Amanda and Jeff lived just minutes from each other but didn’t realize it until they met on E-harmony. It turns out they also had several mutual friends and fell in love instantly. “I made him promise to wait a year before proposing but after 11 months and a few days, he surprised me and dropped to one knee in the very spot we first held hands,” says Amanda. As chance would have it, their wedding photographer, who was visiting the area, just happened to be walking by when it happened and was able to capture it! You can see the candid moment on the Tanis Katie Photography blog. They held their gorgeous backyard garden wedding at a private residence in Abbotsford, BC. It’s full of gorgeous DIY details, including handmade customized clutches, hand gathered wildflower bouquets, and mason jars on tables and in the trees! Thanks, Tanis Katie Photography for sharing their special day with us!

Before the Ring (from the Bride):
Jeff and I met after joining E-harmony. (I was in it a few days, and him: a month.) It turned out we lived 2 minutes from each other and had a bunch of mutual friends. I made him promise to wait a year before proposing but after 11 months and a few days, he surprised me and dropped to one knee in the very spot we first held hands (on a sidewalk in Fort Langley) and asked me to spend my life with him. Well, he actually gave me a purple cashmere glove and ‘dropped’ the left one and THEN got to one knee to pick it up. When I put my hand inside, the ring was in the ring finger. A year later we’re in Italy celebrating our 1^st anniversary!

Details of the Day:
Our wedding plans started out as being big and elaborate but evolved to be quite simple with a lot of DIY touches. We knew of a beautiful property in West Abbotsford and secured that first for our ceremony and reception. We used an engagement photo and ordered it on the face of simple postcards for our invitations at vistaprint.ca. I found my dress at Champagne and Lace in Abbotsford and found some awesome fuchsia sandals at the Gap that allowed me to dance the night away! I ordered custom clutches from Monica Jones who owns Babbs Boutique (on Etsy) for myself, my mom and all 5 bridesmaids. There were a lot of burlap and mason jars in the decor and we brought a load of jars to a local florist and had her fill them with an array of colorful wildflowers for our centerpieces and for down the aisle. She also did our bouquets in the same way, they turned out better than I imagined! It was a lot of work planning and decorating or own event but we had loads of help from friends and family and it turned out to be a lot of fun!

Photographer: Tanis Katie Photography / Venue: Private Residence / Dress Store: Champagne and Lace / Clutches: Babbs Boutique / Makeup: Chrissy of Makeup Infusion