A Chance For Love
They were two Vancouverites who had moved far from the city of their birth, only to meet by pure chance in Las Vegas. When friends introduced Andrew Hungerford to Stephanie Biela at Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Andrew remembers feeling a bolt of lightning through his body. He knew instinctively his life was about to change.
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Andrew, 36, had flown to Las Vegas from London, England in October 2007, to spend a few days with his brother, cousin and some friends coming from Vancouver. He needed a quick reprieve from his 100-hour work weeks at Deutsche Bank. Stephanie, 30, was working in Los Angeles at the time as a media executive for 20th Century Fox. She, too, had flown into the City of Sin to reunite with some friends from Vancouver.
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As luck would have it, Stephanie and Andrew’s friends had already become acquainted on the flight from Vancouver to Las Vegas, and since their respective itineraries were fairly similar, had arranged to get together. This was the catalyst for Andrew and Stephanie’s first meeting.
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Stephanie fondly recalls Andrew’s tortoiseshell glasses and remembers finding him charmingly European in his behaviour. She was hobbling about on a cane with a broken foot that night, but even in her ‘granny shoes,’ Andrew says he was instantly smitten. Stephanie and Andrew, who now shared mutual friends, also discovered that they’d both grown up in the same Kerrisdale neighbourhood. They were both returning to Vancouver for Christmas, so, before they parted company, they planned an official first date for December 22.
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As he drove to the airport to fly to London, Andrew told his cousin: “I’m going to marry that girl.” So for the next two months he did everything he could to keep in touch. The two corresponded daily through email, Skype, text and Facebook. “There was definitely something between us,” Andrew says.
Stephanie left Vegas not knowing what to expect. “I loved that we were from the same neighbourhood,” she reflects. “In LA, no-one understood Canada—they thought we lived way up north in igloos. But Andrew knew exactly what I was talking about.”
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Their first date at the Shore Club, a steakhouse in downtown Vancouver, went well, and that Christmas Andrew introduced Stephanie to other members of his family. By the time their Christmas break was over, the two were officially dating, and over the next six months they arranged reunions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and New York City.
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They knew they wanted to live together in the same city; a move back home to Vancouver just made sense. “We were pretty much ready to start our lives together,” Stephanie says. “We’d met at the right time and we were ready for a commitment.”
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By summer 2008, both had relocated back to Vancouver, where Andrew joined the family business, Hungerford Properties.
As Stephanie’s 29th birthday approached, Andrew asked her to name any place in the world she’d like to go. “Ireland,” she answered immediately.
It was there, in Killarney, as they sat overlooking a lake with a beautiful castle behind them, that he asked for her hand in marriage. “I’d been waiting for the rain to stop for almost a week,” he confesses. “It stopped for a half-hour and that’s when I proposed. Then, it started raining again!”
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Stephanie says she half-expected the proposal and wasn’t taken by surprise. She could tell that he was nervous all through the trip, and she knew this was no ordinary trip he’d arranged. She responded with an exuberant “Yes!”
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When she returned home and started planning the wedding, Stephanie recruited the help of DreamGroup Productions to organize the ceremony at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church in Vancouver, and booked the Vancouver Club for the reception. “Andrew’s family has been members of the club for five generations, so we thought it was a nice tribute to his lineage,” she explains.
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Stephanie’s friend models for designer Romona Keveza in New York, and because of this connection, Keveza agreed to custom-design Stephanie’s gown, with measurements supplied by a Vancouver seamstress. Stephanie selected a champagne, silk shantung gown with a sweetheart neckline. Swarovski crystals adorned the back and the gown was reminiscent of Old Hollywood, which became the theme of the wedding.
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The couple’s invitations featured a movie poster from the film An Affair to Remember and the programs for the ceremony were designed like a Playbill. “It’s a classic, romantic movie and like Andrew and I, the main characters met on vacation,” Stephanie explains. “I thought it was the perfect theme to our wedding.” Meanwhile, at the Vancouver Club, Colin Upright of Upright Décor created an elegant, sophisticated reception in Stephanie’s chosen colours of black, silver, purple and white.
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The day of the wedding, Stephanie and her bridal party had their hair and makeup done at the Richard Jeha Salon, returning to her and Andrew’s townhome to get dressed for the wedding. Andrew played tennis that morning, then donned his morning coat for the first look at each other they had planned at his parents’ Kerrisdale house. “He wanted to feel “British” that day because he was living in London, England at the time we met,” Stephanie says.
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The couple followed photographer Melia Sorenson to Jericho Beach and downtown Vancouver for photographs and then headed to the church for the ceremony. Stephanie had hired an opera singer to sing Puccini, and she recalls this moment as the most powerful in her day. “The music was so moving and it fit our whole whirlwind romance like a soundtrack. It just spoke perfectly to our relationship,” she says nostalgically.
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Later, after more photographs at the Museum of Anthropology in honour of Andrew’s Metis heritage, the couple met their 220 guests at the Vancouver Club for a reception defined by fun. “We’d designed the reception with lots of things for guests to do,” Andrew says.
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In one room, An Affair to Remember played on a big screen; in another, guests carved a luge in the ice bar from which they later downed shots. There was a candy bar, a photo booth with bowlers and top hats, and a chocolate fountain. Guests danced to music by Vancouver’s DJ Leanne.
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With the wedding behind them, the couple left to pursue one of their chief passions: travel. The honeymoon spanned Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Bali. But the four locales have
barely skimmed the surface of their plans. “We want to travel as much as we can before we have kids,” Stephanie says with a smile. “We both get pretty serious in our careers, and sometimes we have to remind ourselves to have fun.”
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How They Did It:
Stephanie’s up-do was inspired by a 1940s perfume advertisement. It was secured with beaded pins.
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The ice bar, carved by Cool Creations, featured Oscar statues carved into either side. Guests later carved a luge for drinking shots.
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The Casablanca table featured a photo centerpiece and tea lights.
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Stephanie wanted the bridesmaids’ dresses to embody “Old Hollywood.” After much searching, she tried on a sample of this keyhole dress by Jenny Woo from Frocks.ca. “I knew when I wanted to buy the dress for myself that this was the dress for my lovely bridesmaids.” A colour sample of the silk shantung had to be mailed from New York, and she tried a few colours before settling on the sugar plum. “It embodies class and glamour.”
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Stephanie’s bridal bouquet was an elegant arrangement of white orchids and pink roses, created by Kits Flower Market.
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Stephanie wore Gucci heels, purchased at Holt Renfrew.
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Stephanie & Andrew’s Wedding Vendors:
Wedding Photographer
Lucida Photography
www.lucida-photography.com
Wedding Planner
DreamGroup Productions
www.dreamgroup.ca
Wedding Decorator
Upright Décor
www.uprightdecor.com
Wedding Venue – Ceremony
St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church
www.standrewswesleychurch.bc.ca
Wedding Venue – Reception
The Vancouver Club
www.vancouverclub.ca
Wedding Dress
Blush Bridal
www.blushoccasions.com
Bridesmaid and Flower Girl Dresses
Frocks
www.frocks.ca
Bridal Hair
Richard Jeha Hair Company
604 266-2377
Bridal Makeup
Hayley Miller
www.hayleymiller.com
Groom and Groomsmen Attire
The Tux Store
www.thetuxstore.com
Wedding Florist
Kits Flower Market
604 731-1441
Wedding Cake
Max’s Deli
www.maxsdeli.ca
Wedding Music Entertainment
DJ Leanne
www.idoluv.com
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