Today's real wedding is all about the Canadian West Coast (a place that's up there on the bucket list!).

We've said before how special it is when a wedding has a real sense of place about it, and Erin & David's British Columbia bash was all about local vendors, meaningful nods to their parents, and the significance of the place they grew up, fell in love and made lots of memories.

Their intimate seaside wedding was captured (very beautifully!) by Kim Maru of Maru Photography.

With driftwood decor and sweet signage throughout, Erin & David's day had a relaxed beachy vibe, with lawn games, an open bar and an ice-cream station.

The boho feel was reflected in their style too, with Erin wearing her mother's stunning wedding dress, with pretty hair slides and flat sandals. The florals added a lilt of elegance and romance, with pretty peachy tones.

But the thing that really has us smitten about this wedding, is how laden down it is with personal touches. From their travels, to their pooch, to their favourite beer, each detail tells a story of this couple and their life together, and if you want a meaningful and memorable wedding, that's how it's done.

Prepare to fall hard for a captain, his first mate, and their very sweet beach wedding...

Wedding Day Snapshot

Our Love Story

After years of friendship (even travelling together on a university exchange in Malaysia) sparks flew during the 2010 Winter Olympics We dated for three years, with one year spent living in Thailand before getting engaged. Dave popped the question on a trip to Barra de Navidad, Mexico over margaritas with both of us barefoot on the beach. West Coast, boho, a little nautical, lots of driftwood, casual, intimate, fun. in Vancouver. We chose our venue for the fact that it was a bit of a "destination wedding" while still being in British Columbia...we were able to have most of the guests stay there at the resort. The villas surrounded the ceremony and reception area making it very convenient for guests. Tons of people made a whole weekend out of it and it felt like our own little "village". The Sunshine Coast is a special place for us. Dave was born in Powell River, and his family owned and ran an oyster farm off of Nelson Island for years. We spent several summer trips on "the farm" and both love boating and the outdoors. We're west coast people to the core and need to be by the ocean as much as possible.

The Inspiration

Erin wore her mothers wedding dress from the 80s, that was altered to modernize it. It was a casual, floor length silk dress in a sheath style with spaghetti straps and lace detailing on the top. She wore flat sandals. Very whimsical, simple, with boho flair. The bridal party girls wore mint lace dresses and whatever shoes they wanted. Erin had one "Bridesman" in her party who wore a mint bow tie to match the girls' dresses.

The Venue

An acoustic version of 'Fools Rush In' by Elvis Presley played on guitar as Erin walked out. This was her parents' wedding song. There was a photo of her mom in the original dress out for guests to see with the words "Something Borrowed" on it. David's mother passed away when he was 18, so there was a special toast to his mother where all the guests raised a glass to her to honour her. The diamonds in Erin's wedding band came from David's mom's wedding ring.

The Attire

We chose Maru Photography for Kim's stunning fine art photography style, use of natural light, and her ability to capture the sentiment and emotion of the day.

The Ceremony

- Buffet (Steak, Salmon and Chicken) - Ice Cream bar instead of wedding cake - Keg beer from local craft brewery Persephone

The Photography

- Gold bunting - Driftwood details and signs - Gold candle votives - Driftwood arch for ceremony

The Refreshments

The Decor & Details

- Incredibly personal and sentimental speeches - Focus on "local" businesses for most of our vendors (ice cream from our friends' shop in Vancouver, clothing and accessories from local businesses as much as possible, kegs from Persephone on the Sunshine Coast (craft beer brewery) etc. We support local as much as possible. - West coast which is very "us". - Casual style. - Our dog, Quila, was our ring bearer. She wore a flower wreath around her neck down the aisle.

Hire a wedding planner and do not skimp on the photographer! The most important for us, and where we spent the most were the photographer, the music (DJ) and an open bar.

Our Favourite Details

Processional: 'Fools Rush In' by Elvis Presley (acoustic) Recessional: 'Here Comes the Sun' by the Beatles (acoustic) First Dance: 'When I Get Grown' by Treelines Father Daughter Dance: 'What a Wonderful World' by Louie Armstrong

Advice for Other Couples

We did a "mini-moon" at the Four Seasons in Whistler, and are planning to go island hopping in the Philippines for our one year wedding anniversary.

The Music

The Honeymoon

Be inspired by more amazing real weddings.

So many pretty details; the flowers, the table plan, the bunting. It seems like such a special place to get married (and I just love how they paid homage to both of their mothers through their wedding.)

Thanks so much to Kim of Maru Photography and of course, Erin & David for sharing their beautiful beachy wedding with us.