In a case like this, the biggest challenge is finding a venue in a short amount of time. The venue itself can obviously be one of the biggest expenses in your wedding budget depending on what it includes. It also can set the tone for the feeling of the wedding. When looking for a venue, keep your decor and/or theme in mind so that you aren't fighting what's already there. If you want light and airy feeling, it might not be best to choose a dark ballroom with no windows (unless you want to drape the entire room in white).
We looked at a few venues that had availability and they ended up booking at Diamond Ballroom in Vancouver. It has an amazing view and includes catering and some very budget friendly amenities packages to allow for an open bar and linens and chair covers that you can choose from Chair Decor. Now, full disclosure, I was working at Diamond Ballroom as well at the time but at our first meeting as Danica and Duane described what they were looking for in a venue, I knew I had to include it on my list of places to check out. It also just happened that we had one Saturday night available in the time frame they were looking at.
They had their ceremony at St. Augustine's, a beautiful Catholic church that is over 100 years old. Another bonus is that it was only a few minutes away from the reception location.
They chose gold, blush and ivory as their colors and were able to get beautiful linen options from Chair Decor. Jane, from Budget Blooms designed their centerpieces, bouquets and other floral arrangements for the church which we were then able to re-purpose at the reception (this is one of my favorite budget hacks... reuse, reuse, reuse!).
Joconde Patisserie made a gorgeous cake which went so well with the other decor. The lace detailing and sugar flowers were just what Danica and Duane were looking for.
Danica's mom was born and raised in Colombia and family, including Danica's aunts and grandmother, were able to make it for the wedding. To celebrate this side of her family, they hired a mariachi band to perform after dinner once dancing started. Los Dorodos were an absolute hit and it was not just the Colombians dancing the night away! After the mariachi band left, Mat the DJ took over and kept everyone going the rest of the night.
Check out Glitter Films who did the official photography and videography.
If you have any questions about any of these vendors or want some more information please feel free to contact me.
Happy planning!
Sara