And he rode up on a grey elephant…my wedding.

My prince, my knight in a ninja’s suit rode up on an elephant. It wasn’t a traditional wedding, it was our wedding, and it could not have been any more perfect.

I spent the 14th of August getting married to the love of my life, in Koh Samui Thailand. He just happened to roll up on a pachyderm.

Where to start – how do you start the tale of an epic adventure?

Once upon a time a couple wanted to tie the knot. But where do you get married when regardless of the venue many of  your family and friends all have to travel to attend? We knew we wanted to have a destination wedding. Travel in Canada is expensive and we wanted our guests to have a vacation. So to help us decide on the destination we put the question to our immediate family. Where would they prefer to go? The Caribbean?, South America? Or Thailand? To our surprise, when asked about their destination of choice, our family chose Thailand. I could not believe that our family and friends were down for this adventure, some of whom have traveled very little.

Thailand holds a special place in our hearts, my husband and I took our very first trip together to Thailand. We explored the amazing country together and learned a lot about ourselves and each other in the process. It meant the world to us that we were able to share this country with nearly 30 of our closest friends and family at our wedding. I still can’t believe how lucky we are to have all these amazing people in our lives. We had people travel from all across the globe, New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Canada.

I’ve tried to write this post dozens of times, wanting my writing to somehow paint the vividness of our experience overseas. No matter how many drafts I make, I just can’t seam to capture the grace of the experience in words, or the intensity of emotion I feel when I remember the days spent leading up to the wedding with our wedding entourage. So instead I’m just going to say Thank you!

Thank you to Faraway weddings

Planning the wedding was a daunting task, I researched for hours upon hours different venues on the Island of Koh Samui. Thankfully, I found Faraway Weddings. Faraway weddings is a wedding venue and organizer, they arrange everything for your wedding day but are not a resort. This worked perfectly for us as we wanted our guests to have the flexibility to choose where they’d like to stay.

Faraway weddings were totally dedicated to making our wedding perfect for us. Our wedding planner Mairead exchanged what felt like a million emails with me. Mairead was incredibly patient with my questions and special requests. I’m not sure how she kept everything straight but she did. If you’re reading this and planning a destination wedding I would highly recommend them.

My makeup was amazing and so was my hair, a big thank you to our hair and makeup artists. Danai,our photographer, was absolutely amazing as well (all the pictures used on this post he took). You can visit Faraway Weddings here.

Thank you to Leela Rose Moda for my amazing dress.

I wanted to wear a traditional Thai dress for my wedding.

After much online searching I found Lela Rose Moda and fell in love with their fishtail dress (a modern take on a traditional Thai dress). After some correspondence with the team, I made an appointment to go to the shop. I arrived in Bangkok on Sunday, and had my appointment on the Monday – and was leaving Bangkok on Friday am. (What a crazy timeline right?!)

Given my size I was lucky enough to be able to buy off the rack (custom versions can take weeks due to the cut and the care and attention the team gives every dress). Leela Rose Moda were able to not only help me find the dress of my dreams but adjusted it perfectly to fit me in an afternoon.

Not only was I outfitted marvelously but the team at Leela Rose Moda were so friendly and helpful. I will never forget how I was carefully shown the proper way to comport myself wearing their bridal masterpiece. Tips for walking and standing rather regally were instructed for my special day. They made me feel utterly beautiful and also helped me procure a set of Thai bridal jewelry for myself and my bridesmaids. If you are planning on getting married in Thailand and you want an amazing creation, visit Leela Rose Moda. You can visit them online here.

Cheers to all out guests! We’re so blessed to have you in our lives.

Thank you to all our guests.

You traveled to take part with us and no matter where we travel in the future this day made an imprint on our hearts and we’re so glad you were there to share it with us. I think of all the small intimate moments of our wedding, moments shared with each of you that I know we will revisit often throughout our married lives. We know that travelling to Thailand was no small trip, thank you for adventuring with us. We’re so lucky to have you all in our lives.

Thank you to our families.

Thank you for supporting us in this crazy adventure. I guess it’s not all that surprising given we were both raised by adventurous souls. We couldn’t ask for a better family, both in the family we were born to and the ones we joined in love. Thank you our parents who made touching speeches and to our amazingly talented MC, my favorite sister, Rena. And a special thank you to our two amazing flower girls, Essa and Rosa.

Thank you to my husbands Groomsmen. 

Thank you for being such amazing friends. Thank you for taking care of my man – on his wild bachelor party… which since it happened in Bangkok… could have been the makings of another Hangover movie. And a special thank you to Obie Wan Kenobie of speeches, you know who you are.

Thank you to my Bridesmaids.

My girlie glam squad. You went above and beyond.

Dr. Lindsay travelling solo for coconut ice cream, calmly performing miracles, being friends all these years is such a blessing, it always feels like we just saw each other last week. Our talks always ground and steady me. I have some serious thanks to give your amazing hubby for his contribution to our wedding.

Marina charismatic-ally charming elephants and Aldo sales people, you gave me peace prior to my big day. You have such a big heart, and you share it so openly, spreading happiness. I’m not sure you know how much you give to all those who are fortunate enough to know you. I’m so happy you’re in my life.

Jaenine negotiating every cab, mastering manicures and questionable streetside delights (you put my adventurous spirit to shame with that meal). I’m so glad we met over 5 years ago – I never would have laughed as much without you or tried so many new things. Life is for living and you’ve helped me live mine more fully.

And thank you to all those who sent us your well wishes but were not able to attend. We know you wanted to be there and you were in our thoughts on our special day.

But most of all – Thank you to my husband

Thank you for dealing with my crazy wedding questions and months of planning anxiety. You were my rock. Thank you for making our day so unique and fun. Thank you for picking a wedding song so perfect for us, and for my beautiful wedding day serenade. Our song is so much more to me than just words, its just another example of how big your heart is, and it warms mine every time I hear it.  I’m so happy we found each other. Life with you is an adventure I look forward to everyday.

K&U

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