5554 www.wedluxe.com

W E D L U X E | Vancouver & Western Canada Edition

Rachel wore the

“London” gown by ines

di santo with

detachable shoulder

coverage by bisou

bridal. Rachel’s veil,

created by Bisou Bridal,

featured Alençon lace

from Ines Di Santo.

Clifton wore a slim-fit

Armani tuxedo from

holt renfrew. His 18-kt

white gold cufflinks were

set with 24 sapphires

and designed by jeweller

Martin Katz.

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Rachel carvalho and clifton murray—a member of the multi-platinum, juno award-winning musical group, the tenors—first met at a wedding in the ballroom of the vancouver club in the

summer of 2008. This was before Clifton had joined The Tenors and Rachel was still a student in university. Little did they know that they would host their wedding in this exact same room seven years later!

In the fall of 2013, Clifton surprised Rachel with an elaborate mountaintop proposal. “From the moment we met, I knew that there had to be something extraordinary about my proposal to her,” explains Clifton, whose family owns the luxurious nimmo bay wilderness resort in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest.

“I told Rachel that a guest at Nimmo Bay had to cancel his heli-fishing trip and, since the helicopter he booked was paid for anyway, he gave it to us for the day to tour around Vancouver’s coast mountain.” Rachel didn’t find anything sus-picious with the outing, as Clifton had invited a few friends to join them on the adventure (including photographer Tom Belding who captured the proposal).

The group took flight and travelled to a snow-covered mountaintop where Clifton got down on bended knee and proposed. “We walked toward the edge of the mountain and I dropped to one knee and extracted the glittering ring from my pocket,” recalls Clifton. Rachel, of course, accepted and a Rolls-Royce was waiting on the tarmac to carry the newly engaged pair to a celebratory dinner at hawksworth restaurant with family and friends. “It was a day that dreams and fairytales are made of,” share the couple. Their engagement celebration continued the next day, as the jet-setting twosome flew to New York where they stayed at the new york lotte palace hotel, courtesy of Jeffrey Latimer of jl entertainment. While there, Glen Sather, President of the New York Rangers had arranged a special weekend for the pair, complete with tickets to a Rangers hockey game, courtside seats at a Knicks game, ring-side seats for a heavyweight fight, and a magical horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park!

photography by

l e a n n e p e d e r s e n

P h o t o g r a p h e r s

R A C H E L C L I F T O Nand

M U S I C TA K E S C E N T R E S TA G E AT T H E E L E G A N T , W E S T C O A S T W E D D I N G O F

T H E T E N O R ’ S C L I F T O N M U R R AY A N D H I S B R I D E R A C H E L C A R VA L H O

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W E D L U X E | Vancouver & Western Canada Edition

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Sonia Leal-Serafim at

they representation

was Rachel’s makeup

artist for the day.

Omar Kanani at

suki’s international

provided hair styling.

Bridesmaids were dressed in

floor-length, champagne-coloured

Amsale gowns from frocks modern

in Vancouver.

Suzane Lee of granville island

florist created Rachel’s gorgeous

bouquet comprised of gardenia,

stephanotis, David Austin roses,

ranunculus and spray roses, as well

as tasteful greenery such as jasmine

and stephanotis vines.

flourish by colleen winton created

all of the wedding stationery,

including a custom monogram that

was incorporated throughout the

wedding decor.

Rachel’s “set” of wedding rings include a white diamond micro set band accented with

two sapphire micro set rings, worn on both sides of the diamond band. Clifton’s 10mm

wide, hand-hammer finished platinum ring is set with two diamonds—a white

diamond and a cognac diamond—set in the middle of the band which is engraved with

the couple’s wedding date. All rings were by jeweller Martin Katz.

Rachel was adorned with over $500,000 worth of jewels from

luxury jewellery designer Martin Katz, including a pear-shaped

diamond drop necklace set in 18-kt white gold, round brilliant

diamond studs, and a diamond bracelet set in 18-kt white gold

with 24 round diamonds.

The couple had their “first look” on the

rooftop patio at the vancouver club.

