avoiding traditional styles and wanting to do something different. I also wanted my dress to be youthful and fun considering I was twenty-two at the time of our wedding. I am loving the 70s trends coming back, and this became a theme with my dress and the entire day. I wanted my personality to show through the dress, and so I was looking for something relaxed and comfortable.
What made you fall in love with your dress?
The Paris gown was the first dress I tried on in my hunt. After seeing it online, I fell in love and went to Rituals of Love, a Vancouver boutique, to try it on. It was perfectly glamorous and had 70s inspired bell sleeves and full lace. The open back and deep v neck showed enough skin to balance out the long sleeves for my June wedding. The dress was youthful in its shape, outlining my figure. The mermaid silhouette and train added the glam touch I was looking for. It was just so unique and beautiful. I shopped around after trying it on, but no other gown compared.
Describe your wedding- any inspiration or themes were your drawn to when planning? What was the vibe?
We wanted our wedding to be personal, beautiful and most importantly fun, due to our ages (twenty-two and twenty-five). To do so, we hosted the wedding as a mini destination wedding. Pender Island, a tiny island off the coast of BC, is a place of significance for Jordan and I. The island is naturally beautiful, and the idea of a weekend getaway for all of our friends and family was very attractive. We used the island as our main inspiration, having lots of flora and 70s tones. We bought much of our décor from the island thrift store. We only used wildflowers in the bouquets and all decoration. We used mismatched plates and napkins for a fun vintage touch. We kept the ceremony short and the bar open late. We chose our wedding party to be small. We wrote our own vows. All this (and more) contributed to the fun, intimate and beautiful atmosphere that surrounded us on our wedding day.
Fave thing about your day? Any surprises?!
I have so many favorite things about our day. Most importantly, having everyone close to us on this small island to celebrate. Writing our own vows is something I look back on often. Making our wedding party hike for photos was awesome. It was steep and hot, but the pictures were definitely worth it.
We surprised our guests by dressing in traditional Chinese wedding clothing for part of the reception, to honour Jordan’s Chinese heritage. But funny enough, there were no surprises for us – everything went as planned!
What does marriage mean to you?
Marriage to me means committing to be your partner’s other half forever. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses and complimenting them. Devoting yourself to taking care of someone else. Having fun together often and supporting each other always. Marriage means humility and forgiveness. Most importantly, marriage means a promise of love and a partner to walk alongside.
What's the one piece of advice you could give to brides?
Extremely typical advice but enjoy every minute of it, even the chaotic, exhausting planning. Once it’s over you’ll want to go back. Allow those around you to help. Communicate with your partner to avoid discrepancy. Do not be afraid to tell people what you want, it’s your day. And finally, let go of control on the day of. Plan knowing it might not go according to plan, and that’s ok. Only that $100 license matters, the rest is just supplementary.
Life post-wedding means ...
For us, life post wedding is just as crazy as pre-wedding. Jordan is currently playing hockey in Beijing and after two months of long distance, I was able to join him there. Jordan spends a lot of his time either at the rink or on the road and I support him however I can, living the hockey wife life. Beijing is great and there’s lots to explore, which keeps things interesting for us and gives us lots to do together. Life post wedding also means time to plan our honeymoon, as we haven’t done that yet due to Jordan’s schedule. Bali or Greece, we haven’t decided!
Words by Alannah Kolarcik Liem