Brit Wong and Drew Burant, both 29, are hockey fanatics. He’s an Edmonton Oilers fan who grew up with the game in Regina, and she’s a figure-skater-turned-hockey player who’s a Vancouver Canucks fan.
So when they tied the knot on September 3 at Killarney Ice Rink in Vancouver, it was a hockey-themed affair with a matrimonial faceoff.
“You walk into a church, and everything’s there for you. So there’s a lot of work that went into this,” said Brit, “and on top of that, the fear of people falling; or of me, falling in my dress.”
She hit on this idea during a typical night watching “Hockey Night” in Canada on a Saturday, wondering aloud if “it would be cool to get married on a rink.”
“Brittany plans special events for a living. She kicked me to the curb for a lot of events wedding-wise. It probably helped the process,” said Drew.
So the plan was put in motion, despite some “are you serious?” reactions and questions about how, exactly, the bride is supposed to skate down the aisle in a wedding dress.
“We had to alter the dress quite a bit. It was just high enough where you could see the tips of my skates,” she said.
As for the ceremony itself: The seven-person wedding party were all on skates, while the guests were seated in chairs adorned with rally towels and some blankets in case the guests got the chills. “We did write on our invitations, ‘Dress warm,’” said the bride. “We were prepared.”
The wedding took place at center ice, featuring some usual and unusual aspects to the vows. “After we did our rings, we did the ceremonial puck drop, we did our first kiss and then skated out to the Oilers goal horn and goal song,” said Brit.
Since they skated away to the Oilers’ goal song, the puck used during the ceremonial puck drop had a Canucks logo.
“The puck drop was … awkward. I don’t think our Justice of the Peace understood how to do a faceoff,” she said, “and Andrew was more concerned about winning the faceoff than smiling for the cameras. He’s like, ‘I can’t let my boys down and lose the faceoff.’”
The wedding photos took place around the rink, including some with the groom in the penalty box.
He also was able to live a “childhood dream” with a professional photographer: Teaming up with his buddies for the “snow shower on the camera” shot on the ice.
After photos, it was off to a local country club for the reception, where the hockey theme continued. Each member of the wedding party had a jersey with a number, and was introduced as being “from your Edmonton Oilers” or “from your Vancouver Canucks.” Brit and Drew were the captains.
The cupcake stand feature hockey sticks in a display created by a few friends.
The cupcake stand - note the hockey sticks
In the end, nobody fell on the ice, hockey was well-represented, and the bride and groom can cherish a memorable day at the rink.
“A lot of people say their wedding day was the best day of their lives. And this exactly was,” said Drew.
To watch the video of their wedding, go here.
