Vancouver Calling

As I got notice in April that "my best friends wedding" in Germany would be in June, I thought this quite to be on short notice...little did I know...

On a lazy Friday afternoon, two weeks ago, while being on vacation in British Columbia, I got a phone call from my dear friend Daisy. She and her longtime partner David would finally tie the knot. My enthusiastic congratulations went right into speechless astonishment when she told me that the wedding would be the following Wednesday and if I please would be her Maid of Honor, and of course take photos.
Luckily I was close by, and after a few phone calls back and forth, all was set.

Knowing Daisy and David, I was aware that this would not be your normal wedding.
But I still was caught by surprise by the purely yet beautiful ceremony the two of them had planned.

Residing in Vancouver, David wanted to marry somewhere close by and found the perfect spot at the bottom of Cypress Mountain. The ceremony took place at a serene little lake, just a short stroll into the Cypress Mountain Provincial Park.

The wedding party was small, just bride and groom, best man and maid of honor and of course the commissioner.
If your best man and maid of honor are both photographers nothing is left to chance...;-)

The ceremony had everybody in tears...

The Kiss!

The formals...Daisy and David style...

After this lovely ceremony, a hike along the Howe Sound Crest Trail all the way up to the summit of St. Marks Mountain was planned. David described it as a roughly two hour casual hike...I should have known better.

After a short walk we got rewarded with a great view over the Howe Sound at the Bowen Island lookout:

Well, where there are celebrities, there are paparazzi...;-)

The trail got a bit steeper now, mostly through forested area, with here and there a peek. Here at the famous Lions that are visible even from downtown Vancouver:

Then on and on it went, over snow fields, little creeks, tree roots and rocks. David encouraged us with: "oh, there is just an easy incline ahead", meaning, now it's getting really steep, or " we are almost there", meaning we might be a third of the way along. But, in the end, we made it!

© Ron Clifford

...and decided it was well worth the effort. The view up here was truly breathtaking!

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the magnificent landscape....

© Ron Clifford

...and of course of the newly-weds.

What a great spot to celebrate the beginning of a new journey!

Even the wedding bouquet had made the trip up to the summit.

Seems that chipmunks also like to dine with a view...

After a lavish lunch break, we started our descent. And in no time we were back at the trail head, just in time for a quick ice cream before the shop closed. It never tasted that good before...;-)
On the way back to Vancouver we got again treated with great views, this time of downtown Vancouver.

This remarkable day ended with a short stroll on the beach and a delicious dinner at Daisy and David's favorite restaurant.

Congratulations again to Daisy and David. 

All the luck for your journey together!