victoria bc wedding — Blog -Ryanne Hollies Photography

When Audrey and David first reached out to me about photographing their wedding in Victoria BC (thanks to her wonderful friend Rachael who is a talented photographer out there), I was admittedly very excited. Being a West Coast girl myself, I’m always looking for excuses to get back to my roots, see the mountains and escape the chaos of the metropolis, and there are fewer better ways than seeing the mouth dropping sights of British Columbia.

Beyond the beautiful environment that Victoria BC has to offer, I was legitimately excited to see what Audrey’s creative (and stylish) mind had in store for her wedding (which was no surprise considering she’s an extremely talented graphic designer with a keen eye for design that capture both beauty and substance without trying too hard). If you’re in search of intimate wedding inspiration then you’ve come to the right place. The attention to detail that the bride and groom put into this intimate affair is definitely worth gushing over and there was something palpable about the love felt between everyone in attendance.

I spent a lot of time out on Vancouver Island as a kid, it’s where my grandparents lived, and I was looking forward to going back this year to experience the island now that I’m older. I was also looking forward to bringing Brjánn along for his first (real) West Coast trip. Victoria did not disappoint. The wedding venue location encapsulated all things that are great about the West Coast, beautiful mountains in the distance, the proximity to the Pacific Ocean breeze and the unforgettable twilight sunsets that strike a nerve of nostalgia that can’t be put into words.

Audrey and David hosted their 30 guests in the middle of a wide open field out in Victoria and every moment and detail was curated beautifully. Exchanging powerful vows to one another it was as if the world stood still and they were right in the centre of it all, with endless rolling hills as far as the eye could see, the ceremony had a sense of calm to it, utterly beautiful and impactful to everyone who bared witness.

Leaning into those west coast vibes, David and his groomsmen decided to skateboard around the neighbourhood dressed up in their suits and eventually David made it his mission to land a 360 flip to kick the day off. Apparently it’s a trick Brjánn tells me that is PEAK skateboarding, being a skater kid his entire life and engulfed in skate culture I knew he was having a blast being in the middle of all that, I’m sure it reminded him of his youth and the hazy days of being a teen. Like I said, this wedding day wasn’t lacking in the nostalgia department in any way, shape or form, ultimately something we wanted to enhance with our choice to shoot plenty of rolls of film and capture the bride and groom with a bit more of a creative and editorial approach.

To highlight the beautiful sights of Victoria, the bride and groom took time to escape to nearby beach on the coast of the island, taking in their first few moments as husband and wife, they overlooked the Pacific Ocean and mountains in the distance as they shared in a few quiet moments together before heading back to their beautiful reception set up.

With one long table in the middle of the field, the sun cast the most beautiful golden light across the scene as Audrey and David’s closest family and friends shared all their loving words about the couple (and a little bit of a roast for David as well, courtesy of his best friend), as everyone shared in a few tears and many laughs as the day faded into night. As the sun set over the trees the moon appeared right over the field in the array of purples and blues in the sky, creating a painterly scene and added a magical ambiance to the evening. Naturally, Brjánn and I were inspired by the surrealism of that moment and popped in a few extra rolls of film into our cameras to make sure we captured the scenes in the most artistic and beautiful way possible.