Fairmont Empress Hotel Weddings and Elopements Archives - Documentary Photographer Lara Eichhorn

Julia and Chris are Married

December 21, 2017 by Lara Eichhorn Leave a Comment

Julia and Chris had an intimate wedding at The Empress Hotel back in April. They had the ceremony in the library and the reception in the palm court, both of which are stunning. Julia’s dress was so sparkly and beautiful, and she and Chris looked so happy and adorable together.

These two really knew how to reap the benefits of a smaller guest list. Their buffet was the most amazing spread of basically every food you could want, from Chinese dumplings to eggs benedict and chicken & waffles with rosemary maple syrup to smoked salmon. They also had a killer candy bar that inspired my second shooter and I to stop at Bulk Barn on the way home. I always say to spend your wedding budget on the things that matter: photography and food (and yes, I had to include some photos of it). The other benefit of a smaller wedding was that they got to spend more time with each guest and it was an awesomely relaxed evening overall with piano music, emotional and funny toasts, and lively conversation.

Below photo by Courtney Clarke, along with some food photos later on.

Venue, Catering, Cake: The Empress Hotel
Decorator: Details
Pianist: Jannie Lo Burdeti
Florist: Foxgloves Flowers
Hair and make-up: Erin Bradley
Officiant: Sharon Russell
Bride’s dress: Blu by Mori Lee from Shades of White
Groom’s suit: Moore’s

Cora and Joshua are Married

June 12, 2015 by Lara Eichhorn Leave a Comment

I was really looking forward to Cora and Joshua’s wedding, after their fun engagement session at Legends Comics and Books. They added a lot of personal details to their wedding, including some geeky comic book themed touches for Joshua, while still keeping things classy to work with the style of the Empress Hotel.

Like during the engagement, Cora and Joshua were full of smiles, and some people even got a little (or a lot) emotional. I loved how they kept the guest list small, creating a more intimate feel for the wedding and allowing them to actually spend time with their guests.

Cora clearly loves sparkle, as do I, as evidenced by her shoes and the brooch bouquet she made herself (seriously, how awesome is that?) – thanks to Gwen Ewart for the bouquet photos. I also adored Cora’s short-sleeved dress, which couldn’t have been more perfect for her.

The next few photos are the getting ready photos I live for: the bridesmaids fanning Cora with anything they could find (like a tissue box and package of nylons), Cora checking out her brother’s fancy tux, and Cora and her brother swaying gently to calm her down before the ceremony.

Thanks to Gwen Ewart for most of these detail photos (except the cake topper close up). Many of the details were hand made by the bride, including the paper flower centerpieces and comic-themed table markers. I love the Batman and Wonder Woman cake toppers.

Ceremony Venue: St. Ann’s Chapel
Reception venue, cake, and catering: The Empress Hotel
Bridal party bouquets: Kenmar Flower Farm
Hair and/or make-up: Fish Hair Salon
Officiant: Iain Hooey
Bride’s dress: Victoria Bridal Boutique – Moonlight collection
Bridesmaid’s dresses: David’s Bridal

Jeffrey and Rodney are Married

September 14, 2014 by Lara Eichhorn Leave a Comment

Jeff and Rod and a whole bunch of their family and friends arrived in Victoria via cruise ship, for an elegant, fun wedding at The Fairmont Empress Hotel. They played up the glamorous atmosphere of the hotel with lots of gorgeous flowers, candles, and matching tuxes and bow ties (and even an officiant with a bow tie of his own). The guests were entertained by a bagpiper at the reception and even got up and did a traditional dance. I love how sweet and joyous this couple and their wedding was.

Laura and Helen are Married

December 10, 2013 by Lara Eichhorn 1 Comment

Laura and Helen got married in a small ceremony at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria. The ceremony was attended by a small number of family members, but more of their friends and family joined them for a reception at the always gorgeous Hastings House on Salt Spring Island a few days later.

It was really sweet to see Laura and Helen celebrate their wedding after being together for a really long time. There was definitely some major emotions happening during the ceremony (always a photographer’s dream). Their friends and family were a lot of fun and didn’t mind posing for lots of group photos. As an added bonus, the wedding was full of engineers – if only I hadn’t lost my old iron ring. I’m not sure they believed I went to engineering school.

Planning a wedding on Salt Spring Island or nearby? Check out my wedding portfolio.

John and Barry are Married

July 13, 2012 by Lara Eichhorn 1 Comment

John and Barry came from Mississippi to get married at The Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria. Barry’s children and their kids came along to share in the celebration. It was a beautiful sunny day in a week full of rain and they got married in the gorgeous library with light streaming through the windows during the ceremony and dinner. John plans big fancy weddings and I think even he was impressed by the dinner decor the Empress put out. The selection of food and drinks at the cocktail reception in their suite and at the dinner was also fantastic. I’ve never photographed a wedding larger than this one at The Empress, but I would really love to.

The best part of the day was seeing how emotional the grooms got during the ceremony, especially during their vows. I think Barry’s children teared up a bit too, despite the bathroom/water break in the middle of the ceremony (oh the joys of having young kids at a wedding). The young kids were so energetic after the ceremony, running around the hallways of the Empress and making everyone laugh. I was grateful that I brought Georgie along to second shoot and help manage the kids, because she did such a great job of photographing them.

Here are some of my favourite photos I took that day. I love how there’s so much life in them. I hope you had a wonderful visit to Victoria, John, Barry, and family. We were so happy to be a part of your wedding.

Find out more about having an intimate wedding in Victoria, BC.

Teal and Mollie are Married

May 3, 2011 by Lara Eichhorn 1 Comment

Teal and Mollie got married on April 10th at Teal’s mother’s oceanfront house in Maple Bay. It was a bit of a rainy, dreary day, but it cleared up in time for the portrait session. This was a sweet, intimate wedding with only close friends and family in attendance. I love how relaxed and fun everyone was, making our jobs easier for the day. After taking some family and couple portraits in Maple Bay, we headed to the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria to take some more photos before the dinner reception. Their suite was huge and ridiculously gorgeous. We took advantage of the luxe settings and beautiful window light as much as possible. Teal and Mollie make such a cute couple and they had no trouble relaxing in front of the camera, especially when they had their eyes on each other.

Hair: Freestyle Salon
Officiant: Irene Deschene
Caterer: Equinox Catering

Pamela and Stephen are Married

April 24, 2010 by Lara Eichhorn 25 Comments

A week ago, Pamela and Stephen got married at the Empress Hotel in Victoria. They brought along Pamela’s sister and Stephen’s best friend to share in their special day. My second shooter Jon Faulknor and I also got to tag along. We didn’t get a chance to meet before the wedding because they live on the mainland, but luckily we got along great and had a lot of fun. The Empress does an amazing job with their wedding/elopment packages, with gorgeous flowers and a super sweet cake, not to mention the stunning setting.

I meant to put these up earlier, but it took longer than anticipated because there were so many photos that I really liked from this wedding. I hope these photos help their friends and family feel a bit like they were there, and that Pamela and Stephen are on a computer somewhere on their honeymoon loving these shots as much as I do.

While I photographed the girls getting ready, Jon sneakily managed to get some shots (next three) of the guys just hanging out, like the rockstars they are.

Jon recorded the beauty of the room with his ultra wide angle lens, below.

I’m sad to say that Jon took the shot on the below left in front of the Empress. Sad because I think it’s awesome and wish I’d shot it.

Thanks to Jon for second shooting for me, and thanks so much to Pamela and Stephen for sharing part of their special day with us. It was wonderful meeting you.