Couples in Prince George who want to say “I do” without any of the stress of planning a wedding now have another option.
The University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) will be hosting two pop-up wedding events this summer.
“The pandemic has been really hard on the event industry, especially weddings. It has been disheartening to say the least especially for many couples who have had to keep postponing and postponing,” said Deb van Adrichem, UNBC’s conference and event services manager.
She said UNBC was inspired to try pop-up weddings after seeing similar events in larger cities across Canada.
The UNBC Campus, with its unique architecture and views of the city, is already a popular local spot for weddings, but this will be the first time the institution will provide an all-inclusive pop-up style package.
“We are only offering it for a limited time this summer to test the waters and see what the reaction is and go from there,” said van Adrichem. “With the pandemic we thought this is such a good fit because so many things have changed - How we used to do things is not the same anymore so we thought why not weddings? Let’s do something different for that too.”
How will it work exactly?
The happy couple will get a three-hour reservation in the Agora Hall which includes the ceremony, reception, and a photo session.
The hall will be also decorated with greenery, white drapery, and lanterns. The DJ, marriage commissioner and catering are also all included.
Essentially, the only thing the couple have to do is arrive in their formal wear with their bouquets and guests and then head down the aisle.
“Prior to your arrival will have already met with the marriage commissioner, and you will have had a meeting with the photographer, so you know what to expect for photography,” explained van Adrichem.
The university will be offering the pop-up wedding package this summer on Saturday, July 16 and Saturday, Aug. 13.
“One of the other things we thought was pretty cool is that weddings are expensive and this package for a wedding is not that expensive and it’s less stress,” said van Adrichem, who noted the package is priced for 25 people, but the event space can accommodate a maximum of 50 people.
“It’s affordable for a reason. Lots of people know their priorities might be getting a house down payment or maybe they want to travel — Making it affordable in this way is a good fit.”
