Persistent Pursuit
The suggested mode of travel was a 4×4. Raindrops still sparkled in the trees, and the air was filled with the freshness that comes only after a light shower in the forest. Mind you, it also meant the odd mud puddle along the wooded trail. But guests simply smiled or laughed out loud as they donned rubber boots for the five-minute walk that would take them from the end of a dirt road in Midway, two hours from Kelowna, past rocky outcroppings decorated by Mother Nature’s own hand, and finally to an historic railway tunnel now long abandoned and overgrown.
The tunnel’s cave-like entry was aglow with candles set into mason jars, elegantly simple, simply romantic. Then, as Paige Block and Kelvin Nicholls exchanged wedding vows at the tunnel’s entry, a rainbow appeared in the sky.
“We wanted a very natural, wildflower look, which was why we picked this location and chose daisies and sunflowers,” Paige says, adding she and Kelvin had also spent many hours hiking and camping in the surrounding area, property that’s long been owned by her family. “We also wanted getting there to be part of the experience. It’s about a two-hour drive from Kelowna, and at the end you’re on a dirt road probably thinking you’ve gone too far, but if you followed the signs we made you’d get there.”
In fact, almost everything used for decoration was handcrafted – including the benches, which were built specially for the occasion by family and friends. The same group had also happily pitched in to carry them to the secluded site earlier that morning. “We’d just set a date for building them, and told people to come over to Paige’s parent’s place if they wanted to help,” Kelvin says. “Twenty people showed up. It was amazing.”
Following a tradition from their first date, a date that had included a Mediterranean-style picnic by the lake, the couple served picnic bags filled with a few gourmet treats before everyone headed back to Kelowna for the evening party. The outdoor menu featured such summer standards as granola bars, apples, and lemonade plus truffle popcorn for a twist and, as Kelvin is quick to mention “champagne of course.”
The couple’s penchant for inspired food, often served with a touch of elegant whimsy, is hardly surprising considering Paige and Kelvin originally met at the Manteo’s Resort where both were servers in the hotel’s Wild Apple Restaurant and Lounge. “I had absolutely no interest in a relationship at the time,” Paige admits, laughing at the memory. “I had plans to go get a degree in Foreign Politics from the University of San Diego and take a trip to Uganda.”
But Kelvin never gave up asking, and finally Paige accepted the invitation to go out with the persistent bartender who she found so charming and respectful.
Soon it was clear to everyone this was a match from heaven. “My heart just always kept going back to her,” Kelvin says. “I knew this felt different.” Still, it was October 21, 2009, over two months after their first summer picnic, before Paige considered them “boyfriend and girlfriend.” The turning point was a coincidence so unlikely, she says she had no question it was the sign she’d been waiting for.
“We were visiting my parents so Kelvin could get to know them,” she explains. “My dad was talking about the day he’d been moving some lumber earlier in August, right in the heat of the summer. He has a heart problem, and when the load shifted, he became stuck. Suddenly a red pickup pulled over, and in no time the driver had dad’s lumber reloaded safely. But he was back in his truck and gone so fast, dad couldn’t even say thank you. Kelvin thought that was just the kind of thing his father would do, his dad’s always believed in random acts of kindness, so he phoned to ask him. Sure enough, it was Kelvin’s father who’d been driving the pickup and stopped.”
A month and a half later, Paige did make her trip to Africa, 39 days that was the first test of their relationship. “Telephone contact and even Internet was sketchy, so we had minimal contact,” Kelvin says. Three terms at the University of San Diego plus an unexpected opportunity to study for a month in Turkey followed in quick succession, but at least email and phone was more readily available. “Plus we got really, really good at finding cheap flights,” Kelvin says.
Then, on August 11th, one year to the day after their first lakeside date, Kelvin suggested getting dressed up for a fancy dinner out. “I blindfolded her first (she was not impressed), then I drove around for a while to get her disoriented,” he says while Paige rolls her eyes and gives a good-natured shrug. They arrived at Okanagan Mountain Park just as the sun set to discover a “fine dining experience.” It had been prepared by friends from the restaurant and left for Kelvin to cook al fresco. That night they dined on wild green salad with goat cheese, salmon with risotto and roast baby squash plus wine pairing with each course. As the light faded completely, Kelvin proposed.
The following day was a whirlwind of activity. “I have a lot of family in Kelowna, and we didn’t want to just call,” Kelvin says. “So we spent the entire day visiting everyone who was important to us. Paige and her mom started planning the next day.”
Finally, on May 28, 2011, the couple married. Their reception, held at Paige’s parents’ home overlooking the lake, was a lighthearted, fun-loving celebration with a casual lounge theme, a big dance floor, and a photobooth. “We had tents set up and decorated with vintage furniture, some borrowed, some found along the way, and some made just for the reception,” Paige says. “Kelvin’s dad being a carpenter built the tables, and my mom’s friend reupholstered all the couches and made 40 vintage-style pillows.”
Food included oysters on a plank, seafood, and Roy Rogers with rum, chosen as the event’signature cocktail because the original, non-spiked version was Paige’s after work favourite while she hung out with Kelvin after her shift at the restaurant was over but his wasn’t. Amid the dancing, socializing, and celebration, there was also time for one wedding game. The newlyweds and both sets of parent sat back to back with their spouses raising a red or blue flag to indicate their responses to such all-important questions as who controls the remote or who takes longer to do their hair in the morning. “Naturally, a great cheer went up when all six people got it right,” Kelvin says.
But it was the witty, roast-style speech delivered by Andrew, the best man, and Dan, one of two groomsmen, that both Kelvin and Paige say was one of their favourite highlights of the evening. “They had five pages of material, a back and forth comedy routine that was the absolutely funniest thing we’d ever heard,” Kelvin says. “People are still talking about it.”
“The whole evening was so much fun, we really didn’t want to leave,” Paige says. “There were so many people who helped make it happen, family, friends from the restaurant and guests who made decorations. We still don’t know how to thank everyone.”
How They Did It
1. Paige chose a natural look for her bouquet, with an assortment of bright gerber daisies, sunflowers and roses. The bouquet was arranged by Art Knapp.
2. Tables at the wedding reception were decorated with antique tea cups from the couple’s aunts and grandparents. “We thought they looked neat and matched with the vintage theme of our décor,” Paige says.
3. Manteo Resort’s Wild Apple Restaurant and Lounge catered the delicious food for the evening.
4. The reception, held on the grounds of Paige’s family home, was casual and low-key, with dinner served cocktail- and seating lounge-style. The tent and some of the tables, chairs and sofas were by All Occasions Rentals. Other unique pieces of furniture were gathered from family and friends, and some were created especially for the wedding.
5. Kelvin wore a slim fit, grey, Calvin Klein tuxedo from Tip Top Tailor, accented with a yellow gerber daisy and a thistle.
6. Paige grew up around horses, and loved her red cowboy boots the moment she set eyes on them. “They were something different that I wouldn’t normally buy for myself,” she says. “They also made more sense than wearing high heels.”
Paige and Kelvin’s Wedding Vendors
Venue – Reception | Runaway Ranch, Kelowna, BC
Photographer | Glen Durrell
Bridal Consultant & Planner | Kezia Addison, kezia@addison.ca
Bride’s Dress | Priscilla of Boston, Blush Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses | Jim Hjelm, After Five
Groom & Groomsmen | Calvin Klein, Tip Top Tailors
Stationery | Tina Prichard, Ily Creative
Flowers | Art Knapps
Catering | Chef Bernard Cassavant, Manteo Resort
Cake | P.J.’s Cakes
Disc Jockey | Jeff Hay aka DJ Haymaker
