- Jul 28, 2020

Ranessa & Steve

This week we're featuring our gorgeous #CameoBride Ranessa! "When I looked in the mirror and got to see myself in the dress with the cathedral veil, I cried! I fell completely in love with it and didn't want any other dress!!"

T h e L o v e S t o r y

Ranessa and Steve met in 2012 just after they both moved to Edmonton for school. They went to a College & Career BBQ to meet new people and clicked right away, as they were the only health care students there. Steve asked her out and even though she thought he was funny and intelligent, since she was so busy with school, she said no. But eight months later, he asked her out again after their semesters settled down and the rest is history!

T H E P R O P O S A L

08.05.2018

Steve planned a surprise engagement during one of their favourite hikes in Golden, BC. They had hiked to this particular peak the year before and since then, Steve had wanted to go back to that spot to ask Ranessa to marry him. They hiked to the top and were overlooking the entire mountain range. Two friends hiking with them started setting up for a "group photo" when Steve popped the question and their friends caught it all on camera! They were all in on the surprise and had all kept it a secret for months.

T h e D r e s s

My dress shopping actually happened by accident! I was at the Bridal Expo with a couple of my bridesmaids looking to get some ideas regarding other parts of the wedding and planned to go dress shopping at a later date. However, there was a sale on wedding dresses and they convinced me that I should take a peek to get an idea of what I wanted to help narrow down the options. I tried on what I thought I would want and wasn't happy with it. One of my bridesmaids pulled a Cameo & Cufflinks dress that I honestly wouldn't have pictured myself in, but told me she thought it would be perfect. So, I tried it on. When I looked in the mirror and got to see myself in the dress with the cathedral veil, I cried! I fell completely in love with it and didn't want any other dress!!

T H E W E D D I N G

05.18.2019

Ranessa and Steve got married in the Richmond Hill Baptist Church in Calgary, and held their reception at the Cochrane RancheHouse. They wanted the reception to be rustic, but classy. The flowers, venue, and simple spring decorations helped achieve the rustic ambiance, while other aspects such as the suits provided a slightly more classy look. The colour theme was peach and navy, which worked well with the wooden cabin feel of the RancheHouse. The massive windows looked out over the gorgeous landscape. They had navy mason jars wrapped in lace with peach coloured flowers, all sitting on wooden cookies for the center pieces. They had a large buffet, lots of music that got everyone up and dancing, moving speeches, and even a fun re-telling of their love story. A friend of theirs wrote a little skit about their love story and Ranessa's bridesmaids helped act it out. That got a lot of laughs!

H o n e y m o o n

The couple went to Europe and explored France, Spain, Italy, and Greece! Their highlights were all the incredible meals they ate, the wineries, and sailing the Greek Islands. What a magical trip!

W o r d s f r o m t h e b r i d e .

Where did you find inspiration while planning?

Lots of Pinterest and Instagram pictures! My maid of honour was particularly on the ball with inspiring ideas and helped me narrow down themes and what we needed. I couldn't have made it look the way that it did without her help!

How did you find your vendors?

A variety of ways! Most were based on recommendations or my bridesmaids helping me out by finding vendors with good reviews and reasonable prices. The florist I found on Facebook by browsing through their photos. The photographer is related to a friend of mine and I've always loved their work, so it was a no-brainer to book them. My hairdresser was the same hairdresser that I had before moving to Edmonton.

Do you have any tips for future brides?

Don't sweat the details. Some things will go smoothly and others won't pan out exactly how you envisioned, but ultimately what matters is that the day is meant to celebrate the two of you and the start of your lives together. The whole day is a blur, so just keep focused on your hubby/wife and let everything else unfold however it unfolds.

Choose caring and capable people in your bridal party! My saving grace was that all the girls cared about making the day special for us and there was no drama at all between any of them. I could trust them with everything I delegated. On the day of, give them your cell phone!! You need someone else to take of the details for you that day and they're there to help you, so let them handle it.