5 Reasons why we love weddings at Bodega Ridge, Galiano Island
If you are on the hunt for a weekend destination for your wedding, which is close to Vancouver, then you definitely need to take a look at Bodega Ridge on Galiano Island. This cute little spot is made up of seven beautiful deluxe log cabins on site and five brand new log cabins just down the road at Bodega Cove (check out Bodega Cove here!). Nestled at the base of the famous Bodega Ridge, the property offers magnificent views of Trincomali channel, the surrounding Gulf Islands and the Vancouver Island Mountains.
Because it is situated on Galiano Island (just an hour ferry ride away from Vancouver), this venue is the perfect place to have a weekend getaway wedding. There is nowhere quite like it – Galiano is the sunniest and wildest of BC’s Southern Gulf Islands, and Bodega Ridge really makes the most of its natural charms.
There are so many reasons why we love Bodega Ridge weddings, but here are our top 5!
1.THE CEREMONY SPACE
Nothing can beat the ceremony space at Bodega Ridge. Up a gentle hill with panoramic views of the ocean, surrounded by nature and arbutus trees, your guests will be wowed when they arrive. The arbour is perfectly located so not only you, but also your guests, get the very best views of the natural beauty that makes British Columbia so wonderful. It’s also a perfect place to do you family photos right after the ceremony – why not take advantage of the amazing view as much as you can.
2. THE ADORABLE CABINS
The cabins at Bodega Ridge are so beautiful; they are the perfect spot to get ready. And because you will both be getting ready on site, it makes it easy for us to pop back and forth between your two cabins and capture the full experience of you on the morning of your big day. When building Bodega Ridge, Jesse and his team paid such close attention to detail in all of their cabins; from the feature log walls, to the Pendleton blankets on the couches to keep you warm at night, no matter where you look, its beautiful! They also make great backdrops for photos of the two of you. Every time we photograph up there, we make sure we spend some time at the cabins. – a Bodega Ridge wedding wouldn’t be complete without showing off these gems.
3. THE RECEPTION SPACE
Bodega Ridge offers two beautiful reception spaces – one inside for smaller gatherings, and one outside for larger groups. They have a beautiful white tent covering the outside area, and the lighting out there is so magical, especially as the sun starts to set. Golden hour is one of our favourite times to do portraits, but at Bodega Ridge you actually get golden hour reception photos which is so much fun!
If you have a smaller group then you can have dinner inside their main log cabin, which is equally as beautiful. The warmth that the space brings is so intimate. Plus, it’s a great space for dancing the night away!
4. THE PHOTO LOCATIONS
Of course, as photographers, we are always looking for a variety of photo locations for your wedding day, and Bodega Ridge has so much to offer. On site there are the adorable cabins, the beautiful views of the ocean from the meadow, and the large forest. We love trees and Bodega has some of the best! A five-minute drive down the road brings us to some really cool sandstone caves right by the ocean. When we think of British Columbia and how beautiful it is, and why we love photographing here, we immediately think of trees and the ocean. And Bodega Ridge has them both! It’s a photographers dream location.
Plus, at sunset, if you have the time, we can pop back down to the beach again to photograph you in some of that magical light.
5. MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT
In our opinion, nothing beats a “mini-destination” wedding. What is more special than spending a whole weekend celebrating with those people that are most important in your life? Let us paint a little picture for you – your friends and family arrive in Friday afternoon and check into their cabins. That evening you have dinner, play lawn games, and all your guests get to know each other. The next day, you wake up, get ready, and get married. HOORAY! On the night of your wedding, the party is so much more intimate and fun as all of your friends and family have already gotten to know each other. You will be surprised to see Auntie Sally on the dance floor with your high school best friend! On Sunday morning, you wake up to the beautiful views, have brunch, hear everyone’s stories from the night before and head back home. It sounds like a dream to us!
6. A BONUS – IT’S PET FRIENDLY!
Okay, we had to include a sixth reason, as it is one of our favourites. What is more special than having your fur baby be a part of your wedding day? We know our couples love bringing their pups, and they make the cutest ring bearers!
We hope this information was helpful to you. If you have any questions about getting married at Bodega Ridge, please send us an email. We love chatting about our favourite venues, and there are so many more things that make Bodega so amazing.
If you want to see a full wedding from Bodega Ridge, check out ALI + ANDREW’s full gallery here.
Do you love the idea of a weekend destination wedding, but Bodega Ridge is already booked? Take a look at LAUREN + BEN’s wedding which was held at The Brew Creek Centre up in Whistler – it is another one of our favourite venues.