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The Tenors sang

“Hallelujah” during

the ceremony.

COUNTDOWNTO A FAIRYTALEThe couple were married in Vancouver on August 29, 2015. Soha Lavin of countdown events planning & design provided event design and full-service planning. Rachel and Clifton worked closely with Soha to create a fairytale atmosphere from which dreams are made. “We wanted our guests to walk away with a deeper sense of love and connection in their own relationships,” explains Clifton. “Soha Lavin is a true artist when it comes to creating magical moments. She is passionate about what she does and made our dream wedding a reality.”

CATHOLICCEREMONY Rachel and Clifton’s Catholic wedding ceremony took place at Vancouver’s holy rosary cathedral. Music was unsurprisingly a major component of the cere-mony, which included a number of performances by The Tenors. The group sang “Hallelujah” during the Gospel Acclamation and members gave solo perfor-mances throughout. “The music truly gave wings to the hearts of everyone in attendance,” says Rachel.

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W E D L U X E | Vancouver & Western Canada Edition

“The ballroom was certainly the most spectacular aspect of the wedding,” the couple shares. “In all of our travels, we have never seen a room as gorgeous as that one.”

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Silver tiffany & co.

frames housed

custom table

numbers and photos

of the couple.

ELEGANT RECEPTION A grand reception followed at the vancouver club where Rachel and Clifton had first met seven years prior! Soha Lavin led the team of granville island florist and decorator Colin Upright of upright decor. The group collaborated to create a “stately but romantic” environment reminiscent of an English Garden—the bride has family in England and both of her parents went to British schools, so the couple chose to incorporate English touches throughout the event. Notably, for the first time in the 100 year history of the landmark Vancouver venue, the ballroom was fully-draped. With music in mind, dinner was formally announced by a trumpet call!

Guests sat on crystal Chiavari chairs at long dining tables covered with white linens. Tables were styled with lush flowers placed in a mix of crystal candelabras, crystal and silver-plated bowls, and julep cups. Tables were completed with a sea of candlelight, silver tableware, and menus that flourish by colleen winton calligraphed with each attendee’s name. Rachel and Clifton dined under a draped white canopy, beautifully framed with tree-like displays made with branches, ruscus leaves, and white polar star roses that were individually peeled back to provide a “fully-bloomed” look. The Vancouver Club catered the event and provided their famed synchronized service. “The service was an added level of sophistication that had us all feeling like it was a royal occasion,” remembers the couple.

The couple’s custom monogram was printed

on the marble floor in the foyer.

The couple served a mint julep signature cocktail,

infused with blackberries.

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W E D L U X E | Vancouver & Western Canada Edition

ROYALCAKE ganache patisserie created the five-tiered wedding cake. The cake, featuring the couple’s monogram and British garden roses, was designed to echo Kate Middleton and Prince William’s royal wedding cake.

HIGHNOTESAfter dinner, the famous players band provided live musical entertainment. life studios inc. was on hand to capture the emotion of the entire day and all of the memorable musical performances on film. the collective you was also at the event and produced black and white portraits of each guest that served as wedding favors.

“This was without question the greatest day of our lives,” note Clifton and Rachel who honeymooned in Hawaii at a private, waterfront estate.

to see more, visit

R E / S O U R C E

W ED LUX E . COM

One of the most touching moments

of the evening was when Clifton

sang an original song he wrote for

his new bride Rachel.

Georgia Murray, (the groom’s sister),

performed twice during the reception.

First, singing Bob Dylan’s “To Make You

Feel My Love,” for the couple’s first

dance, accompanied by Jayme Langen.

Georgia also sang during the

“father-daughter” dance, accompanied

by Craig Murray (Georgia and Clifton’s

father), on guitar.

Leanne Pedersen Photographers provides thirteen

years of passion and experience creating award

winning romantic portraiture and emotional

journalistic imagery for those in love. They

deliver ease, excitement, skill and service beyond

expectation and are available for hire worldwide.

L E A NN E P E D E R S E N . COM | 604.736.2598

A B O U T T H E P H O T O G R A P H E R

Leanne Pedersen Photographers

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