A Fantastically Floral Emerald-and-Gold Sikh Wedding at Swaneset Bay Resort in Vancouver, British Columbia
When you’re in a relationship with a fellow pilot, you’d better believe you’ll be receiving a high-flying proposal. When Francis Villeneuve popped the question to his girlfriend, Neelopher Chohan, he made an event out of it. “He told me he wanted to take my friend for a float plane ride, so we took off and he flew us through the mountains. He flew us over the lakes and eventually after some site seeing he landed on the water and beached the aircraft,” Neelopher reveals. When the trio happened upon a secluded beach—complete with waterfalls and other beautiful scenery—"we started taking photos and at some point, he got down on one knee and that’s when I said yes!”
The bride and groom were thrilled that they were able to count on their hired team throughout their planning process. In fact, their advice to other couples is to “hire an amazing wedding planner like we did! Planners will take on a lot of stress and take care of the behind-the-scenes issues that go wrong. And there will be things that go wrong.”
The sweethearts organized a Sikh ceremony in line with their religion, which meant hosting a two-day affair to celebrate their love, including a number of fun events beyond the wedding itself with tons of personalized elements. “For our prewedding events, we had a taco food truck from Tacofino! They were amazing. We also had Latte Booth to make fresh coffee for everyone on the wedding morning,” describes the bride. “Our vendor that created our logo did such a great job, we tried to incorporate it everywhere we could, from the dance floor wrap to our gift card box and even on coffee cups we had for the wedding morning.”
On their ceremony: “I really wanted it to look light and airy and have the space filled with as many florals as possible!” the bride exclaims. The chosen color palette was selected to compliment the ample, built-in greenery at their venue.
The tented space evoked an ethereal, dreamy feel—with roses, baby’s breath, hydrangeas and more, all in a white or cream hue. Attendees found their seats on plush floor cushions, complete with neutral-toned pillows for comfort, sitting on either side of the pristine white aisle that sat underneath a row of opaque chandeliers. Guests faced the flower-and-crystal-adorned Guru Granth Sahib: the centerpiece of the religious observance.
When it came to their fashion choices, the shopping process wasn’t without its bumps. “I tried on so many outfits trying to find the right one and nothing felt right,” the bride tells. “I also really wanted to wear a traditional red lengha, but unfortunately, they didn’t feel like me whenever I tried them on.” Fortunately, she was able to find a customizable lengha online—a completely unique, special piece. “My lengha has so many colors and patterns and the threadwork shines in the sun,” she gushes. Luckily, Francis’ achkin was a much easier find. Paired with a gold palla to match Neelopher’s ensemble and a striking cream turban, the couple was a spectacular site to behold on this special day.
The reception deeply contrasted the ceremony in color. The newlyweds wanted to create a bolder vibe with a deeper, dark palette. “My favorite color is green, so we used a beautiful emerald green throughout the decor with gold and black,” the bride says. Gold chairs surrounded long tables featuring emerald-toned linens, gold chargers and the same fanciful flower arrangements that had lined the ceremony aisle.
“The most special moment of our wedding day was seeing both our families come together and all celebrate with us. It’s a very emotional time and knowing you have all your loved ones behind you cheering you on really makes the moment even more special,” Neelopher remembers.
