Friday 29 November 2013

IN THE ISSUE: Celsia Florist Talks Traditions


Oh the lengths we'd go to steal Tahnée's floor length Anthro skirt. We have a particular fondness of maxis and for the Australian-born talent who generously shared her words and wisdom in Issue IV of The Refinery...

"Traditions are what we create when treasured memories meet new experiences."

To be honest I was feeling a wee bit ba-humbug about the whole 2013 holiday season. Drywall dust sure knows how to put a damper on Christmas cheer, but Tahnée's toast to "new traditions" has me reconsidering the whole Scrooge act. 

"-- there are no rules when it comes to traditions." 

So while my childhood Nutcracker collection may not be making it's annual debut, we may be adopting a new 'open presents in mom & dad's bed' policy this season, complete with cinnamon buns, egg nog and the Josh Groban Christmas CD on repeat. 

That man can sing 'Ave Maria' like no other and this woman can arrange breathtaking florals like no one we know, meet Tahnée from Celsia Florist...







photography WHEN LOVE HAPPENS
styling and stationery SPREAD LOVE EVENTS
floral design TAHNEE for CELSIA FLORIST
hair and make up KATIE ELWOOD MAKEUP AND HAIR


* tell us what are your favourite holiday traditions?


Wednesday 27 November 2013

Welcome to the team, Sara!


We are beyond excited to welcome our newest team member: Sara! The Refinery Magazine is quickly growing and we knew that with our busy production schedule for Issue V, and our new US edition - both of which are our February 14th - finding the right "blogess" was the perfect route for us to take!

Sara is the Founder and Principal Planner for Top Knot Events, as well as the creator of the lovely blog Saige Wisdom - we highly suggest you check out both!

Packed with fiery red head personality, we can't wait to see what Sara brings to the table, and hope you join her for the ride! Thanks for being such a valuable member of TRM, S!

xo A & M

P.S. Occasionally you will still see posts from us, Madison & Ainsley, but the majority will be headed up by Sara - if you have any questions, want to submit some photos, or have a general inquiry for Sara, she can be reached at: 


Tuesday 26 November 2013

Shirley & Manuel are Engaged!

Who doesn't love a good love story? Especially when the protagonists are cuties like these. Busting out jargon from English 11 seems entirely appropriate for two newlyweds that met in high school. 

Prepare to get your "awww" on with this Joshes Photography e-session, the sweet aftermath of a romantic boat cruise proposal.







He said:

Shirley and I met in the last years of high school, through mutual friends. Funny enough, I started speaking to her in order to find out if she was interested in my friend! Well, that turned out unexpectedly.

We dated long distance through university—a tough but valuable experience. Once I had finished university, after 5 years of dating, I spent the summer in Ottawa as Shirley completed a co-op term. Being on her home turf, I knew I would have no way to surprise her with a proposal, so we took a weekend trip to Montreal, supposedly to help me find an apartment for my master's degree. I arranged a fancy dinner boat cruise on the last night, and towards the end of the evening I gave her a journal in which I had been writing her messages for a year. The last page included my soppy proposal, which I then delivered along with an engagement ring. She said yes!


I love Shirley because of her incredible God-given tenderness. Her affections are wholly unfeigned and deeply sacrificial. On top of that, she's wonderful in many ways I'm just not. Though we are rather different people, I think we thrive off each other's different abilities and temperaments.


Our big day went very well, despite a desperate attempt from Vancouver rain to make an appearance. We were able to get our photos taken just as the rain subsided, and it gave us the added benefit of clearing out QE park of any visitors while we were there. We got married at Immanuel Baptist, our home church, before moving to the Heritage Hall on Main Street. We were all tears and smiles amidst a diverse but supportive group of friends and family. It was a wonderful first day of the rest of our lives.


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Total "awww" fest, but wait there's more... see here

Friday 1 November 2013

JUST MARRIED: Kelsey & Jerrit - Dallas Kolotylo Photography



Is it just us, or is this wedding just stunning!? Dallas and Sabrina of Dallas Kolotylo captured the stunning wedding of Kelsey & Jerrit beautifully, and it doesn't help that the happy couple, their party, guests, venue and everything about it is so stylish and so visibly filled with happiness. It is, quintessentially, a true "vancouver" wedding. And for those brides that fall in love with this venue, The Diamond - the rumours are true: it is amazingly cool and the drinks are out of this world!
Take a peek through this gorgeous wedding, and at the end, be sure to read about all the special moments Kelsey & Jerrit shared together, and with their closest loved ones. We love it, and so will you!

Enjoy!
 - xo A & M.





From the Bride:

Our wedding was an amazing day. Jerrit and I can honestly say that we wouldn’t change anything about it.  From having a close family friend give our wedding talk, to our non-traditional wedding cake consisting of different wheels of cheese stacked on top of each other to resemble a cake, to opting for a prop-filled photo-booth as entertainment instead of dancing. Everything came together to create a day Jerrit and I think back on as quite perfect. 

When it came time to plan our wedding, we thought there would be a million little details to work out.  However, in choosing The Diamond in Gastown as our venue for both the ceremony and the reception, and Dallas and Sabrina Kolotylo as photographers - we soon realized there wasn’t a lot left to stress out over.

The staff at The Diamond really went above and beyond our expectations, from setting up for us, to creating an amazing menu to suit each of the many allergies and dietary issues of our guests, to even taking care of the playlist for the entire evening!

We knew we wanted to have Dallas and Sabrina document our wedding long before we even met with them, and long before we got engaged actually. They are this amazingly talented couple that have the ability to get you so excited and yet feel so relaxed about your big day.  They are as professional as they are a pleasure to be around, and their passion for what they do really shows in their work. What really impressed us was how they were there first thing in the morning when we were getting ready, and didn’t leave until after Jerrit and I had left for the night. They captured everything.   We couldn’t be happier with how our photos turned out, and how accurately they portray the events and emotions of our day.

When you marry your best friend, you want that day to reflect who you are as a couple.  We had just that, and we owe it to our family, our friends, and the professionals we had the pleasure of working with.

_______________
The Creatives:
Venue/Food/Drinks: The Diamond
Bridal Party's Hair: Sahara Sperchneider - Brides Friend

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