Real Weddings

Spring/Summer 2015

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48 real weddings / "WE ESSENTIALLY DID THE WHOLE thing ass-backwards," quips Andrea Lo. €e Ottawa native and her software- engineer husband Reuben Cox had technically been married for over two years by the time of their wedding on panoramic Grouse Mountain. €e two Žrst met through Andrea's sister in 2008 when Andrea was in Vancouver on a work placement at a local hospital. €e pair enjoyed a whirlwind month of dating, including a third-date trek up the notorious Grouse Grind. Having never attempted the gruelling hike before, Andrea had no idea what she was getting herself into: "I was not prepared for Reuben to see me sweat like that!" For his part, Reuben was seemingly undeterred by the copious perspiration, and he and Andrea's relationship continued to blossom long-distance throughout the next year, after Andrea had returned to Ontario to Žnish her residency. €e couple then moved to Montreal together while Andrea completed her fellowship. When Andrea was oŸered a pediatric surgeon's position in Chicago, they were faced with a di¡cult choice. "So we just decided to get married," says Reuben. "Our parents made it out to Montreal with about two weeks' notice." Following a quick "I do" in a notary's o¡ce in December 2011, the pair hotfooted it to Chicago just six days later, promising everyone a big party soon. Still, it took a couple of years to get around to planning it. "Reuben was taking too long," laughs Andrea. She eventually just asked him if he wanted to go ring shopping. "I was just saving all the romance for the actual wedding day," retorts Reuben. Given their memorable date there, the couple selected Grouse Mountain as the ideal location for their long-awaited celebration. "Grouse is a great place for everyone to experience everything we love about Vancouver," says Reuben. €eir July wedding day was set out to be the ulti- mate Vancouver experience. After starting oŸ with a small traditional tea ceremony and a "Žrst look" at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown, the wedding party explored the city, wending their way to Stanley Park, with plenty of photo stops en route. "We knew we would need a lot of photo time," says Andrea. "Neither of us is at all comfortable in front of a cam- era, so our photographer really had her work cut out." €e group then took the scenic cable car up to the peak of Grouse Mountain for an evening ceremony and reception. "Once we had chosen the location, that really set the tone for the rest of the wedding," says Reuben. €e relaxed couple kept the planning casual, placing trust in their carefully chosen vendors. "I kept feeling like such an inadequate bride," says Andrea. "I didn't have a clear vision or a Pinterest board or anything like that, just a few key words really. €e vendors we ended up choosing seemed to know what we wanted without us really knowing what we wanted." Most of the planning happened remotely from Chicago via Skype, but the pair managed to squeeze in a couple of key visits for tastings and to choose fabrics for Andrea's red tea-ceremony dress and Reuben's made-to-measure suit. Tastings were pretty important for this foodie couple. €eir menu featured B.C.-inspired cuisine to complete the culinary element of their guests' quint- essential Vancouver experience, with favourites native and her software- engineer husband Reuben Cox had technically been married for over two years by the time of their wedding on panoramic time of their wedding on panoramic Grouse Mountain. €e two Žrst met through Andrea's sister in 2008 when Andrea was in Vancouver on a work placement at a local hospital. €e pair enjoyed a married for over two years by the time of their wedding on panoramic

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