Real Weddings

Real Weddings Planning Guide 2014

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W hen Stephanie Chu and Corey Metcalf first met at medical school at the University of Manitoba, the two butted heads — big time. Corey was Stephanie's senior resident and he had a reputation for being tough. "I knew I was hard on the residents, but I had a job to do . . . so the residents didn't like me all that much," he admits. The tension between Stephanie and Corey was so strong that a mutual friend even commented that something was going on between the two. Turned out that friend was right. As soon as the medical rotation ended, Corey got Stephanie's number and asked her on a date. They discovered that in addition to their career choices, the two had something else in common: dogs born at the same time. "We'd get together and bond with the dogs," Stephanie laughs. Fast forward two years to December 2011 and the couple found themselves in India for a friend's wedding. Unknown to Stephanie, Corey had brought an engagement ring on the trip and was waiting for the perfect moment. He found it at a quiet spot inside the Taj Mahal, where, exactly two years, two days and 22 months after their first date, he popped the question. Vancouver seemed the perfect location for the wedding, given that both were working in the city at the time and Stephanie's family, originally from Hong Kong, had lived there for 40 years. Knowing his future wife, Corey didn't hesitate to hire a wedding planner. "Steph is such a meticulous planner and I wanted her to be able to let go of the reins a bit," he says. When the pair met Vancouver's Alicia Keats and previewed some of her detailed schedules, they knew they'd found the right match. Looking back, Stephanie and Corey advise other couples to get started on their wedding bookings early: "We managed to get our dream team of vendors because we had a year-and-a-half to plan." An early start was also an advantage as the pair ordered a number of items online, including invitations and wedding favours. "Shipping takes time and is costly," not to mention being unpredictable, explains Stephanie. All that planning finally came together on July 27, 2013, when 250 guests gathered at the Stanley Park Pavilion for Stephanie and Corey's garden wedding ceremony. Then, as evening approached, the celebration moved to the third floor of the Vancouver Convention Centre. Here, Debut Event Design had worked with the couple's purple theme to create a vibrant party that was full of energy but also dotted with Stephanie's feminine touch and Corey's edginess. The centrepiece of the room was the dance floor, with the bar alongside it. But there was also a candlelit outdoor lounge where guests could relax and take in the summer sunset. An Indian dhol drummer got the dancing started, followed by a DJ who played a carefully crafted list of songs designed to keep the energy high and everyone dancing. In between, guests dined on Dungeness crab bisque, miso-crusted sablefish and a decadent dessert buffet. Unbeknownst to each other, Stephanie and Corey had arranged special surprises for one another at the wedding. Corey was overjoyed when cotton-candy makers showed up to whirl his favourite treat at the reception. And Stephanie was p32-35_Stephanie&Corey.indd 33 Stephanie and Corey chose a vibrant purple theme for their day, including all the flowers and stationery; (below) performing the Chinese tea ceremony with the bride's parents. realweddings.ca 33 13-11-26 11:58 AM

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