Say hello to our gorgeous GL Bride of the Week, Shannon! She eloped to Fiji and married the love of her life in our Kira gown from the Le Secret Royal Part 2 Collection. In this interview, Shannon shares all the unforgettable moments from her special day and her journey to become a GL Bride. As told by Shannon!
A moment of your wedding day will you never forget?
As we eloped, not having our family present was the hardest decision we had to make. Sam had proposed to me with his late mother’s engagement ring, and we didn’t intend to exchange wedding bands; nothing would have been able to compare. However, the day before I left for Fiji, my Mom sat me down and gave me what was her and my grandmother’s wedding band, so it truly felt that we had our family with us.
One thing you wish you knew as a new bride? What advice would you give to future brides?
While destination weddings are fun and exciting, traveling with your wedding dress can be a little stressful. The team at Brown’s Bride in London did a fantastic job packing her up for the around-the-world tour she was embarking on, but I wish I hadn’t taken seven flights before my wedding day. Between visiting family, a bachelorette, and rather inconvenient changeovers, my dress would visit four countries before I walked down the aisle. The best advice I can give is to limit the amount of travel and just book your dress an extra seat on the airline; this is totally possible and kind of fun as well!
Elopement certainly isn’t for everyone, but we truly felt we got to soak up the magic of our wedding day together. We woke up, did a sunset horse ride down the beach, had breakfast in bed, spent the afternoon in the spa together, and then slipped off to get ready with a bottle of bubbly each. We cherished the moments of a perfect sunset without feeling rushed and did it all from the highlands of Fiji.
Our photographer had his jeep on what felt like a 90-degree incline at times, hitting the four-wheel drive up the side of the mountain, something we definitely couldn’t have done with a wedding party. Being the only people, as far as the eye could see, made it feel like we were experiencing something truly unique and special that we will forever remember.
I had been looking at Galia Lahav dresses since our engagement in 2015 and didn’t try any dresses on until my first visit to Browns Bride in March 2020. I came in with a list of the ones I wanted to try on, and after they were all pulled, Lauren (my oh-so-amazing consultant) asked me to rank them in order, and we would try my favorite on last. With three gowns to try on first, Kira was my second choice, only surpassed by Maya. I remember watching Lauren bring it in, and the rose-colored underlay was the first thing that popped for me. As it was being zipped up, the subtle sparkle across the bust and the stunning floral applique made it feel like I was putting on a piece of art, and the tears started flowing. It was light, airy, and so unique with the illusion of a thigh-high slit that I knew at that exact moment I needed to get married in this dress.
How did it feel when you put on your dress the day of the wedding? What was everyone's reaction to the dress?
I had a moment of just sitting on the edge of the bed staring at it before taking it off the hanger; all of my dreams were about to come true, and I was marrying my best friend. When Sam walked in, he was blown away by the detail that had gone into it and loved how it hugged my body to perfection.
Absolutely nothing; our wedding was exactly as we wanted it to be, and there was zero stress on the day. Listen to your heart, and the rest will fall into place.
What was your favourite part of the wedding to plan/you were most looking forward to?
The best part of planning our wedding was figuring out where we would get married. I Googled “Best places in the world to get married” to find our dream destination. As digital nomads, we travel extensively and wanted it to be somewhere as unique as we are. We ended up having it come down to either a private island in Fiji or a safari in Africa, and we were delighted with our choice as the Fijian people are exceptional hosts.
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose?
Sam and I met on a small island called Koh Tao in Thailand, he owned a bar there, and I was backpacking. The courtship was adorable; he even had cherries shipped down from Bangkok for me with a bottle of champagne when I told him they were my favorites.
After an exquisite 5-month love affair, I left to return to Canada with tears in my eyes the whole plane ride home. About a week after landing, Sam showed up in Toronto! We lived together for another month and then went to New York for Halloween. I had dressed as Cinderella and had these plastic clear shoes I had got off eBay, but after a night trapezing through the streets of NYC, they broke. He was in a pink tutu like Ace Ventura and was down on his knees while I held onto a phone pole for dear life when it happened. He looked up and shouted, “MARRY ME!” I said, “OKAY!” and then he piggybacked me all the way home. The following day he woke up and asked if I remembered what had happened the night before, and I told him, “Yes, but I won’t hold you to it,” but he said, “Nope, I will marry you one day.” We moved back to Thailand together, and a few months later, he got his Mom’s engagement ring for me. A true fairy tale experience if you ask me.
How did you find working with the team at Galia Lahav?
I purchased my dress in London with Browns Bride and could not have asked for a better experience. Lauren was such a sweetheart that it felt like I had my best friend with me, even though we had just met. There was zero pressure to pull the trigger, and she wanted me to be sure I had found the one even as I tried to throw my credit card at her. I found my dress the first week of March 2020, so little did I know I wouldn’t have my first fitting for another two years!
How many dresses did you try on before you found it?
I tried on three dresses, all of which were Galia Lahav; when you know, you know. The hardest part of the Covid wait was watching the new collections launch and praying that a dress wouldn’t come out, which caused me to doubt my decision. Thankfully, Kira was always destined to be the one!
