5 Reasons Why More Couples Are Choosing Okanagan Weddings

It took months, maybe years to find the perfect guy. Now that he’s proposed, you’re on the hunt for the perfect place to tie the knot. With breathtaking lake views at every turn, a trail of wineries, no sign of rainstorms and a convenient little airport, more and more Alberta couples are opting for Okanagan weddings.

If you and your fiance are looking for a home for your wedding, here are five reasons to consider having a destination wedding not in Mexico, but just on the other side of the Rockies, in Canada’s beautiful Okanagan valley.

1. Breathtaking range of venues

From vineyards and orchards to eighteenth holes and houseboats, Okanagan weddings offer an abundant range of venues so completely unlike anything at home. Wherever you are, you’ll probably be able to catch a glimpse of cabernet grapes on the vine or a band of Okanagan Lake. The sheer romance of the setting and the warmth of the sun make the valley a magical, natural place to host weddings.

2. Stunning natural backdrops for photos

If you’ve set aside a good hunk of your budget for photography, and you want to look back on your wedding photos for decades and still get goosebumps, the valley offers an ideal backdrop-fields, boardwalks, water-where there’s no need for props and newlywed love tends to linger. Plus, within minutes you can move from an orchard’s apple trees to the beach, giving you easy access to multiple kinds of photo locations.

3. Water but no rain

There are so many things you’ll have to worry about on your wedding day-whether the best man will remember the ring, if your sister’s going to embarrass you with her speech, how your ‘girls’ are going to hold up in that dress. You don’t need to worry about rain as well. Like a lot of brides, you probably really, really want to get married outdoors in the summer, but the idea of a rain plan might be too much to take on. Okanagan weddings almost entirely eliminate that concern-weddings just don’t get rained out over here, and the sky is all yours, along with that view of Okanagan Lake.

4. A happy half-way and holiday

Is 65 per cent of your family scattered somewhere between Calgary and the coast? These days, families spread out, and getting everyone together for momentous occasions such as weddings can be tricky. Okanagan weddings, however, are the perfect mid-point between Vancouver and Calgary so no one has to travel too far and no one even has to leave the country, which is even better for elderly relatives and relatives with records.
Plus, because you’re bringing everyone together, you get to spend more time together and make a holiday out of it. Some newlyweds treat their families to group wine tours, golf games or houseboat cruises the day before or after the wedding as a way to host another event and take in all that is the Okanagan.

5. Any aesthetic, any budget

With willow trees lining the shores and rolling hillsides of sage, Okanagan weddings tend to attract outdoorsy, romantic types, but with such a range of types of venues and with mother nature as your canvas, you can really take any wedding theme to the extreme. If you’re the rustic and whimsical sort, we’ve got lavender farms and empty fields. If you’re uber modern and all about the bling, we’ve got resorts infused with Swarovski crystals.

When you need help finding the perfect place for your big day, contact Kelowna wedding planner Shawna Gray, owner of White Orchid Wedding Consulting, offering a range of wedding planner services to suit your needs and budget. Congratulations on your engagement!