Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/508032
52 real weddings / before a handful of guests. Še ceremony included nods to Polynesian culture, from the grooms' matching maile-style ti-leaf leis (believed to bring good luck) to the blowing of a conch shell (for a long, loving and harmonious marriage). Cocktails and dinner at the hotel followed. Two days later, the newlyweds arrived back in Vancouver, just in time to prepare for their reception at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. "Še York Room in Hawksworth Restaurant was the perfect venue," says Joshua. "Še space is so beautiful, we didn't need to do much to elevate it." Šeir chef-designed dinner menu featured sunchoke soup, roasted Alberta beef striploin and slow-baked Lois Lake steelhead trout. A decadent three-tier coconut chocolate buttercream cake topped o¡ the meal. Fred, with a smile, points out, "Šere wasn't a slice of that delicious cake to be had at the end of the night." Rather than dancing, he and Joshua treated their 60 guests to musical numbers by several close (and extremely talented) friends. "We chose songs to dedicate to each other – mine for Joshua was 'At Last' and his for me was 'Endless Love'," Fred says. "Še bonus was having our best friends perform them for us." Še love in the room that night, he adds, was palpable. And that was the point. "Our vision was simple," says Joshua. "We wanted to involve the most important people in our lives and celebrate in a way that stayed true to who we are." Fred wholeheartedly agrees. "From the emotional ceremony we had on the beach to the fabulous city reception – the whole thing was very us," he says. "Še memories are something we'll have forever." rw Back home in Vancouver, the couple hosted a private dinner for their nearest and dearest at the celebrated Hawksworth Restaurant inside the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. The evening included cocktails, live music performed by friends, and a sumptuous meal capped off by a decadent wedding cake.