Elena + Zili’s Intimate Sage Restaurant Garden Party Wedding

As one of only two weddings I got to DJ in the hot mess that was 2020, Elena and ZiLi finally got to celebrate their wedding in September, and I was delighted to be involved.

These two originally planned a destination wedding in Thailand, where their family and friends from China, Canada and the USA could gather and celebrate. Of course… the thing that changed all wedding plans in 2020 happened, and after postponing the wedding twice, Elena and ZiLi opted to change plans entirely and get married in the Rose Garden at UBC. This meant that only one family member from China was able to attend - Elena’s mother - who had to take FIVE weeks off work in order to quarantine for two weeks on either side of her trip, just to be in Canada for one week for the wedding. Now that’s love and commitment!

The ceremony took place in the Rose Garden, which is on the UBC campus and right next to Sage Restaurant, where the reception was to take place. Despite already being postponed, we ended up having to postpone the wedding ceremony more than an hour, due to a movie filming nearby… but ZiLi and Elena were super positive and just rolled with it. And it is safe to say it was worth the wait… just look at this ceremony setup!

With their loved ones in place, Elena and ZiLi finally got to say their vows!

Ceremony Processional Song: Canon in D - Brooklyn Duo

After the ceremony, Elena and Zili opted to go straight into cake cutting and photos. Although it sounds unusual to do the cake cutting at this point in the day, the dessert table setup was so gorgeous that it fit right into the garden ceremony decor. And who can object to a slice of cake at anytime in the day, really!?

Next, guests wandered through the garden and over to Sage Restaurant, where a beautiful tent was waiting by the pond to host a delicious meal. After dinner and a number of toasts and speeches, Elena and ZiLi had their first dance, which was choreographed to perfection. Since guests weren’t able to dance, the couple opted for some games and vocal performances from talented friends to finish off the evening.

All in all - pandemic, postponements and everything else included - this day was a beautiful reminder that the most important thing we have in life is each other. Kudos to an excellent team that brought this day to life:

Day-of Coordinator: Elements Wedding
Photography: Ting Photography
Wedding Coordinator: Nicky Lau
Cake: Buttermere

Here are some more photos from this wedding - enjoy!

All images by Ting Photography.