Choosing you: a real wedding in BC

Ariel House & Devon Helm

A scary moment led this couple to make big decisions in their lives. Ariel shares how it all happened.

Tell us a bit about your love story: Devon and I met in the fall 2016 at a local pub in my hometown, it was not long after that we found ourselves spending every moment we could together, even if it meant Devon was sitting at my bar every night for hours just so we could talk and be close to one another. We made it through the first 3 years of our honeymoon phase with ease, bliss, and a few disagreements here and there. Our story takes a little turn in October of 2019 when Devon was brought to Vancouver for emergency brain surgery to remove a tumour. I can say this was singlehandedly the scariest moment of my life and throughout all the waiting, and hoping that he would be OK and come out of this the same human I fell in love with in 2016, I knew that he was the one I was destined to spend my life with. For him, this moment came shortly after when he was brought up to the ICU to recover, I had come in and laid my head on his lap, grabbed his hand and held it as tight as I could. Not only was I lucky enough to have this moment captured in a photo, it was also the moment that he knew that he wanted to finally cash in on all those ring pictures I had been sending him and pop the big question.

Did you have to change your original wedding plans? How did you feel before and after? We originally started out with a 150+ person wedding. I was planning on pulling out all the stops for the reception and ceremony. If there is one thing I’ve learned through changing plans it’s that your emotions will be off the charts. One moment I was fine and knew that a microwedding was what I wanted, and then half an hour after that I would be bawling my eyes out because I didn’t want to get married without my family there. COVID has made wedding planning an emotional rollercoaster for many brides. I discussed a lot of options with our planner, and even went as far as planning out décor and setting up for a microwedding. It really helped me visualize everything the day could be even if my family wasn’t present. I can say after being on the fence about cancelling and postponing so many times, moving forward regardless of who was or wasn’t going to be there was the best decision we could’ve made for us. It really allowed us to enjoy the day, focus on each other, and embrace the company around us.

What was your favourite part of the day? Taking off my high heels at the end of the night! But in all honesty there are so many moments that were blissful and had so much meaning throughout our wedding day it’s hard to just pick one. I would say it’s a tie between our first look, and walking into our reception and seeing everything we worked hard to pull together right in front of us.

Favourite wedding detail? For me, it was “icing” all our guests. Our DJ played Ice Ice Baby right as everyone walked in. [Icing is a game in which a person must kneel and chug a bottle of Smirnoff Ice, for those of you who don’t know.] The look on their faces was priceless, and it was a great way to kick off the night! For Devon it was the view overlooking the golf course at Predator Ridge where we had our ceremony and reception, or seeing me for the first time.

What will guests remember most? Although Devon is convinced the most memorable moment was me rapping every single word to WAP on the patio at Predator Ridge, I think the whole day is memorable and there are so many moments that everyone who attended will remember. It was the first time many of us have been together in the same room, and possibly the last time we would all be in the same room. There were tons of laughs, stories and more memories being made that will last everyone a lifetime.

What advice can you give to couples who are thinking about having an outdoor wedding? Don’t limit yourself to a venue simply because it’s inside. For us we knew we wanted to get married in the Okanagan, so why would we spend our time there inside when outside was the place we wanted to be. Use your surroundings to your advantage, use the views for your ceremony, use them for pictures, don’t be afraid to step outside the box and explore. Walk up hills in your high heels; do what you need to do to enjoy everything that is around you on your day. Prepare for every possible weather situation, we knew if we were outside and it rained we could move inside, we had blankets that matched our esthetic for when it got colder. Don’t stress about the weather on your wedding day, or the day before. The minute you see your husband at the altar, or during your first look, every single worry in the world will go away. So if you are hesitant, my advice to you is just do it, without pause and hesitation, because regardless of what happens or what the weather is, it’ll be perfect.

Number of guests: 8 (bridal party only)
Ceremony/reception venue: Predator Ridge Resort, Vernon, British Columbia
Planner: Kayla Knight with Day by Knight Events
Photographer: Boketto Photography
Dress designer: Randy Fenoli Bridal, Basia
Suit designer: RW & Co
Hair/makeup: Cassidy and Breanne from Cassidy Watt Artistry
Décor & flowers: Pink Pumpkin Events
Cake: Sugar Sweet Cake Co.
Stationery: Wedding in a Box
Videographer: Chad with Pixel Pro
DJ: DJ John Byrne
Rentals: Avalon Rentals
Glassware: All Occasions