Elegant Pastel Wedding in Calgary

 

Paulinda and Patrick had an absolutely stunning wedding day. As Calgary wedding photographers, we work with a lot of wonderful planners, but today was special as we got to work with our dear friend Jacqueline Rae. Her team ensured the day went so smoothly, and as a result our lovely couple was able to fully relax and immerse themselves in their day. I hope you enjoy this peek into their love story and their wedding day!

How did you meet?:

Patrick and I met in 2013 in university (UofC), we had 2 classes that semester (we majored in accounting). We both volunteered in a tax program at school to prepare tax returns for students. It was during the orientation for the program where we had to do an “ice breaker” activity which was a human bingo game. So basically we had to find people who have things in common with us. I actually approached Patrick first and asked him what his favorite food was and that’s how we started talking! Next thing you know we started sitting together in all our classes, and “studying” together. We obviously didn’t actually study because that semester was probably our worst GPA performance ever! We both realized how similar we were so quickly! A fun fact is that we both have the exact same scar under our lower lip that we got when we were young. We also bonded over the fact that our moms were both Vietnamese refugees and were robbed by pirates on the way out of the country! Now that’s something you don’t come across every day.

We also share so many of the same ambitions and life goals. We shared some major milestones together such as graduating from university, traveling through Asia for a month when we finished school, getting our first jobs at Big4 accounting firms, getting our professional CPA designations, buying our first home (condo) together downtown, and of course, becoming fur parents to Mika!

Engagement story:

It started out just being another vacation that we were planning. All we really wanted to do at the time was pick a new country that we’ve never been to and travel! But little did I know, Patrick was plotting something much bigger than that. We had just arrived in Italy the night before so we were both pretty exhausted. However, since we were in Venice we knew we had to wake up extremely early in order to get some prime Instagram photos prior to all the crowds arriving. So we made plans to wake up at 5 am in order to make it to our first photo destination by 7 am.

The night before Patrick suggested that we should change our plans and head to this “bridge” first. It was funny because he said that in front of the concierge when we were checking in, and the concierge basically said it was a terrible idea and no one wakes up that early in Venice! So that actually put doubt in my mind because I really didn’t want to wake up super early to go to a “special bridge” when there’s like 10,000 other bridges in Venice. Anyway, Patrick of course was quite adamant because of his grand “plans”. Fast forward to the next morning, I was super cranky because I was jet-lagged and it was 5am when the alarm went off and Patrick literally jumped out of bed pulled all the covers off and blinded me by turning on all the lights in the room. So I begged him to sleep for another 10mins because you know… we’re on VACATION! Also, the bridge isn’t going anywhere so it’ll be there even if we’re a bit late.

So my wish was granted, I wake up 10 mins later, hopped in the shower, came out, and proceeded to dry my hair, and then of course the hair dryer blows a fuse in our 100 yr old (probably) Venetian hotel. It was funny because I think Patrick panicked more than I did at that moment because he instantly grabbed a towel and was towel drying my hair as I proceeded to do my makeup. I just remember thinking that this must be a masterpiece of a bridge for him to be that desperate to go there on time. Due to some morning setbacks, we missed the water bus that’s supposed to take us to the bridge. So we ended up going for a 20mim walk to get there. It was honestly such a beautiful walk as no one was awake. It was the most peaceful you’d ever witness in Venice. When we approached the bridge I saw a pair of legs and a tripod from under the bridge – so I thought to myself “holy shit, tourists actually come early to see this thing!”

We walk up and my initial thought was to set myself up and decide how I want to pose for that Instagram shot. It must’ve taken me way too long to decide if I wanted to keep my jacket on or take it off because Patrick hastily pulled me up to the bridge, told me he had something to tell me, got down on one knee, and started proposing! All I recall hearing was the sound of camera shutters and I instantly realized that the tourist over there was our photographer. Turns out Patrick did some major planning and hired an Italian photographer remotely through the internet, and arranged to meet her at that one spot at 7 am. Needless to say, I was completely shocked, but it also became one of the most special moments of our lives.

 

The Wedding Day:

We had an elegant-style wedding with 230 guests. Our wedding colors were blush pink, gold and white with green accents from the florals. The reason being pink is Paulinda’s favorite color.  Our Ceremony songs were Train – Marry Me and Amber Leigh Irish – Falling like the Stars.

Our First dance: Dan & Shay – from the ground up

Of course our favorite detail of the day was that our dog Mika could be a part of our wedding, as well as our fur nephew Kumo! Our favorite moment was the ceremony and seeing each other as Paulinda walked down the aisle. It was so surreal and such a special moment in our lives. Also looking around the room during our reception dinner and just seeing all the faces of our loved ones all in one room! Everything about our day was perfect in our eyes and we had so much fun with all our friends and family! We loved seeing everyone mingle and creating such special memories with us!