Last summer I was honoured to be the florist for a beautiful small wedding at the Villa Marco Polo Inn. As I often tell people, when the subject of wedding venues comes up, this venue is at the top of my list. I love the character and charm of this old home and it’s gorgeous outdoor garden space.

The entire inn can be booked for friends and family which is extremely convenient for out of town visitors. The bride and her bridesmaids can also get ready at the venue on the day of the wedding. What a nice place to sip champagne and relax while getting your hair and make up done.

For this wedding the bride requested a purple color scheme and also wanted trailing ribbon, which I adore. The local dahlias stole the show as usual.

This wedding weekend just happened to fall on one of the few August days we had rain here on Vancouver Island. But as you can see from the photos it didn’t put a damper on a thing.  I actually love how charming the umbrellas look in these photos by Jesse Holland Photo.

The bridesmaids wore soft flowing purple gowns, and the flowers a mixture of dahlias, stocks, eucalyptus and lavender phlox complimented them beautifully.

Renting tents turned out to be a wise idea to protect the guests and food from the drizzling rain.

                                           (photo: Spark and Whimsy)

As both the bride and groom were big Harry Potter fans they had some adorable touches such as these wizard cake toppers.

(photo: Spark and Whimsy)

(photo: Spark and Whimsy)

This bride did such an incredible job planning her wedding and I think her decor choices were gorgeous. All the gold touches, such as the sequin table runners, gold mercury glass vases, gold chargers and gold table numbers really made a statement. I only wish I could have seen the votive candles all lit and the wine poured! The finishing touches to a great party.

Venue: Villa Marco Polo Inn

Flowers: Tara McHugh Flora

Cake: Ruth and Dean

Photography: Jesse Holland Photo

To see more photos from this wedding please visit Jesse’s blog.