Stanley Park Pavilion: Jessica and Garry

June 17, 2019

Stanley Park Pavilion: Jessica and Garry

On any other given day, an 18 hour day with 4 hours of sleep would be dreadful. Rarely does an 18 hour day go by so fast. But when you’re surrounded by such a big group of loving friends and family you almost wish the day would slow down and extend just a bit longer. With a 4 am wake-up time for Jessica and her bridesmaids, the 18 hour day was just starting before their Stanley Park Pavilion wedding. Done with the hair and makeup by Ax Art Makeup and Haley, Garry and his groomsmen played the traditional door games to receive the bride. From delicious edibles to fetching mah jong pieces in ice-cold water, some great choice in wardrobe selection by the girls, Garry finally received Jessica. I must add Garry knew the Single Ladies dance quite well. Almost too well.

After a quick pit stop for dim sum and a caffeine boost to get through the rest of the day, the overcast weather changed into a perfect summer day. As setup took place around the elegant heritage building at the Stanley Park Pavilion for the reception, the white lawn chairs, acoustic band, and welcome tables were slowly getting set. Meanwhile, the bridal party headed along the seawall for some Stanley Park wedding photos. By far one of my all-time favourite group photos has to be the jumping one.

With the acoustic band, cueing the start of the ceremony, Jessica had her nephew holding the train of her dress, making for a cute entrance! Stan ( whom you may remember from last years wedding ) a long time friend of Jessica and Garry, officiated the wedding. With well-spoken words, Stan gave a personalized touch to the ceremony adding to what was already an emotional ceremony with the personalized vows.

Stanley Park Pavilion Reception

Following the cocktail hour. To determine the order of which table went first to grab food, each table had a representative. Guests were told there was party favour underneath their chair. As guests reached underneath their chairs, the selected representative quickly found out the party favour was actually a Smirnoff ice. For those unfamiliar with the game, an ice is… “A player hides a bottle for another person to come across. When the iced person sees the bottle, they must drop to one knee and chug the entire Ice. Other players who see the ice hide the Ice is exempt from drinking the ice.”

The remainder of the evening featured a roast to Garry, one heck of an improv dance by the bridal party surprising Jessica, Garry sabering a champagne bottle and speeches highlighting what we already knew about these two: fun, loving, genuine, and an expensive taste for shoes and fashion. Concluding the night, the largest sparkler exit took place outside the pavilion before these two partied on for the rest of the night.

It’s surreal to think back 12 years ago when myself and Jessica would make monthly trips to the mall caught up in the latest trends of AE, and making long trips to the US cramped into one car for tournaments, mixing Gatorade and Red Bull concoctions. Since then, the time has definitely flown by. To say we’ve grown up during that time would definitely be misleading. Still, kids at heart, wishing Jessica and Garry a long time of happiness!